Evening star., 1939-12-10
Two Armed Bandits
Flee With $500
After Ho|dup Here
FIVE Held at Bay in
Coal Company Office;
One Shot Fired
Pictures on Page By

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Two colored bandits escaped with
more than $500 last night after
holding five persons, including an
armed night watchman,, at bay in
the small Office Of the Alaska HUI
nagel Coal Co. off West Virginia
avenue NE
One shot was fired during the
well-timed robbery, when a Gus
toner in the office at the time Of the
hold-up attempted to slug one of the
bandits with his fist. The shot was
wild.
Stuffs Pockets With Cash.
One of the bandits held the fol-
lowing at the point of a revolver
while his companion stuffed his
pockets with cash from an open
safe:
Ambrose Berkebile. the night
watchman. former policeman at
Johnstown.. Pa.
Mrs. Evelyn Finnell of Alex
andria, Va, the office cashier.
Clarence johnson, a customer,
who swung on one of the holdup
men.
Earl Lewis and Carlos McCul-
lough, clerks, both of Arlington,
Va.
The bandits walked into the door,
the victims said, and drawing their
guns, announced: This is a stick
up." The night watchman reading
a paper at the desk with his back
to the doorway failed to turn
around.
II thought it was some of the boys
having a little joke" he said later.
Intended Victim Fires.
Mr.. johnson, talking on a tele-
phone near the door, struck at
one of the men. His intended VIC
tim fired shot, the bullet passing
into the wall near Mr.. Johnson's
knee, while his companion passed
over his f1rearm-a rifle-and
stepped back to the safe and began
stuffing bills from the cash box in
his pockets.
The bandit with the smoking
revolver, tall lanky man in con-
trast to his stocky companion, said
sternly:
That's to show you we mean
business"
The victims reached higher with
their hands.
The short one stepped away from
the safe. reached into a nearby
corner for an unloaded sawed-of
shotgun, used by the night watch
man when making his rounds of
the yards, and then took the watch
mans own revolver from his pocket.
The bandit engaged in the collec-
ton walked up to Mr.. johnson and
took So from his pocket to show
you not to try and mess things up"
Bandits Leave on Foot.
He stepped through the door with
the cash and stolen firearms, leav-
ing his tall accomplice to cover
up"
The victims agreed that the re-
naming holdup man stayed in the
doorway "at least five minutes" :"
keeping the revolver on them and
threatening their lives if they made
move.
He then ran through the dimly
lighted coal yards. Both bandits
left on foot, all of the victims agree
ing they heard no automobile drive
off in the vicinity.
Mrs. Finnell said the box in the
safe held about $l,570, representing
collections brought in by drivers
during the day.
All the victims. except the night
watchman. later visited police head
quarters to glance through picture
files in the Identification bureau.
Police also were investigating the
robbery of Roy MCDANIEL, attendant
of a filling station at Eastern and
Rhode Island avenues NE, who was
locked in a rear room of the station
last night after turning over $50
to colored bandit. Mr.. McDaniel's
cries for aid attracted the attention
of Policeman F. r. Barnard of the
first precinct, who lives nearby.
In another robbery last night, Ellis
Danish, 48, of 624 Morton street NE,
told police three colored men at
tackled him in the 600 block Of M
street NV. and robbed him Of $50.
Frank w. Magill said a pocketbook
containing S35 was stolen from his
bedroom dresser at 701 Nineteenth
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