Evening star., 1928-12-30
LINKS EARLE BANDIT.
WITH TAXI ROBBERY.
Victim of SLABS HoId.Up in
Hired Car August 27 Iden-
titles Elmo Williams.

Elmo Williams, Earle Theater bandit,
was identified last night as the man
who forced David w. Bell, jr., of 4318
Ninth street, then an employe of the
Peoples Drug Store at Thomas Circle,
on the afternoon of August 81 into a
taxicab, took him for. ride and robbed
him of 81 ,485 Of the stores receipts,
which Bell was taking to the bank.
Headquarters Detective Harry K.
Wilson, in charge of the case, intimated
that he was investigating seven other
hold-ups in which it is suspected Will
liams may have had part.
Bell, who is 81 years old and third
year student at the University of North
Carolina, was approached by Williams,
he declared, about o'clock in the
afternoon as he was waiting for street
car On Fourteenth street just outside
the store. The robber cautioned him
not to cry out, saying he had ma
chine gun trained on him and ordered
him to hail taxi Bell complied, and
the two got into the cab and drove UP
Fourteenth street. Williams then pulled
a revolver from his pocket and demand
ed the money which he said he knew
Bell had on his person. Bell turned
over the roll of bills without argument,
and williams ordered the driver to take
them to Eleventh and Monroe streets,
where Bell was allowed to alight.
Bell Identifies Williams.
Bell is home from college for Christ
mas, and was brought to police head
quarters about 7 o'clock last night He
unhesitatinely identified Williams. Will
liams, however, denied that he had seen
Bell before.
The youthful robber devised code of
three key words for insertion in news
paper advertising columns by which his
uncle, Thomas Edison Williams, also Fl
years, who was brought to Washington
Friday and charged with completely in
the crime, could communicate with him
acknowledging receipt of money, thought
by police to have been obtained by Elmo
in hold-ups. The code also was to warn
him If detectives we're on his trail
The uncle admitted to Wilson that
he received $3.50 from his nephew
September IL, and that although he did
not know how the money was acquired,
he thought something ives wrong with
it," The proceeds of the Earle robbery
were also sent to Thomas Williams,
police say. and then turned over to
Elmo's mother, Mrs Celestia Williams,
who also lives in Tampa.
Admits Sending Guns.
According to Wilson, the uncle admits
buying two guns and sending them to
Elmo Williams in Pittsburgh some time
before the theater hold-up. 1t was one
of these guns which was pointed at
Harry E. Lohmeyer, manager of the
Earle. 1t was recovered by Wilson in
pawnshop in Tampa on information
furnished by Thomas Williams.
Mrs Williams was questioned in the
Florida city concerning the disposition
of the proceeds of the latest robbery
She is quoted as saying that she sent
the entire amount intrusted to her to
her son when he reached Chicago. Will
liams declared he has spent all of it,
but police are now trying to locate the
cash. A telegraphic record discloses
that the $3.50 in Thomas Williams
care was sent to his nephew in four
lots OF about $500 each by telegraph.
Both Mrs. Williams and the uncle
deny knowledge of the exact anlout of
the money shipped them following the
Earle Theater robbery. They say the
bills filled a large candy box and the
coins were packed in sawdust in a
wooden case.
Sends Code Messages.
The code was discovered by Wilson
while going through Thomas Williams
effects In Tampa. 1t was contained in
letter written hV Elmo which fOl-
lows:
Dear Tom: Ready for your informa-
ton. Put a personal ad in a news
paper in Washington. Just inclose the
Continued on Page Column I'D