Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1935-09-04
THREE IN SERIES
OF RAIDS LED BY
BURNT CORK MAN
Two Gun Bandit Wears
Gloves in Restaurants
and Liquor Store.
COLORED COMPANIONS
WITH REPEAT R0BBER
Cash Taken at Seafood Place in
Southeast, Thompson's on Ave-
nue. and at sol Florida Ave.

A two-gun bandit who blacks his
face with burnt cork and wears gray
gloves was sought by police today as
the brains of a trio which last night
and this morning engineered the hold
up Of two restaurants and q liquor
store. The loot totaled $l,110.76.
AS the aftermath of a robbery wave
which melted burglars and petty
thieves almost $4,000 over the week
end, police are holding for question
ing two unidentified colored men at
the fifth precinct station.
While detectives combed the city for
the black-face bandit. two colored
men, believed to be his confederates,
topped OF their nights maraudings at
O'Clock this morning by robbing the
lie Droit liquor store, sol Florida ave-
nue., and its manager. Nick Bodys,
430l Fifteenth street. Of $sl0.76.
Two Earlier Robberies.
Earlier robberies, at Milton Rowe's
seafood restaurant, 913 Eleventh street
southeast, and Thompson's restaurant.
1109 Pennsylvania avenue, were made
within 20 minutes Of each other by a
gruff, black-faced criminal. He left
each place in a black sedan bearing
District license plates later found to
have been stolen August "a.
At the first restaurant the bandit
was accompanied by a colored COM
panion and at the second two COL
ored men waited for him in the car
while he terrorized IS early morning
patrons.
AS he ran toward the car from
Thompson's he fired at Charles C.
Hopkins, As, who gave his address as
r. F. D. No. /, Charleston, w. Va.
Hopkins right index finger was shred
ded by a bullet and he was treated
at Emergency Hospital.
Hopkins, unaware of the robbery
that had just taken place, was leaving
a restaurant next door when the
bandit ran across the sidewalk. When
Hopkins reached for his back pocket
for some tobacco the bandit evidently
mistook him for plain-clothes man
reaching for his gun and halted in
his flight to fire.
Bodys had just opened the liquor
store and was alone in the shop when
two colored men, both brandishing
guns, entered and ordered him to hold
up his hands. While one Of the rob-
bers kept his pistol leveled at the
manager the other took $1S0.76 from
the cash register.
$3.50 In BillfoId Taken.
The colored men ordered Bodys to
the rear Of the store, where they rifled
his pockets and took billfold con-
tanning $500. They then trussed him
up with rope and left. 1t was half
an hour before Bodys could free him.
self and summon police.
Thirty five early morning patrons
were eating in Thompson's at 1870
am. when the black-faced bandit
walked in. He strolled over to the
cash register, thrust his two guns to-
ward the chest of Cashier Alvin E.
Lynch, stepped behind the counter,
showed one gun into his pocket, scooped
500 in bills and change from the
cash drawer and then ran into the
street.
After firing at Hopkins. he Jumped
into the waiting car to join his two
colored companions, and drove rapidly
toward Fourteenth street.
At ITO am. the kid-glove robber
had staggered into the Seafood Res
taurant, this time in company with
one of the colored men. While his
companion pointed two revolvers at
the IS men and women in the cafe,
the bandit ordered Night Manager
William H. Carroll, 705 Eighth street
southeast, aside and helped himself
to the 5000 in the cash register.
He and his companion backed out
Of the restaurant. The black-faced
robber fired a shot into the floor as
they departed.
Descriptions Are Given.
The bandit was described by both
Lynch and Collins as about Is years
old, S feet inches tall, and weigh
ing between 140 and 100 pounds. They
said he wore light gray hat. gray
sweater, gray kid gloves and brown
trousers. His stocky colored COM
panion, according to Collins, was S
feet S inches tall, Weighing $50
pounds, hatless and wearing q light
shirt.
The white skin of the kid-glove
bandits neck and collarbones was
visible below the point where his
false black face began. This man and
his companions are linked by police
with the robbery week ago Of a
Southwest Washington liquor store,
where the cash register was robbed
Of $3.50.
Before these hold-ups, Mrs. Ernest
Zimmerman, 5735 Kansas avenue, had
told police burglars had robbed her
home Of $1,000 worth of jewelry and
$500 worth of clothing over the week
end while she and her husband were
away on holiday trip.
Charles Fuchs, jeweler, of 90 Elev-
enth street, thought to outwit thieves
when he put $720 worth Of gems un-
der his safe instead Of into 1t, but
he found this morning the rings and
diamonds were gone.
Mrs. Mary Beckley, 1926 Fifteenth
street, reported theft Of $1,000 in cash
from her home.
Other thefts reported included more
than $500 worth of old gold and silver
taken from George F. Muth, ITO
Thirteenth street. and cash and car
tokens amounting to $3.50 from .
street car between Eighteenth street
and Columbia road and Fourteenth
and U streets.
The two colored men at fifth pre-
cinct station were picked up ct about
4 am. by Detectives Watson Salkeld
and Fuller Arlington at New Jersey
avenue and M streets southeast. It
Is thought they can shed light on
the activities Of the kid gloye bandit.