Evening star., 1938-01-26
BANDIT SUSPECTS
ARE INDICTED HERE
IN "A TRUE BILLS
Baltimore Gang Said by
Police to Be Responsible
for 22 Robberies.
JURORS ACCUSE SEVEN
ON VARYING CHARGES
Fifteen Persons Also Face Lottery
Counts in City's War on
Numbers Racket.

Numbers Racket.
TWenty-four indictments were re-
turned today against alleged men,
oers OF a Baltimore bandit gang which
is believed responsible for 40 armed
hold-ups here and in Maryland, in
volving more than $4,000.
Seven men. all colored, were ac-
cused in the true bills, although not
all were named in connection with
every case.
The gang is said by police to have
executed % robberies. In addition
to the robbery charge the grand jury
returned indictments charging two
cases Of assault with intent to kill.
One OF the alleged assaults occurred
When bullet was fired at Benjamin
Chesivoir, 219 l. street NV, who was
q customer in one of the stores robbed.
The other assault charge grew out
OF running gun battle between the
gang and the policemen, who subse-
quently captured two men in nearby
Maryland.
Names of Accused.
Those charged with robbery were
Harry M. Towson, 20: Andrew Savage,
rs; Samuel T. Brady. 80; Roosevelt
Carter, 26; Thomas O. Austin, "a;
Solomon McNair, 25, and William
Mckinney, Is. Towson, Brady, Car
ter, Austin and McNair were charged
with the alleged assault on Chesivoir,
and Towson, Savage, Brady, Carter
and Austin were accused of assaulting
the officers.
ToWSon and Savage were captured
near the Peace Cross on the Bladens-
burg road in Princes Georges County
January after gun fight with De-
tectives Robert j. Barrett, D. j. Guest
and E. E. Scott. Brady, Carter and
Austin escaped through the woods aft
er their automobile was wrecked, the
officers reported.
Austin has not yet been appre-
hended, Brady, Carter, McNair and
Mckinney were arrested by Baltimore
police, and with the exception of
Brady, are being held in connection
with robberies there. Brady was re-
turned to the District. He, Towson
and Savage pleaded guilty to one rob-
berry each when arraigned In Police
Court and before the United States
Commissioner.
The % robberies occurred during the
past six months and involved some
$4,000 Of loot, police said.
Is Indicted on Lottery Charges.
Fifteen persons were indicted on
lottery charges. Police said all were
numbers writers or runners and we're
arrested during the last six weeks.
They were Mabel L. McDougall, "a,
colored; Charles M. Shidmore, 30;
Edward r. Durham, 81: George R.
Schweitzer, II; Vanus Lowman. %;
Edward Dennis. 36, colored; Jack M.
Goldberg, IS; Thomas A. Fralleone,
%; Carroll Buchanan, 81, colored;
Thomas Jones, Francis ]. Reese, 35;
Steve Pete PantaZis, "a: Willard r.
Williams, A, colored; Mabel H. Tuck
| son, A, colored, and Doris T. Grigsby,
Is, colored.
Two colored men already charged
with violation of the lottery statute
were indicted on a charge of tamper-
ing with United States witness. The
| accused, Lawrence p Coleman, AZ,
and Oliver w. Bostic, 80, were said by
police to have threatened Karlos c.
Brown, a colored informer, whom they
held responsible for their arrest, and
| to have attempted to drag him from a
restaurant at 707 T street NV. Janu-
| ary II.
Seven charges Of forgery and utter
ing were placed against 33-year-old
Katie Lee Stegall, who allegedly
passed II spurious checks at two de-
partment stores.
Now Serving Sentences.
The first check was passed Novem-
ber and the last January 13, the
date Of her arrest. She now is serving
Police Court sentences totaling two
years. She is said to have forged the
names Of Mrs. H. Hoskinson, 341O
Garfield street NV, and Mrs. Roy F.
Mitchell, 1924 Massachusetts, ave-
nue. Sc.
Others indicted were:
Leroy Armstead, Michael Mount and
Daniel S. Russell, joyriding; William
T. Barwick, Charles Leaply and Sam
uel De Vane, housebreaking; Thomas
Jones, Willie Coleman, Jack B. Mil
Ter, Joseph F. Gray, John w. Taper,
Samuel c. White and Clyde Tolley,
housebreaking and larceny; Robert
Green, grand larceny; William B. Pat
ton. John r. Beach, Edward r. Ellis
and Waverly I. Jones, robbery: George
Nick Zeppas, Louis James Pantos and
Nick Andrew Verikios, setting up a
gaming table; Lee Harris Smith, Henry
B. johnson, Charles D. Gates and Eu-
gene White, forging a Government
check; Frederick H. Williams, James
Medley and Thelma Carroll, violation
OF the liquor taxing act; Elmer Kyle
Altizer, narcotic law violation; Elsie
Jones, attempting to pass an altered
bank note; Charles N. Smith, Jail
break; Roy G. Hill, Charlie johnson,
Annie Diggs and Raymond w. West,
assault with dangerous weapon; Wal
ter Saunders, rape, and Carroll G.
Brown, second-degree murder.
The grand jury ignored homicide
charge against Jack D. Cooper.
WAR PENSIONS URGED
Passage Of a bill granting pensions
to widows and orphans of war veterans
was advocated by Representative Con-
merry Of Massachusetts, in an address
last night before joint meeting of
District veterans organizations at lois
L street NV.
Mr.. Connery and Oscar HollinRs-
worth, past District commander of the
Veterans Of Foreign Wars, asked sup
port for the " r w,s foa,rr>o,y,<