Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-03-30
BANDITS BIND TWO
ANDL0OT STORE
One Answers General Man.
ager Over Phone Before
Taking Cash and Shirts.

the suspicious of the general manager
of the Ariel Shirt Shops, who called
to satisfy himself that all was well at
the branch store at 1402 New York
avenue, two daring daylight bandits,
both colored, bound and gagged en-
ployes of the branch and escaped with
$40 in cash and S400 worth of mer-
chandiSe yesterday evening at 3
o'clock while homeward bound crowds
passed by the store
AS Edward Elkins, 40 years old,
1901 K street, manager of the
branch, and Talbot Purvis, 81 years
old, 513 Buchanan street, were pre-
pairing to close for the day, two
young, well dressed colored men en-
tered the shop and asked to see some
shirts. AS Purvis turned to get some,
one Of the intruders covered Elkins
with a revolver, while the other
jerked down the shade on the door.
Manager Begs Pardon.
One Of them pocketed the contents
Of the cash drawer, about 500. The
other kept his gun pointed at the two
employees, keeping his back to the
door and holding the revolver close
to his hip.
The telephone rang. It was Milton
Diamond, general manager of the
stores, making his customary checking
up call at closing time from his Office
at the store at 922 F street.
The bandit who had looted the cash
register calmly answered the phone.
His voice was unfamiliar to the man.
ager, who assuming that he had the
wrong number, begged his pardon.
The telephone rang again.
The bandit who had looted the
cash register calmly answered. His
voice was unfamiliar to the manager,
who asked:
who is this?''
Albert" replied the bandit.
Two Men Are Bound.
Thinking that he had the wrong
number the manager begged the bur-
glars pardon.
ALBERT" turned from the telephone
and proceeded to tie Elkins to a table
and bind Purvis hand and foot, using
about two dozen stout neckties. First
he relieved them of their money and
watches, taking $50 from Elkins and
$50 from Purvis
The telephone rang again. The
bandit answered it again. The voice
was still unfamiliar to M Diamond,
SO he repeated the store number, say
ing:
rs this Franklin S285?"
mo; this is Franklin $685. was the
reply, and the bandit hung up the
receiver.
Turning to Purvis, he inquired his
name and then stuffed several socks
in his mouth, gagging Elkins in the
same manner. The bandits gathered
a supply of choice silk shirts, size IA,
the size they had asked for when they
first entered the store.
DISCUSSES His Voice.
Mr. Diamond called again. The
bandit answered another time and an
nounced that he was ga friend Of
Purvis," who lay bound and gagged
at his feet.
The general manager then request
ed to speak to Elkins. Smiling at the
gagged branch manager. the bandit
announced that he had lust stepped
out" So the manager asked for Pur-
Wis.
There was a pause Disgusting his
voice, as 1t developed later, the con-
yersational bandit impersonated the
clerk, whose voice was not familiar
to Mr.. Diamond since he was a new
employee, and informed him that he
was checking up on the shirts" and
that his superior would be right back.
Mr.. Diamond announced that he
would hold the line. That met with
the approval of the bandit, who left
the telephone and, joined by his COM
panion, walked calmly out of the store.
expressing a regret that there had
been no gunplay, since ''the peniten-
tiary means nothing to u.s.
Manager Grows Suspicious.
They hailed a taxicab and rode
away while passersby still went by,
all unconscious of the drama within
the store, and the manager still held
the phone waiting to speak to his
helpless employee. p. J. Jordan, traffic
officer on duty at Fourteenth street
and New York avenue, continued to
direct traffic, in ignorance of the hold
up but a few yards away.
After holding the wire for five min.
utes Mr.. Diamond grew suspicious,
and started for the New York avenue
branch. When he got there he found
the answer to his odd telephone con-
versation. Purvis had managed to
break the ties which bound him and
the employees were relating their story