Evening star., 1948-03-17

Former Janitor Admits
$4,000 Bank Theft in
Alexandra Last June
Detroit police said today that a
former janitor of the First National
Bank of Alexandria had admitted to
them and the FBI that he stole a
bag containing $4,000 in cash and
checks from the banks night de-
pository last June.
The ex-janitor was identified by
Detective William Eckstein of De-
troit as David Briggs, 36, colored.
According to Mr.. Eckstein, Briggs
said he entered the bank through an
unlocked basement window and
found the depository also open.
Today Gardner Boothe, attorney
and director of the bank, said all
windows at the bank were barred
and locked, and that the night de-
pository always is locked. 1t is
opened only each morning by two
employees, he said.
Was DISCHARGED by Bank,
Mr.. Boothe recalled that Briggs
had been employed by the bank for
about two years before he was dis
charged last March for drinking.
The bag of money, deposited by
the j. C. Penney store of Alexandria,
was missing from the bank on the
morning of June 18 and nearly a
month later the bag, containing
SO 900 in checks, was found atop
roof at 405 Queen street, Arlington.
Briggs was being held in Detroit
on a charge of breaking and enter
ing the Farnsworth Packing Co.
there on February 28, when he was
brought into the Alexandria bank
case yesterday. Detective Eckstein
told this story of that development:
John M. Holzworth, SO, New York
and. Washington attorney, called at
the Detroit detective bureau and
asked if the police had any record
of David Briggs, giving description
of him.
Identification Checked.
Checking with the Identification
bureau, Mr.. Eckstein found such a
file and the picture corresponded
with one carried by Holzworth.
Briggs was brought in and asked
about the Alexandria robbery. He
said he had slipped into basement
window on the night of June II
and finding the depository unlocked,
put his hand into it and withdrew
a bag.
The former janitor said he left by
the basement window and walked
along Queen street. Separating the
currency from the checks. he
stuffed the money in his pocket and
threw the bag and checks on top of
a two-story building.
Later he put the money in a
paper bag and hid all but $50 in top
of a piano in his home, Briggs said.
But when he returned after an
all-night outing, he looked into the
piano and saw that the money was
missing.
This surprised him, Briggs said.
for he had told nobody where 1t
was hidden and believed he was not
seen hiding the money. =.
Prisoner Charges "Frameup."
According to 1t. Russell A. Hawes
of the Alexandria police, Holzworth
became interested in the case while
in Jail last fall awaiting trial on a
bad check charge.
There he met a prisoner who pro-
fessed to know who robbed the Alex
andria bank. After his conviction,
the prisoner insisted the persons
who obtained the money from the
piano were responsible for fran
ing" him.
The prisoner also told Holzworth
he had been informed that the last
persons to have the money feared
detection and burned it.
1t was acting in the interest of
the prisoner claiming to have been
framed that Holzworth set out to
find Briggs, 1t. Hawes said.
Seized on Check Charge.
Holzworth had come to Washing
ton last September seeking to free
another client on a habeas corpus
action, Soon thereafter he was
charged with causing bad checks to
be transported to California.
When a District Court jury was
unable to agree in November. he
was scheduled for retrial on Feb
ruary is. He was released on his
personal bond and the case post