Evening star., 1933-12-21
Quartet Taken Single Handed
as II Waits 10 Waylay
Local Sportsmen.
GUN BATTLE is FOUGHT
IN DARKENED APARTMENT
Frank Brass, Acting on Tip From
Underworld, Takes Men
Trailed for Week.

Single-handed in labyrinth of dark
rooms, a young headquarters detective
last night shot it out with four men he
cornered in the Arlington Hotel. where
they were waiting to waylay two local
sportsmen, subdued and disarmed then.
and hurried them off to Jail to await
questioning in numerous recent crimes
here.
A bullet fired by one of the quartet
whizzed past Detective Sergt. Frank o.
Brass few inches from his waist as he
went into the hotel suite acting on an
underworld tip. Caught in a narrow
hallway between two men in room on
his left. another on his right and the
fourth secreted in a closet behind him,
Brass nevertheless stood his ground to
send two lead slugs winging forth in
the direction of the first shot.
Bullets Barely Miss.
The detectives bullets just missed two
men who were hiding in a front room
of the apartment occupied by Thomas
Moore, a well known figure in Wash
ington sporting circles Brass slipped
down another hall into the adjacent
suite, rented by Albert Shapiro,
friend of Moore's. and called out:
This is Brass from headquarters.
Come out of there, damn you. or III
drill you"
In a moment a weak voice answered:
"All right, Frank.
Throw out your guns first Then
reach for the ceiling and show your
faces" Brass directed
Three revolyerS clattered to the floor.
Leslie Weldon, 81, 1900 block OF Thlr-
teenLh street, and James E. Davis. alias
Neal, %, of the 27O0 block of Four
teenth street, walked out. They had
handkerchicfs masking the lower por-
ton of their faces. Brass advanced
toward them and saw that Lawrence
E. McNally, 81, 200 block of K street
northeast was in another room, also
holding his hands high.
Excited Crowd Gathers.
An excited crowd mad gathered in
the hotel hallway, attracted by the
shooting Brass herded his three cap
tives into one room. opened the door
and admitted Moore, who had been
waiting outside, and the hotel manager
Hugh Neason. Handing one of the
connscated pistols to Moore, the de-
tective directed him to search the prem
ises to see of any one else was hidden
there.
Then Brass telephoned police head
quarters. While he was waiting for
Detective Sergt. A. D. Mansfield to
rush to the scene in a squad car, Moore
located the fourth man, John NJ. Tay-
lor, alias Tabler, &c, Of the 100 block
Eleventh street, hiding in a closet.
When Mansfield arrived, he ap-
preached the closet with drawn pistol
and said Come out Of there Taylor
emerged at once.
Brass said he had kept two of the
prisoners under surveillance recently
because they were suspected of COM
plicity in the $1,000 Heurich brewery
robbery and other crimes committed
here during the last few months. They
will be viewed by witnesses in the
Heurich robbery today, and also by
several other victims of hold-upS or
hold-up attempts. One of those called
to the lineup will be prominent real
estate man, whose name Brass declined
to divulge. An attempt was made 10
rob him a short time ago.
The young detective was tipped OH
to the robbery plot late yesterday
afternoon. He located the intended
victims at once and warned them not
to return to their apartments. He also
told them where he would be if any
thing broke unexpectedly Despite the
warning, Moore returned to his
quarters, but found the door locked
from the inside Within a few seconds
he had telephoned Brass and he ar
rived 10 minutes later.
The two went upstairs together
Brass found the door to Shaplro's
apartment had been jimmied. While
Moore stood in the hall, the detective
entered stood silently moment. then
switched on a small, dim table lght
He saw the door at the end OF the
hallway leading to MooreS rooms also
had been forced open.
Brass walked down the hallway,
feeling his way cautiously in the gloomy
corridor. He came to another hall,
which connects the rooms OF the
Moore apartment. running at right
angles to the first AS he stepped into
the second paSSageway. a shot rang
out. He returned the fire, stepped back
to safety and in few minutes the cap
ture was over.
Brass Record Excellent.
In addition to the four revolvers,
Brass recovered three rolls of adhesive
tape from a hiding place in Shapiro's
bath room, and crow bar and tear
Gas billy. Brass, one of the youngest
men attached to headquarters as a
sergeant, has figured in the solution
of the citys most important crimes re-
Gently. He is 35 years old. With De-
tective Sergeant Floyd TruScott, an
other of Inspector Frank S. W. Burke's
ace detectives, he was credited with
solving the murder of "Milsie" Henry,
local gambler for which Charles Harris
is now under sentence of death in the
District jail; with breaking up the ring
of bank robbers who held up the Wash
inpton Mechanics & Savings Bank
branches here and other banks all over
the East, with participation in other
successful Investigations conducted by