The Washington times., 1922-04-03
BANK YEGG HOTEL MAN
CAP TURED GETS BEST
BY TELLER0F BANDIT
Routs Robber at Hadleigh
Apartment by Engaging Him
in Conversation.

An attempted hold-up At 2:30
o'clock this morning at the fash
ionable Hadleigh Hotel was frus-
trated by the night manager.
Charles b. Wells, who called the
bluff of a masked robber when he
was confronted with a revolver
and a demand to throw 'em up !"
The attempted robbery of one
of Washington's most. fashionable
apartment hotels VS. one of the
boldest tried here FOR some time.
Says He's Bad Guy"
While bellboys and elevator opera
tors passed to and fro in the lobby,
Wells was confronted by the masked
robber as ne sat behind the counter
working on his night receipts.
Throw EN- up. the yegg com,
ma anded, leaning over the counter
and pointing his revolver al the
night manager.
"Quit your kidding and put that
gun away" Wells commanded. 1T
might go Off"
you're damned right ID will 20
off unless you stick 'em up quick
and hand over the cash. mean
business. I'm bad guy and l
shoot TO kill. Get me boz Stick
'em up or ! shoot"
The night manager stuck en-
up but laughed.
You certainly picked Lean
night to raid the place" he told
the robber. II haven't got the
key to the cash drawer nor the
vault"
Can that stuff" the robber de
mandad. and open up the cash
drawer"
III you want the cash drawer
opened, open it yourself" Wells
told the robber.
Unnerved at Challenge.
AS the man behind the counter
edged over TO a drawer where he
kept his gun, the would.be stick.
up man. who had gotten up on the
counter dropped back off OF It
into the lobby, and with his gun
still leveled at the manager, again
demanded the cash.
81 tell YOU I haven't got any
cash. What there Is in the vault
and il you want II you'll have TO
come and get it"
Evidently unnerved at the chal.
lenge, the robber back away:
well, ] ought to shoot you. but
I've got heart. Now I'll beat Il -,
II you'll just keep still half second. :"
the robber said, as he turned and fled
through a side entrance and down V
street.
Grabbing his gun. the night man.
ager, with the engineer of the build
ing, Bradley Snyder. who had been
notified by the elevator opera tor
who, in turn, had heard the robbers
command to stick 'em up" pursued
the fleeing figure as he ran from the
but lost him in the outside
darkness.
Thought II a Joke.
THE thing was so bold that when
first confronted with the gun I
ii was some kind of belated
April fool Joke" Wells said.
The attempted hold.up. according
to Wells. was the work of an ANA.
teur. Had he been a professional
II would not have been possible to
have bluffed him as we did" Wells
declared He was either a novice
at the game or was drunk. The
man had complained to one of che
bellboys earlier in the evening that
some corn liquor he had been drink.
ing gave him a headache
Thousands of dollars in cash and
checks were in the vault of the
hotel. 1t is believed that the man
must have lived at the hotel at
some time or another. and was IA.
miliar with the fact that the apart.
ment tenants paid their rent on the
first of the month, and probably
a rich haul in cash from
this source.
Fredericksburg police have been
asked to look out for the robber, IL
being known that he had inquired
N taxi driver the fare to that
plapa