Evening star., 1933-04-07
WIDE NET SPREAD
| FOR BANK BANDITS
With S7,4QO LOOT
Police Believe Photos Iden-
tify Five Men Who Held
Up Branch Here.
ARRANGE TO COMPARE
| FINGERPRINTS ON AUTO
Members of Gang Sought in Every
Eastern City After Washington
Mechanics Savings Crime.

AACNAaAkOo "a N4Aka SA4mCs
Virtually every city in the Eastern
part of the United States was being
searched today for the bandit gang
that held up the Washington Mechanics
Savings Bank branch at Eighth and G
streets southeast and escaped with ST.
400 yesterday afternoon.
Armed with police photographs said
to look like" two members of the rob-
berry band, Inspector Frank S. w. Burke,
chief OF detectives, was directing the
hunt for the five gunner.
Tentative identification of the pic
lures was announced by Inspector Burke
as members of the Police Departments
Bureau of Identification, searched their
files for fingerprints matching some Of
those found on the bandits automobile.
Clues unearthed thus far in the in
vestigation, Inspector Burke declared,
indicate the hold-up-the fourth in
which Washington Mechanics Banks
have figured during the last two years
was staged by q gang of out-of-town
desperadoes.
Only four men participated in the
actual robbery the other member Of the
band sitting behind the steering wheel
Of their car, with the motor running.
Plans Executed Quickly.
Using sawed-off shotgun and three
large-caliber revolvers, the hold-up men
moved as smoothly as II they had re-
hearsed their parts.
II was few minutes after o'clock
when the bandits filed into the bank.
j. A. Hummer, teller, working in the
cage nearest the door, was counting out
10 one-dollar bills to woman customer
.. L. Miller, bookkeeper, was at work
in a compartment few feet away, while
B. M. Grant, assistant cashier, and j..
G. Williams, teller, were busy in other
cages. Customers were here and there
some filling out deposit slips or checks
at writing tables.
While one Of the gunmen approached
Hummer's compartment. another walked
toward Williams cage, at the rear. The
other robbers separated, one stationing
himself few feet from the door, while
the other sauntered past the line Of tel
lers' compartments.
The bandit in front Of Hummers cage
waited until the customer-Mrs. Frank
j. RAIDER, 903 G street southeast had
gathered UP her dollar bills. Then, as
Mrs. RAIDER walked toward a writing
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gunner suddenly swung into action.
Orders Hands Up.
Mrs. RAIDER had Just seated herself
at the writing table, when the robber
at Hummer'S cage climbed to the top
Of the counter and, moving his shotgun
back and forth, shouted:
Everybody stick their hands up and
get back!"
At the same moment the bandit who
had gone to the rear pushed open the
door leading behind the counter and,
jamming pistol into Williams ribs.
ordered him to get back.
Williams attempted to step on the
the counter yelled:
Get the hell away from that gas
or I'll NOW you all down."
Meanwhile the other robbers were
herding the customers into corner In
the rear. Miss Helen Hayre, 26, of
$40 Ninth street southeast tainted
while she and the other customers
were being lined up against the rear
wall. Revived after the bandits had
fed, she collapsed again few minutes
later and had to be taken to Casualty
Hospital for treatment.
BY the time the customers were
and the one covering Williams had
forced Hummer, Miller and Grant into
another corner, near the vault.
Forced To Unlock Vault.
Then williams was compelled to un-
lock the vault and hand one Of the
gunmen two bags of money-one con-
tanning $50 in pennies, the other $l3
in pennies. At the same time, one of
the other robbers was moving from one
cage to another, sc0oping up the con-
tents OF cash drawers and dumping
both bills and change into q paper
shopping bag
Meantime, Abraham Levy, proprietor
of store at 528 Eighth street south
east, had come into the bank TO get
a check cashed. One of the bandits
seized him by the nape of the neck and
all but through him into the group OF
customers already in the rear
Among the other customers were Mr..
of Maryland avenue northeast, and
Charles v. Dessez, 1900 block of Mass
achusettS avenue southeast.
Williams, according to Ezra Gould,
president OF the bank, saved more
money than the gunner obtained, pre-
tending he did not have the key to one
compartment of the vault.
"The loss" Gould said, was a COM
paratively small one, considering the
amount Of money deposited with US yes
terday. Today we will get check from
our insurance company, covering the
entire loss.'
Start In Pursuit.
As the robbers ran from the bank
and jumped into their car, they were
seen by Hugh Mcdonald. Capitol
Heights, Md, taxicab driver, and Harry
1900 block Of Naylor road
chine, waiting for Dessez.
Soon as the bandits pulled away,
Dessez ran out, jumped into the auto
mobile in which Liverette was waiting
and started in pursuit. He soon was
outdistanced, however.
Mcdonald, meanwhile, also had
taken out after the gunmen. Returning
to the bank short time later, he de-
clared he had chased them, at speed
Of about IS miles an hour. as far as
Mount Olivet Cemetery, on Bladens-
decided there were too many guns in
that car for me-" so he turned back
Police concluded he had pursued the
wrong car, however. when they founu
the robbers machine abandoned at
Thirteenth and D streets northeast. In
In was .22-caliber rifle.
After the hold-up, Levy, who had
jammed about $45 into his trousers,
ran from the bank, crying. "PoliceP
Outside. the money dropped from his
trousers legs and was scattered about
on the sidewalk
Gathering it up, he ran to a con-
fectionery store on the other side Of
the street and asked Miss Gertruoe
Hays, 1006 M street southeast, clerk.
TO notify the police.
Detectives, under the personal direc-
ton Of Inspector Burke, went into ac-
tion Immediately. with the result that.
within q few minutes, every road out
II the District was under close watch.