The Waterbury Democrat., 1934-08-22

they were dealing with a unique master mind" directing their search, the police were cautious, but determined in their drive to seize the outlaws. They pointed out with engagement the thoroughness, the rehearsing and the precision of the raid on the truck.
 "They had it timed to the min ute," another officer said. They had each man schooled in his role. They didn't waste second. They knew what to do, how to do it and they knew where they were going afterward."
 Gang Ready to Second
 In reconstructing the raid, today police pointed out that every man in the gang was made to appear as an ordinary pedestrian in the vi- cinity of the Rubel Ice Corporation plant. When the armored truck rolled up carrying almost half q million dollars - before the day was over it was scheduled to carry about $1,500,000 - the gang was ready and awaiting.
 The truck was on a routine trip under sealed orders, like any of the other 25 cars of the U. S. Trucking Corporation which make daily trips around New York city collecting and paying out an average of about $19,000,000 on each banking day. Not even the driver of the machine was supposed to know where he was going. He opened his orders after each stop.
 As the truck rolled to a halt, the bandits dropped their disguises. 4 peddlar plucked a sub- machine gun from under the rags on his push cart. A man in butchers apron pulled out a machine gun. A we'll dressed pedestrian drew a pistol from his coat pocket. An idler at a tennis match across the street took submachine gun from a bur- lap bag at his feet. Three auto mobiles roared up behind the money truck.
 The task of overpowering the truck guards, who had already opened the doors to get out, re- quired but few moments. Labor CTS at the plant were threatened with pistols. The money bags were tossed into the automobiles, which collected the gang and sped away only to circle back to the water front.
 Anticipated All Moves
 Today, all of the modern police devices seemed to have failed. The plotter of the crime had anticipat ed most of them. The one slip in execution of the crime - the drop ping of submachine gun by one bandit - failed to interrupt the escape. A volley fired at the flee ing cars was ineffective.
 The call to police radio automo- piles went out swiftly, but a few minutes delay gained when the bandits ripped out the ice plant telephone gave them enough start to elude immediately pursuit. The police orders to close all ferries. bridges. railroad terminals. main highways, had been anticipated bby the bandit leader. He merely cir cled his men back to Gravesend Bay, shifted them to boats and
 sped away. Planes and boats which took up the search an hour or so later were handicapped by the fact that the bandits might easily have landed elsewhere = Brooklyn, Long Island. Staten Island, Man haitian or even New Jersey or might lose themselves among the countless small boats in the har- bor.
 Had Many Rehearsals
 It was believed certain that the mob had rehearsed the robbery several times, had gone over the ground and probably had followed the armored truck about the city to plot the best moment to attack the two guards and driver.
 They probably even made their runs to the getaway places so that they knew just what streets to fol- low and just how long it would take" police said. Whether they knoew the schedule of the money
 truck was uncertain, but it ap- peared that they merely believed it would visit the ice plant some titime yesterday. Several of the disguised bandits had been near the plant for several hours before the truck arrived.
 William Dempsey, vice-president of the U. S. Trucking Company, said today it was not unusual to carry up to half a million dollars on single trucks. Tuesday, he said. is one of the busiest days of the week. He said all three men on the truck had excellent records and were above suspicion. The loss was said to be covered by insur- ance.
 The corporations trucks went about their business as usual today, without any additional outward precautions.