Evening star., 1931-05-01
ELEVEN SUSPECTS
GR|LLED IN HOLD-UP
OF POSTAL STATION
Police Raiders Arrest 18 Men
at Pool Room, but Release
Seven on AIibiS.
INSPECTOR WHO NIPPED
D. C. PLOT TAKES CASE
Two Bandits Loot Is Put at $500
in Haul Near Precinct House.
Customers Cash Spurned.

With IL men already under arrest,
police today we're continuing their
search for the two armed bandits who
held up the post Office station in the
old st. James Hotel building 484
Pennsylvania avenue, yesterday ana es-
caped with approximately 5000 after
locking the three clerks, enc OF tnem
middle-aged woman. in back room.
The II suspects, who were being helo
for investigation at the various police
stations. were arrested last night when
Detective Sergts. Van Doren Hughes
Thomas C. Bragg and H. II. CarpeI
raided a pool room opposite the post
Office station. 49,,
Eighteen men were arrested IN t1e
raid but seven of them subsequently
were released after questioning at po-
lice headquarters. Bernard smith, one
of the postal clerks victimized IN tne
robbery, today was unable to loentiIy
any of the men.
Inspector Aids Probe.
The quiz was being conducted by Leo
A De Ward. a post Office inspector, VINO
helped to bring about the arrest OF Ar
thur A. Fischer and Phillip K. Stumm
FISCHER and Stumm allegedly were
manning to hold up the District dls-
bursting office on Decoration day, wnen; edc
they believed, approximately SlZU,oOg
would have been available. DE warn
and Jack Arnold, described ny ponce tss ss
volunteer investigator, nippeo tne
alleged plot in the bud by posing as
confederates and turning the intorma-
tion thus obtained over to police
THE raid was made after the pollce
received "tip" the robbery was plan-
ned by habitues of the pool ROOM
because the post office station is less
than two blocks from police heaoquar-
ters and not much farther from the
fsrst nrecinct station, the hold-up Is
considered one of the most daring ex-
ecuted here for some time.
Pair Enter Quietly.
Only one outsider-Perry M. Teepie,
1871 T street. an associate engineer III
the municipal architects of11ce-waS III
the post Office station when the 'roDpeIs
entered. He was standing az = WILDE WILDE
counter in the front part OF the STATION
filling out an application for money
one of the bandits walked up to the
counter behind which the employees
Miss Mary D. Connor. rs K street; AT,
thur Kleisath, 300 F street, and Bernard
Smith, Arlington, Va-were at work
The other robber closed the door ana
remained standing IN front o. y.
The bandits entered so quietly that
neither Teeple nor the clerks heard
them. Suddenly, the one who had ap-
preached the counter ordered Smltn,
the chief clerk, to stick 'em up"
Thought Bandit Joking.
Looking up, Smith found himself
gazing into the muzzle OF revolver.
Al the same moment Kleisath looked up
from his work.
81 thought the robber was one OF
Smiths friends, trying to have little
fun" Kleisath said in describing the
hold-up. Il was about to return 70 my
work when the bandit repeated his COM
mand. Smith put his hands up, and
knew the robbery wasn't any joke.
The robber backed the clerks into
room in the rear of the office and Locked
the door. AS he returned to the front
part of the station his companion
walked over to Teeple. who had slO2
spread out on the counter In front OF
him.
Customers Cash Spurned.
"How much have you got there?" the
bandit asked, pointing his pistol at
Teeple from beneath his coat. Ieeple
hesitated for a moment and then re-
piled: 'Oh, about $50 or SO, / guess.
The robber turned to look at his COM
panion. who was ransacking the cash
drawers beneath the clerks counter. As
he did SO Teeple swept his money be-
tween the pages Of newspaper.
Ignoring Teeple's money, the bandit
ordered him to Jump over the gate lead
ing to the back part OF the ONCE.
But I can't jump that high, Teeple
demonstrated.
"Oh. yes, you can" the robber re-
torted Go to it," and he jammed his
gun into Teeple's back. Teeple vaulted
the gate. clearing it by several inches.
"I wouldn't have made 1t. though, ne
admitted later. "if the bandit hadn't
sort Of hoisted me over with his re-
volver"
Seen Before Robbery.
Leaving Teeple standing in the rear
of the station the robber joined his
companion, who was stufing the con-
tents Of the cash drawers into his
pockets Then, after issuing hnai
warning TO Teeple TO keep quiet, the
bandits fed
Teeple ran to the door and looked
up and down the street, but the robbers
had disappeared. Meanwhile. the I'M
priSoned clerks had forced the door OF
the rear room, and one OF them tele-
phoned police headquarters.
A radio cruiser searched the neigh-
bcrhood. hut no trace OF the bandits
was found. No one had seen them after
they left the Office, but it is believed
they escaped in an automobile parked
nearby. They we're seen in the neigh
borhood about two hours before the
robbery. however. and 1t is thought
they were sizing up" the station and
laying their plans then.
Both robbers were very young" ac-
eofding 10 their victims. who gave
police descriptions of them.
Teeple, who came to Washington a
few weeks ego from Montgomery. Ala,
where he had been working for the
(icve,a,ment. was about u send some
money " his wife when the bandits
entered
He returned TO the Office today and
dispatched the money to Columbia.
S. c., where his wife lives.