Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-01-21
HOLD-UPS LAID TO 3
IN BUSCH TRIAL
Government Charges Defend
ants Took Part in Vir-
ginia Robberies.

Three of the four defendants
charged with the murder of Police
man Leo w. K Busch were impli-
Gated by Government witnesses in
two hold ups in Virginia nine days
before the fatal shooting when the
trial was resumed in Criminal Divi-
sion 2.
Nicholas Lee Eagles, Samuel Mo-
reno and John Proctor were identi
fed in court as the men who held up
a service station about a mile from
Long Bridge on early morning of
September IL, and. Eagles and
Moreno again were picked out as the
bandits who robbed another station
in Alexandra the same morning.
Proctor was not mentioned in the
Alexandria hold -up and John r. Nc
Cabe, the fourth defendant, was not
connected with either of the robberies.
Justice William Hitz, directed the
jury not to consider McCabe in the
Virginia hold ups and to accept the
evidence against Proctor in only one
incident.
Identify Reyolvers.
The Government likewise proved by
it's witnesses that Eagles and Moreno
acquired two revolvers from the two
Virginia hold-ups and these guns later
were found on the scene of the shoot
ing near Grant Circle on the early
morning of September 26.
John j. Twigg, now of Cumberland,
Md. but formerly night manager of
the Mylsx gasoline station on the
lower road to Alexandria and located
about a mile from Highway Bridge,
detailed the story of the hold-up to
the jury. He was sitting in his auto
mobile in front of the station when
small closed car drove up and two
men alighted and asked for oil. he
said. AS he entered the building they
pushed pistols in his back, forced him
to throw up his hands and Eagles
"tore off my clothes, took my money,
watch and chain" Twigg said
The other man, whom he identified
as Moreno, took his gun from the car
in which he had been sitting. Proctor,
he declared, sat at the wheel of the
closed car and held a gun in one hand
which was pointed at Twigg. In the
back seat of the closed car was a girl,
the witness said, who held a gun
close to his head and said, Keep 'em
up, big boy"
This revolver and the one taken
from Twigg were identified by both
witnesses as being the weapons they
kept in their respective stations.
Identify Automobiles.
Before Assistant United States At
torney George d. Horning, jr., took up
the Virginia hold.ups, he introduced
testimony concerning three automo-
biles which the Government charges
were used by all of the defendants in
two highway robberies in nearby
Maryland several hours before the
Petworth shooting. Mrs. Elizabeth D.
Coon, who lives on the. Washington
Baltimore pike, told of the disappear
ance of her automobile some time after
o'clock on the morning of September
26 and of again finding it at No. 10
police station. Policeman William c.
Buchanan of No. 10, testified that he
found Mrs. Coon's car in front of 313
Webster street. Linwood Willoughby,
a mechanic of Laurel, Md, testified
that Mrs. Coon's car passed by his
place of employment in Berwyn
shortly after o'clock that morning.
He also told of finding a suit case
near a car which he had been ordered
to tow in from a point near Muirkirk.
Defense counsel announced they fail
ed 10 see the relevancy OF JnlS teStl-
mony. as proving anything, and unless
Mr.. Horning would clarity 1t later,
they would move to strike 1t out.
There was some confusion in the
courtroom on the question of just who
did the hold-up work, as Twigg en-
deavored to supply the proper names
to the men he had identified. Once he
referred to Eagles as being Proctor
and again he confused Mareno with
Eagle
He gave testimony about identify.
ing the men at the District morgue
during the inquest over Officer Busch's
body and declared that at that time
he had identified Proctor. Attorney
James B. Archer replied that Proctor
was in hospital in Baltimore on the
inquest day, but Twigg settled the
matter by pointing to Eagles and
Mareno as the men he identified.
Several tilts occurred between Ar.
cher and Twigg during cross-examina-
ton by Proctor's counsel. Archer
asked him If Proctor held the gun in
his hand while sitting at the wheel
and Twigg replied to Archer's dis
pleasure, Where else could he hold
it?" At another point Eagles counsel.
Louis Tannsbauin, asked Il Twigg had
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