Evening star., 1934-09-29
POLICE HERE SET
FOR GANG PURSUIT
Radio Cars Armed Heavily.
Canadians Urged to Guard
Mrs. Fontaine.

Acting hurriedly on word from
Richmond of the escape of Walter
Legenza and Robert Mais. condemned
members of the notorious tri-State
gang. Inspector Frank S. w. Burke
today organized all available head
quarters and precinct detectives here
into squads which will patrol the Dis
trict in radio scout cars armed with
submachine guns and riot guns. All
officers have orders to shoot to Kill
should the occasion arise.
Woman's Guard Asked.
Immediately upon confirming re-
ports of the Richmond jailbreak and
shooting, Chief of Police Ernest W..
Brown wired Canadian officials to set
up a guard over Mrs. Mary Elizabeth
Fontaine, who recently returned to
her home in an undetermined city in
Canada after testifying against the
two men at their trial in Richmond.
Mrs. Fontaine, sweetheart OF Will
liam B. Phillips, another gang mem
Der who was slain here last April, was
shot by gangsters a few weeks later
because she knew too much" Upon
her recovery, she furnished police
with information which led to the
roundup of the gang.
The general lookout broadcast mere
warned that the pair were armed with
As automatics and probably would
shoot it out if cornered.
Inspector Burke advised extreme
care in making the arrests. The fugl-
tives we're said to be travelling In a
gray-bodied Hupmobile, the license
number of which was furnished.
Broke From Lorton.
Iegenza was serving 10 years at the
Lorton, Va, reformatory for a series
of safe crackings in Washington when
he escaped in the Summer OF 1888,
along with Phillips, who was killed by
Washington policeman here last
Spring
Legenza, Phillips and Mais, describ-
ed as a former Philadelphia racketeer.
organized the Tri-State gang, police
say. In less than a year, the gang Is
alleged to have perpetrated a series OF
mail, bank, brewery and pay roll
robberies in Washington, Baltimore,
Richmond and a number of North
Carolina cities.
Another member of the gang,
Arthur Misunas, 81. turned States
evidence following his arrest in San
Francisco last Summer. Largely on
the testimony of Misunas, Davis and
Mais were convicted of numbering
Ewell NJ Huband, driver of the Fed
eral Reserve Bank mail truck, during
a hold-up attempt in Richmond last
February.
Davis and Mais were sentenced to
death and MisunaS is still awaiting
sentence. Misunas described Davis as
the leader of the mob. He said the
latter was stir crazy" and framed
"jobs" which seemed too desperate for
even the toughest members OF the
gang.
Held Up Brewery.
The remaining three of seven men
described by police as the gang ring
leaders were big George" Kaufman,
"a. of Washington, who was slain by
RdnRSUeTS III flIISpuIkH idSC Opl Ais Z,
Herbert Myers, 80, who was killed by
New York detectives several months
ago, and John Kendrick, 80, who es-
capped from Lorton while serving 10
years for wounding Washington po-
iiceman. Kendrick is alleged to have
run with the mob for several months
prior to his arrest in Tennessee last
Spring. He was sent to the Govern
ment's devils island" prison, Alca-
traz, in San Francisco Bay, with other
Lorton prisoners deemed unmanage-
able following a threatened uprising
several months ago.
The gang is alleged to have held
up a mail truck under Union Station
train sheds last December, shooting
and seriously wounding a guard and
escaping with $4,000 worth of Fed
eral internal revenue tobacco stamps.
This loot later was abandoned as
worthless. Several other men. said to
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