The evening world. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1887-1931, 1922-01-27
ROB BANK, KILL CASHIER,
BATTLE WITH 100 POLICE
Thugs Escape From BeSieged
House in Pittsburgh While
Crowd Watches Fight.
LOOT TOTALS $4,000.
Assistant Cashier Shot and
Clerks Locked in Vault by
Daring Band.

PITTSBURGH, Jan. 27.--More than
"A hundred police in a score of auto
mobiles are In pursuit this afternoon
of five thugs who in the morning
held. up the First National Bank of
Grafton, a suburb. killed Harold Moss,
the assistant cashier, escaped with
$95 900, fought n running battle With
pursuing detectives and then stood
off strong force that had them
surrounded in a house in this city
until they escaped again.
Soon after noon the police reported
that two men and a woman found
near the house had been taken and
were being detained for examination.
Tho thugs entered 'he bank forty.
five minutes after ii was opened for
business. They Immediately opened
fire in Jesse James fashion. shooting
and mortally woundinG Moss when he
reached for his revolver. Five othec
bank employees were rounded up and
driven into the vault.
Then they hastily caught UP GlDncs'
lying on counters and tables, ran To
their waiting automobile and fed in
tho direction OF the north side.
Within an hour after the robbery
a party of city detectives on their
way to the bank met an automobile
hlled with men on the north side.
The order to stop was answered by
u fusilade of shots. and the car kept
going.
The detectives lost q little time in
turning, but soon overlook the rob
bers, who abandoned their car and
scattered.
While some of the officers followed
the fleeing robbers, who were
answering their firing shot for Shot,
others took charge of the car and
found what they believed to be all of
the loot stolen from the bank.
Meantime, the thugs had run
through the buildings facing tie
street, AMI out of the back doors into
byways and alleys. They We're -
closely followed by the police, now 70,
infOrced by all the available reserves
on the north side and motorcycle
men from the downtown district,
Pennsylvania Avenue.
StationiEg themselves at advln-
tageously located windows, they
opened fire on the police, who pre-
pared to rush the building.
A great crowd, attracted by the
firing, gathered in the vicinity and
watched the battle.
After an exchange of shots between
the fugitives in the house and po-
licemen in the street firing from the
house slackened and finally ceased
The suspicion grew that the robbers
had escaped and made their way
through the yards of the Pennsyl-
Vania Railroad nearby. A Gordon of
police was thrown around the entire
section by George McCandless. Di-
rector of Public Safety. who with
Police Superintendent John G. Cal
houn took command of the policemen
who had been ordered from their
beats In all parts of the city.
Pursuit was then taken up on a
tip that the robbers had fled out the
Brighton road in another automobile.
The automobile used in the robbery
was taken to Central Police Station,
where 1t was found that the rear had
been riddled with bullets. 1t con-
tained two pistols of heavy calibre
n. B. Johnson. teller OF the bank.
announced that a partial oaechup re-
vealed the theft OF $4,000 IN Liberty
Bonds, a registry list and $1,000 in
cash.
Detectives announced hat the H.
cense plates on the car Used by the
thugs were stolen sevcrl. days ago
from a North Side business concern.