San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1924-04-23
BULLETIN.

New York. April 23.-Celia COoney,
confessed bobbcd-haired bandit. and
her husband, Edward s. Cooncy. to-
day pleaded guilty to an indictment
charging robbery in the first degree
when arraigned before County Judge
Martin in Brooklyn. They were re-
manded to Jail for sentence on Mon
day. They refused to accept the SER
vices of counsel. engaged by Cooney's
brother, who offered a plea of not
guilty. They said they had employed
no lawyers and needed none.
BY ROBERT T. SMALL
Copyright by The San Antonio Light
New York, April 23.-The last chap
ter in the most lurid romance New
York has ever known is about to be
written--written "up the river" where
grim gray walls bring a pallor to the
most painted of cheeks. The "bobbed
haired bandit has had her fling and
has found that outlawry does not pay.
She was lured into the holdup game
by what she thought was the success
of others. She wanted to be a hero
inc of the type shown in the poorer
sort Of movies which were the only
kind she ever saw.
Most of all, she says, she did not
want her baby born in furnished
room. She wanted a flat Of her own.
And she wanted pretty layette. She
had been working in laundry, but
the coming of the baby had made it
necessary to give up the hard labor.
Her husband was an automobile me
chanic, and although these gentry are
supposed to make fabulous wages
judging by the average garage bill
the girl who became the "bobbed hair
bandit" had not been able to lay by
enough money to meet the modest
wishes of her heart. She and the
husband talked matters over.
Necessary TO Shoot.
Others had made big thing OF it,
why not they? 1t was matter of but
few hours to gather together a
.family arsenal" of three automatic
pistols. A pistol pocket was patched
onto the inside of an old fur coat. A
few bobbed blonde curls, bought at
the hair dressers, were tucked under
a cloche hat and the expectant moth
er and father-to-be, started out on
their career of crime.
For a time they set the New York
police n dizzy pace. First the police
insisted there wasn't any bobbcd hair
bandit. Mayor Hylan even SO late as
a few days ago still insisted the girl
bandit was a creation of the news
papers looking for good copy and an
opportunity to discredit the. police.
Meantime the bandit and her tall
companion" who was always with
her continued to hold up small mer-
chants and corner store groceries. AT
some places they were SO successful
they paid return calls. But always
their operations were on a small scale.
At last they tackled big job. And
it proved their undoing. They at
tempted to hold up a cashier in a
big baking concern. Things went
wrong. 1t became necessary at last
to use one of the guns in the family
arsenal. The cashier was shot in the
leg. Unexpected resistance had found
the bandit duo too nerveless to shoot
to kill. They say they never wanted
to- do anything like that and the po-
lice are inclined to believe them.
Women Give Police Clew.
There were many witnesses to this
last attempted hoIdup. many women
witnesses and their keen eyes gave
the police the clew that was needed to
end the career of the bobbed hair out
law. The women said that unques-
tionably she was about to become n
mother. The police Immediately no.
titled all doctors and hospitals. But