Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-04-17
TWO HELD IN PAY
ROBBERY PLOT GET
CONTINUED HEARING
Judge Requires $4,000 Bond
Each for Fisher and Stumh,,
Hearing April ~.
D. C. AUDITORS CLERK
PLEADS NOT GUILTY
Dismissed by Donovan as Compan-
ion Blames Him in Detailed
Confession.

Two men charged with conspiring
to steal the District governments $780,
600 pay roll were held under $4,000
bond each for further hearing follow
ing their arraignment before Judge
Given in Police Court today.
Judge Given set the hearing for April
"a. after Michael Keogh, assistant dis
trict attorney, asked for continuance
while investigators gathered additional
evidence
One of the alleged plotters, Arthur
Allen Fisher, "a years old, a clerk in
the District auditors Office, pleaded not
guilty at the hearing. The other youth,
Phillip K. Stumm, 20 years old, of SYRIA
cuse, pleaded guilty.
Fisher and Stumm were paraded be-
fore headquarters detectives at morn
ing lineup" for identification pur-
poses and then rushed to the prisoners
dock in the court of Judge Ralph Given
to await arrangement.
Fisher son-in-law of the late Repre-
sentative Florian Lampert of Wisconsin,
was dismissed from the employ of the
District yesterday by District Auditor D.
Commissioners.
A detailed confession naming Fisher
as the perpetrator of the plan to hold
up DiSburSing officer James r. LuSby
at the District Building May 80. was
made by Stumm to Detective Inspector
William S. Shelby yesterday afternoon.
The alleged plot was barred Wednes-
day night after Stumm and Fisher were
arrested in a Fourteenth street hotel by
a trio of detectives. Their apprehension
climaxed nearly week of undercover
work by two volunteer investigators.
Jack Trainor, Roanoke, Va, who first
tipped of" police and Federal Postal
Inspector L. A. De Ward
In his confession Stumm said he met
Fisher while ''panhandling" meal
shortly after coming here broke" about
two weeks ago and agreed to join in the
plot when 1t was outlined to him several
days later. admitting that the life of
ease painted by Fishers imaginative
mind greatly appealed to him.
Fisher told me he wanted to see
the country and that he knew where
he could get 100000 any time he
wanted to- Stunm said.
Only Failure Possible.
Officials at the District Building dis
closed, however, that the robbery
would have proved to be another gold
brick" such as the mail hold-up at
Union Station February IL, when two
bandits seized 100000 in mutilated
currency if staged under the plans
said to have been designed by Fisher.
Decoration day, officials pointed out,
Is legal holiday and the June l pay
roll would have been made up and
disbursed to the employees on May 20.
The hold-up men would have found
only a secure locked Office for their
troubles
1t was the plotters' search for help
that led them into the hands of police
Trainor. whom they met on Ninth
street, warned Inspector Shelby of the
plot after Fisher and Stumm had in
vited him to take paht in the hold-up
Shelby persuaded Trainor to join the
men and tip off" police as to their
plans. When Stumm and Fisher in
Stituted a search for a machine gun
ner a day or so later, Inspector De
Ward was brought into the picture,
Fearing that Fisher might recognize
q headquarters detective, Shelby had De
Ward pose as machine gunner in
order to help detectives in their inves-
tigation of the case. Trainor intro
duced De Ward to the two men as
John McHugh, also known as Johnny
Mack, machine gunner who has pulled
several jobs with gangs in Brooklyn"
1t was the undercover work of De
Ward and Trainor that made possible
the apprehension of the two youths
while they were drawing up plans for
the robbery with the two undecover
operators in their hotel room late We'd
neSday afternoon. A sketch showing
the layout of the disburSing Office at
the District Building, said to have been
drawn by Fisher, was turned over to
police.