Evening star., 1924-01-26
TAXI FLEET STOLEN
IN PLOT TO SERVE
WRIT, FIRM CLAIMS

y
CONTINUED from First Page)
pa ssengers rode off in the direction
of Baltimore via Annapolis.
Upon reaching this town the
frightened drivers notified Sheriff
hour every road III this and adjoin
ing counties was blocked by deputy
shcriffs and members OF the Mary
land state conStabulary.
sights Missing Caravan.
State IoIicenan Harry Dunn and
Robert Atkinson keeping vigil at
Glen Burnie, about five miles outside
of Baltimore. sighted the missing
cabs at about 10 O'Clock, the process
sion led by the car containing the
Burns operatives. without any fuss
all of the men surrended, turned
over their fire arms. drove INTO
Baltimore and We're locked up at
the central district police station
where they are awaiting warrants
which will order their return to
Uppar Marlboro for trial
Although Mr.. Parsons. patiently
awaiting the arrival of States At
torncy Allan Bowie of Prince Georges
county. so that he might swear out
the warrants, dtUiItltu tilt ii'it =
to have really been frame-up en-
r:neered by Burns detectives for the
finance corporation, his chaufeurs
declared. they had received unduly
rough treatment and one swore In
tho presence of Sheriff Fink that he
had been robbed of Sl1.
Claim Of Robbery.
The victim gave his name as VIII
liam l.. I.aakso of $50 9th street
northeast He said the men who
rented the cars were rough in ap-
pearance and even more rough in
their actions During the few min
utes that the hold-up was under way.
he asserted, one of the men held a
revolver to his heart and extracted
his last dollar from his pocket.
threatening to shoot If he opened
his trap"
Mr. Parsons was using every effort
to recover his cabs, but it was under
stood that many legal technicalities
must be gone through before he
thoughtfulness in staging the fake
holdup in MARYLAND places the cabs
under the jurisdiction of that state,
and lawyers here declared it would
returned to Washington until all
criminal or civil proceedings affect
ing the state OF Maryland had been
cleared up.
Eleven Men Held.
Eleven men arrested when the eight
taxis were being driven through Glen
Burnie We're:
Carl Drum, twenty-seven; Thomas
Cariey, twenty-two; Lester Luer,
twenty seven; Grover Chapman, twen-
ty-nine; Bernard Hall, twenty three;
Lee Munzer, twenty-five; William
Cosgrove, twenty -eigkt; Eisal Car
vey, thirty; Russell Fister, twenty:
John Scempetery, twenty three, and
Lesley EiSter.
All are members of the Marine
Corps, on leave from headquarters
here. with the exception of Eister,
who was chauffeur for the Pennant
company.
According to the prisoners the deal
was engineered by D. c. Anderson,
manager for the Washington branch
of the Burns Detective Agency, and
Gerald O'Day. his assistant. 1t was
said that the men arrested were Of
fered IS and their expenses to drive
the cabs to New York.
Story of Marine.
Lester Luer. who acted as spokes-
man for the eleven while they were
being detained at Central police sta
ton in Baltimore, gave the following
story to a representative of The Star
of the taking of the taxicabs:
I'VE had no intention to commit
any wrong and when the Burns de-
tectives early in the week showed US
their badges and writs and asked If
about ten men couldn't be gotten to-
gether under leave of absence. we
had no hesitancy in accepting the
offer.
An arrangement was made where
by we We're to hire Pennant cabs last
night wherever we found them on
the streets of Washington and drive
them out to the hotel at Upper Marl-
boro, where Anderson and O'Day
were to meet us. When these two
Burns men arrived at the hotel we
and the chauffeurs who drove us out
were having dinner. Anderson and
O'Day got out the writs for the taxis
and explained them to the chauffeurs.
who voluntarily turned them over
to us. There was no resistance. In
fact, Lesley Eister, one of the chauf-
feurs, volunteered to drive his cab
to New York.
Thought Deal Legal.
'Ihlnklng tnat everything was XII
right we got into the cabs and start
ed for New York, but were stopped
when we reached Glen Burnie by
State Policemen Jefferson and At
kinson. who told us that We Were
under arrest. We submitted and were
brought here to Baltimore"
, Luer then stressed that he and his
friends had no doubt but that the
deal that they had entered into was
legitimate.
Will BE Punished.
Marine headquarters here today said
the ten marines would be disciplined
for "engaging in civilian practices"
1t was stated that eighteen marines
in ALL on duty at headquarters in
the Munitions building, were ap-
preached by a Navy Department
clerk, who is also a Burns operative,