Evening star., 1940-02-01
Wife Of Minister
From Ireland Latest
Victim Of Robbers
Thief Boldly Walks
Into Home When
She Answers Knock

A colored robber, believed to be
the same who has forced entry to
several homes occupied by women
in the Northwest section recently,
last night invaded the home of
the Minister from Ireland, at 1920
Twenty-third street NV.
The Minister'S wife, Mrs. Una
Brennan, was listening to radio
mystery about $40 o'clock, when
there was a knock at the front
door. Believing her husband, Rob-
ert Brennan, had returned from
the Legation, she opened the door.
The robbed strobe into the room,
menacing Mrs. Brennan with a
blackjack. Mrs. Brennan ran up
the steps and attempted to grab
up the telephone, bat the man fol-
lowed and prevented her. The nan
caught up a tweed suit belonging
to Mr.. Brennan and fled from the
house.
Two Children at Home.
The Brennans' two children were
at home at the time. MIR. Brennan
arrived shortly after the robber dis
appeared. The intruder was believed
to be the same who forced his way
into three other homes in the North
west last night.
His description also resembles that
of the man who entered the apart
ment of Representative Joseph j.
Mansfield of Texas, in the 2100 block
of New Hampshire avenue NV,
Tuesday. The Representative
daughter, Mrs. Margaret Dorsey,
chased the robber from the apart
ment after he seized a purse con-
tanning $11. The Representative
was in another room at the time and
did not know of the robbery until
after the intruder fled.
The man was described as slight,
with a moustache and wearing
dark overcoat and hat.
Last night he pushed his way into
the home of Stella A. Debar at 1854
Columbia road NV. and grabbed
up a purse His victim, police re-
ported, struck the man in the face,
but he escaped with. a pocketbook
containing 50.
Shortly later a colored man with
a bloody handkerchief to his mouth
knocked at the back door of an
apartment at 2123 Eighteenth street
NV. and. asked Miss Beatrice
Frankie. an Agriculture Department
stenographer, for first aid.
Flees With Pocketbooks.
Miss Frankie said she thought the
man had stumbled and fallen COM
ing in the back way. She went to
the bathroom to obtain frst-aid
supplies, police were told, and as
she returned to the living room the
: man fled with two pocketbooks.
One contained a dollar bill and the
other diamond ring valued at $50.
Miss Frankle's mother and young
sister were asleep in another room
at the time
Bernice Tanner of 1921 Sixteenth
street NV. said a colored man of
the same general description forced
his way into her apartment. The
man had his hand in his pocket.
as II ne nelQ gun. Inc young
woman screamed and the intruder
fed without taking anything.
S159 Taken in Holdup.
Two bandits last night held up
Benjamin Siegel in his drug store
in the 200 block of E street NE.
and escaped with $3.50 which they
took from Mr. Siegel and SO they
made customer, Robert E. Stewart
of 507 Second street NE, hand over
at point of pistol One of the
men, it was said, spoke with a for
eign accent.
They kept their coat collars
turned up over the lower parts of
their faces and fled after the rob-
berry.
Several colored youths last night
snatched purse containing $50
from the arm of Cora Latch, who
was returning from work at the
Veterans Administration to her
home in the Bellevue Hotel.
The robbery occurred near the
hotel police were told. The boys
ran into an alley and disappeared