Evening star., 1935-01-19

tri-State gang for almost two years,
Is in New York now to question Mais
and Legenza and the sweetheart of
Mais, Marie McKeever.
Woman Is Key in Case.
Police, hoping to break the Le-
genZa-Mais alliance to learn who
smuggled them guns at the Richmond
City Jail, and to trace their actions
since that fatal dash for freedom,
are banking heavily on the woman
in the case
Involuntarily, but no less surely,
Federal agents say, Marie McKeever
led them to the fugitives. The woman
was spotted" in New York and
shadowed faithfully as she made her
rounds.
First she went to a midtown New
York hotel to visit Edwin Gale and
Martin Farrell, alleged members of a
new gang Legenza and Mais were said
to have formed after their escape.
That was Thursday afternoon. Gale
and Farrell were arrested and the
woman again followed.
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the hospital where Legenza lay with
his two fractured legs in plaster casts
Legenza's legs had been broken when
he jumped down an embankment fol-
lowing a gun fight with Philadelphia
police. LegenZa was taken into GUS
tody, helpless to resist.
Mais Found Asleep.
Then, agents say, the McKeever
woman was followed to an apartment
early yesterday where Mais was asleep.
a loaded gun and dirk in bed beside
him. Mais and the woman then were
arrested, without shot being fired.
If the alliance breaks, the Nc
Keever woman will break it police
officials here believe Legenza, ac-
cording to the gangs "squealer," never
approved of the girl friends who were
attached to other members Of the
gang. The McKeever woman remained
loyal. however, and was the princi-
pal defense witness when the pair
received death sentences for the mur-
der of Federal Reserve bank truck
guard during Richmond hold-up.
Gale and Farrell probably will be
held for Pennsylvania authorities. The
new gang organized by Legenza and
Mais is supposed to have perpetrated
numerous pay roll robberies in and
about Philadelphia and Camden,
N. j., using New York as a "hide-
away"
Kidnap Plot Barred.
Mais is said to have told authorities
his gang planned to hold Neuman
for $50,000. Precautions taken by the
distiller as the result of other kid
napings caused the plan to fall
through just as the gang had posted
men near the Neuman garage to
wait for an opportunity to seize the
intended victim.
Then, according to Mais, the gang
turned to a plan to abduct Sam
Lazar, said to be Unidentified with the
alcohol business in Philadelphia, but
increasing pressure on the gang by
pennsylvania police caused the mem
bers to flee to New York.
Francis x. Fay, in charge of the
Department OF Justice Bureau of In
vestigation in New York, said the in
vestigators were morally certain" that
Mais and his gang are implicated in
the kidnapping of William Weiss, prom
1nent in Philadelphia night life, last
November Although an $4,000 ran
som was paid by relatives of Weiss, he
never returned and police believe he
was murdered.
Hold-up Plans Unfolded.
The Philadelphia Record said today
that Farrell told New York police the
gang had been planning a series of
hold-ups in Philadelphia at the mo-
ment they were arrested The first
was to have been downtown Phila-
delphia bank yesterday afternoon, the
paper said.
The Record also quoted Lieut.. Wal
ter Sullivan Of the New York police
as saying Mais told him Legenza fred
the shot that killed the prison guard
during the Richmond escape. Sui
livan said Mais admitted both he and
Legenza had guns at the time, but
that Mais insisted he did not do the
shooting.
The police officer also was quoted as
saying Mais told him the guard who
was killed had smuggled the guns to
them, according to the Associated
Press.