Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-04-01
Two Employees of Drug Firm
Held Up in Alley Near
Warehouse.
POLICE IN SCOUT CAR
WERE 200 YARDS AWAY
Headquarters Announcer Gives
Wrong Address, Sending Off,
GERS Across City.

WIhn ZOO yards of a police scout
car, three daring bandits this morning
robbed two employees of the Peoples
Drug Co. warehouse First and Decatur
streets northeast, of pay roll Of So
5l4.5l. The robbery occurred within 100
feet Of the warehouse, where more
than score Of men were working.
The two drug company employees, Ed
win w. Edmonston, buyer for the COM
pany, and Seymour j. stoutenbourgh,
assistant warehouse manager, were re-
turning from bank with the pay roll
just before IL o'clock. They parked
their car in the alleylike Decatur street
and upon getting out we're accosted by
the three armed men. After taking the
money from the pair, the bandit trio
escaped in large blue sedan which
they had parked about half block
away.
Seen Lettering in Alley.
The three men had been seen loiter-
Ing in the alley at intervals during the
past week by employees at the warehouse
who attached no significance because
OF the fact that numerous strangers
are Whereabouts in connection with Dis
trict sewer work which Is being carried
on.
Sergt George Helmuth and J. r.
Dankmyer of No. precinct, operating
the radio car, had passed up the street
and seen the three men less than 10
minutes before the robbery. They said
they were less than 200 yards from the
scene Of the robbery when they re-
ceived radio message to go to the
warehouse. The announcer at head
quarters, however, gave the address in
the northwest section instead of north
east. they said, and while they were
answering the call at the wrong address
the bandits escaped.
Bandits Lose Pursuer.
Several employees at the warehouse
witnessed the hold-up, and one got in
his car and trailed the blue sedan to
Fifteenth and H streets before losing it.
Descriptions Of the bandits we're OBJ
tanned By police.
Detectives r. j. Cox and II. X. VIII
son from headquarters also responded
to the hold-up alarm.
Ali three men were described as be-
ing small of stature and well dressed.
The pay roll was said to be for the 225
The bandit car bore tags stolen last
night from the machine of Frank Lutz.
1888 Sixteenth street.
It was Pvt. James g. Pipkin, radio
announcer, who gave the scene of the
crime as 1922 First street northwest
instead of 1922 First street northeast.
Pipkin declared the error in address
had been made by attaches in the CEN
trail bureau at police headquarters.
IL. Il r.. Z
their car at breakneck speed to the
northwest address, only to be re-routed
to northeast. when they drew to a halt
in the 1400 block Of First street north
west BY this time the bandits had fed.
The hold-up men in escaping ran
from the scene of the robbery across q
lot to o street northeast, less than a
block from where the second precinct
radio car had been parked, and drove
of in the dark blue sedan.
Thought Request Only Joke.
A comeIy telephone operator. gazing
up from her switchboard, prevented
John N Healy Of 702 Fourth street
northeast from becoming hero during
the hold-up.
HeaIy was getting into his machine
in the rear of Peoples warehouse. at 1922
street northeast, when he saw the
three gunner confront and rob Edmon-
son of the payroll
Healy raced from his machine to the
warehouse and shouted out to the
operator:
Please get me police headquarters.
There's hold-up outside
Forget it, brother, forget it. This
is April Fool day and that stuff
don't 60"
Healy then ran from the building,
jumped into his machine and followed
the bandit car to Fifteenth and H I
streets northeast before losing the trail.