Evening star., 1937-09-01
CAFETERIA BANDIT
SUSPECTS SEIZED
Picked Detective Squads
Continue Search for Thug
Who Got $1,192.

Although two suspects are under ar
rest, squads of picked detectives today
continued to search the city for the
daring curly-haired bandit who held
up the S. g. w. Cafeteria at Fifteenth
street and New York avenue shortly
after o'clock last night and escaped
with s1,192.5O.
Maj. E. w. Brown, chief of police,
said that two men had been arrested
in connection with the robbery, but
refused to reveal their names or the
evidence that resulted In their cap
ture.
For sheer bravado, the robbery
staged at the height OF the theater
rush hour at one OF the city's busiest
intersections has seldom been
matched, police said.
approximately 100 late-dining pa
irons were at tables In the large
restaurant when the bandit, hatless
ana unmasked, walked up to the
cashiers booth, where Miss Rosa Lee
Holland, %, of 9O6 c street northeast,
and Mrs. Norma Sparnell, 23 OF 1905
Fifteenth street, were stuffing the
days receipts into canvas bags.
With his hands In the pockets of
his lumberjacket, the robber, in a soft
voice. asked Mrs. Sparnell:
Are you closed for the EVENING""
Yes, we're closed" replied Mrs.
Sparnell.
For few seconds, the bandit sur
veyed the dining room. Then, whip
ping out his pistol, he commanded
in low voice:
Give me those money bags!"
Miss Holland thought the man was
joking, she said, but instinctively she
moved the bags.
Don't move or III kill you" COM
manded the bandit
"Oh, you wouldn't kill a fellow.
would you?" bantered Miss Holland,
still unable to believe the man was
not joking.
Her doubts vanished, however when
the robber leaned over and grabbed
the money bags ard started retreatinp
backward toward the door. Not until
they saw the gunman back out did
the diners realize that a hold-up was
in progress.
Fastened Doors.
After passing through the door, the
robber stuck sawed-off broomsticks in
the handles Of two of the three doors.
Miss Holland, running after the
man, lunged against the doors, but
could not open them until Mr.. and
Mrs. H. R. D. Wilson of Baltimore.
who had been dining, added their
strength to hers and broke the broom
handles.
They saw the bandit run toward the
cab waiting at Fifteenth and G
streets. The bandit leveled his gun
at the driver, William T. Allen, 364O
New Hampshire avenue, and ordered
him to drive toward the heavy traffic
on Fourteenth street.
Turning right into Fourteenth
street, the cab was halted by Traffic
Policeman Homer Hartman at F.
street. Miss Holland, meanwhile, had
raced to Fourteenth and G streets to
tell Traffic Policeman Martin Novotny
OF the hold-up. Just at that moment,
Hartman, at the next corner, blew his
whistle to allow southbound traffic to
proceed. Novotny blew his whistle to
attract Hartmans attention, but the
cab already had passed.
Had Taxi Wait.
Allen told police he drove to Twen-
ty-second and I streets, where the
bandit told him to abandon the cab
and accompany him on foot to
Twenty-f1rst street and Pennsylvania
avenue. There the bandit told him
to start running. and he ran to the
third precinct without looking back,
Allen said
The bandit hailed him at Fourteenth
street and Rhode Island avenue and
told him to drive to Fifteenth and G
streets, Allen said. There the man
told him to wait while he went into
the restaurant.
Inspector B. w. Thompson, chief OF
detectives, remained at police head
quarters until 4 am. today directing
the hunt for the bandit. He returned
to his Office shortly after 9 am.