Evening star., 1924-03-27
CATCH ONE Of FOUR
SOUGHT IN HOLD-UP
Police Say "Fats" Bradley
Admits Driving PiggIy
Bandits Auto.

Leroy Bradley, known to his friends
and the police as Fats" Bradley, al
legged by Arthur Gilbert Hurley to be
one Of the banoIts who robbed Marion
J.. Cleaton, cashier, and John Starnes.
manager of the local unit of the Pig
gly Wiggly corporation, is in custody
of the police. He is said by the police
to have admitted being the driver of
the bandit car and also of the car to
which they transferred on Todd place
after getting the cash.
Four residents of this city were de-
tanned in Baltimore yesterday after.
noon on suspicion that they were the
hold-up men. They had had an acci
dent on the road and were driving IN
a car similar to the one mentioned IN
n police message asking for their ar.
rest. Detectives Scrivener, Kelly and
Sweeney went to Baltimore and saw
them. They were promptly released
Sighted Him I'm Auto.
Fats Bradley was mentioned in
cincts and police elsewhere, and yes
terday afternoon Policeman j. c. Dali
glish of the seventh precinct sighted
him in an automobile with seVera
friends. He rushed to the police sta
tion, told of having seen him ant
Joined squad of men who hurried L
the home of Frank Branzell, 1913 Z
street, where they thought he was go
ing.
While the house was surrounded tc
prevent the possible escape of Brad-
lev, Policemen DalglIsh and Chr1smar
entered and placed Bradley unuer ar
rest before Detectives Waldron, con
and King. who had been summoned
from police headquarters, arrived
The prisoner was turned over TO TN
detectives and taken to ponce mead
quarters.
on their return from Baltimore De-
all
participated with the other detectives
in a further investigation of the al
fair. No third degree examlnatloi
had to be EssoTtGd to IN the am eno story of
the hold-up, the detectives declared
He held out for few minutes ana
then said he was willing to tell them
the story of the big robbery, hrst as
serting that he obtained no part OF
the proceeds. ,
In addition to admitting being the
driver of the bandit car, the prisoner
was fully identified by. the Piggy
Wiggly employees from whose CUSTODY
the money was taken. He is also SAID
to have fully corroborated the story
told by the prisoner Hurley or the
plotting of the robbery IN nolei
room. Hurley was committed 10 Jan
YESTERDAY as an alleged accessory be-
bradley, who resides with his
mother on a houSeboat anchored In
Little river and spends much time
with friends in Georgetown, is SAID
nv the detectives to have related the
story of the plotting in hotel room.
and of having followed the Piggly
wiggly money car from the store AT
Tth street and Pennsylvania avenue
northwest to the main office at 5th
and V streets northeast Saturday and
Monday mornings.
SATURDAY, morning, he is said to have
stated only one bag of cash was seen
and 1t was deemed advisable to wait
until Monday morning, believ:ng the
cashier and manager would have
more than $4,000 in their possession
at that time. He related the story of
the hold-up, while he remained in the
car, and tod of driving to Todd place.
where 4 car he had borrowed had
been parked.
Men Abandoned Car.
The prisoner was able to tell of
several incidents connected with the
Saturday morning trip of the money
car that made it certain he was on
the scene, it was stated.
Driving from where the car was
parked, he stated, Joe Nally, one of
the alleged bandits, kept telling him
to step on the gas and scorch. When
the car reached New Jersey and
Rhode Island avenues, he said, it's
progress was impeded by motor
trucks. His three companions, he
said, fearing they might be over
taken. leaped from the car and ran.
He continued to the hotel where the
robbery had been planned, he said.
where the money was to have been
distributed but men or money failed
to materialize.
Following the arrest of Bradley,
the police seized the car he had been
driving. They learned that the car
belonged to Leo Joseph Vaughn, re-
siding on the Virginia side OF the
river, and had been borrowed by
Bradley.
1t is said that detectives received
information that Joe Nally came to
this city only four days before the
robbery was committed. The three
missing members of the party are
thought to have left the city.