Evening star., 1922-11-08
PLAN EARLY TRIAL
FOR BANK BANDITS
Judge Announces Prince
Georges Special Grand Jury
Will Be Called at Once.

UPPER MARLBORO. Md Novemb Der
S.-Swift justice is 10 be moied out to
the four bandits who attempted
yesterday TO hold up the bank Al
Clinton. ten miles from here. and
were captured in 4 woods after be-
ing tracked down by posse of sew
eral hundred armed farmers. Wash
ington detectives and Maryland police
authorities.
T.. E. Punphrey. deputy sheriff,
who maGe the actual arrest a minute
before the main body o! scarchers
arrived at the alleged bandits for
est rendezvous. declared today Judge
Fillmore Eeall. presiding in :hn circuit
court of Prince Georges county. had an
nounced his Intention of convrn.nG
special grand jury immeditely. Ine
jury will b. asked to indiCt the four men
on charges Of attempted ha1k robbery.
Accused Men Guarded in Jail.
The accused men. who described
223 18th street southwest. Wash
ington. and Augustus G.. Henry c.
and Frank VI Woods. brothers. of
Reltsville. Md. are now in the county
Jail here. constantly guarded by
specia! wardens. Their trial in the
after their Indictment. which authori-
ties think, is assured since Coakley
confessed and implicated his three
associates.
Prince Georges county. within Il
radius of fifteen miles of the usually
calm little town of Clinton. had not
yet settled down from the excitement
of the man hunt yesterday. Virtually
every able bodied man. within strlk-
ing distance of Clinton. snouldered
his rife or shotgun. after the men
had been driven from the bank and
joined in the search.
Cashier Denes Bandits.
The alleged bandits reached the
bank about 1890 O'Clock. When one
showed pistol under the nose OF j.
Frank Dent. the cashier. and de-
manded that he throw up his hands.
the plucky young man dropped be-
hind his cage and set off the burglar
alarm. Cnnerved by the sudden
changing of the big gong. the would
from the building. leaped into their
automobile and dashed out of the
town, firing several volleys Of pistol
shots as they went. Five miles down
the road their car broke down and all
four fed into dense forest near
Allentown.
Summoned from a nearby election
together 4 posse o: several hundred
farmers, all armed to the teeth. and
many were holding by leash one or more
foxhouEds. In the meantime Washing
ton police had sealed every entrance
into the District from that section OF
ceived that tine fugitiveS. in one des-
perate effort to escape. had stolen an
automobile from passing motorist
and were en- route back to this city.
Brothers Hide in Ravine.
Deep in the forest, however. the
Woods brothers crouchrd in n small
ravine, terror-stricken as the yelping
fox dogs told them, by their mourn
full symphony of howls. that the pur-'
suers were drawing closer momen-
tarily. All these men were armed.
but they confessed later that the
awful terror of the onrushing dogs
left their arms limp and their brains
uunbeG by fea:.
Two hundred men were marching
slowly through the woods at this
tion. Deputy Sheriff Pumphrey led
the party from the south while
Headquarters Detective Scrivener d.
rected another through from the
north. The armed farmers swept in
from the sides Pumphrey first saw
Leveling his automatic. the Deputy
sheriff called upon the men to sur
render, which they did with alacrity.
Ask to BE Hurried Awny.
A moment later the main body of
man hunters burst into view. and the
three brothers paled visibly as they
saw the business-like looking farm
ers. each ciutching a gun. and the
dogs Fearing violence. the prisoners
drew closer to the policemen Of the
party and asked to be hurried away.
They were taken back to Clinton in
the automobile of the Washington de-
tective bureau.
Coakley, the fourth man. had been
captured more than an hour before.
1t was ne who. striking out for him
self, once in the woods, had circulat-'
ed the call ta>.t the bandits had stolen
an automobile and were hurrying
back to Washington. He had hoped
to draw the posse from the scent
by that ruse. but instead attracted
one body Of them to the house from
which he phoned. Coakley was found
there and later confessed, naming the
Woods brothers as his partners.
Night brought to close disas-
trous day for the young men. They
were in Jail, their automobile was
wrecked, and even a flve-dollar bill
one of them had carried into the bank
was left behind when they fed so pre-
cipitately.