Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-02-25
CONFESSION FREES
YOUTH IN CELL OF
ROBBERY CHARGE
Carl B. Davis Found innocent
of Holding Up Filling Sta
ton Collector.
BUT REMAINS IN PRISON
ON ANOTHER CONVICTION
Ex-Marines Said to Admit Four
Other Crimes-0ne Man Is
Ministers Son.

The confession of a minister's son
erased one BLACK mark" from the
crime record Of a youthful bandit leader
today.
Lorton Reformatory officials will open
the youths cell today cell in which
he is doomed to spend a little less than
eight yearS-and tell him he was in
dicted for a crime of which he knew
less than nothing.
Carl Benjamin Davis, the boy ban
dit, is serving a term for participating
in the hold-up of a Mount Vernon
Savings Bank messenger last year.
While that case against him was under
investigation he was identified as hav-
ing held up Benjamin Burch, col
lector for the Lord Baltimore filling
stations. and robbed him of $2,216.
A month later the grand jury indicted
him in the Burch case, but the court
nolle pressed the case, sentencing him
in the Mount Vernon Bank robbery.
Report Hold-ups Admitted.
Today the minister's son. Clarence
Paul Hulse, "a, of Baltimore, and his
companion, Samuel A. Johnston, %, OF
637 G street southeast, both former
Marines, admitted five hold-ups, in
Guiding the one in which Davis was in
dicted.
Burch leveled his finger at the sus-
poets at police headquarters last night
and accused them of having twice held
him up and taken $3,46o.
They were also pointed out. police
said, by the victims of three other hold
ups, Thomas L. Swan, manager OF a
chain store at Thirteenth and d streets
northeast; Thomas Guy, manager OF a
gasoline station at Fourth and streets
northeast, and Fred Hopkins, BIG
Rhode Island avenue, a colored taxicah
driver.
Cab Used by Bandits.
HOPKINS cab was used by bandits
in the first hold-up of the Lord Balti-
more filling stations collector. The
hacker was forced to drive to de-
serted section of the city, where he
was strapped to a tree and his mouth
bound with adhesive tape. Swan was
robbed of 5000 On February Z, while
$50 was taken from Guy on January n
Search for a third ex-marine, who
Ii said to have accompanied HulSe and
Johnston on all their forays, was begun
by police today, following the identifi-
cation.
Detective Sergts. Mike ]. Dowd and
Larry ODea, who arrested the pair Sat-
urday. as a result of their inveStiga-
ton of the second hold-up of Burch,
said that the men have confessed 70
the five robberies.
BIames Unemployment.
Johnston declared he went into the
hold-up racket last Spring because his
landlord was pressing him for the rent
on his home and he was unable TO md
honest employment.
Hulse explained that he also was out
of work and not wishing to appear a
"piker" in the eyes of his girl friend
in Baltimore he joined Johnston and
the third Marine so he could fash a
large bank roll.
The trio it is alleged staged their
FIRST job on July Is last, when they
robbed Burch of $2,2l6 in front of a
gasoline station at 1873 Pennsylvania
avenue after taking Hopkins taxicab
IN which TO make their getaway
The robbers, however, overlooked
$4,000. which Burch had collected dur
ing his rounds and wrapped in news
papers. Burch said that he bundled
the money up and tossed it carelessly
into his machine as a precautionary
measure against such an occasion, rea-
soning that any bandits that might
hold him up would overlook the bulk
OF his collections.
Johnston and Hulse, with their COM
panion, were driving past Sixth street
and Rhode Island avenue several weeks
ago in car which they are said to
have stolen in Fredericksburg, Va, when
they Spied Burch second time and
took 81 300.