Evening star., 1949-09-02
D.C.Po|iceSeize
Fugitives
Two Escapes Put in
Solitary After Capture
In Stolen Car

In Stolen Car
Multiple charges today were
being prepared against two con-
victs who escaped from Lorton
Reformatory only to be recap
tured by District police after a
70-mile- n-hour chase p.lnctuated
by gunflre.
Both men are now in solitary
confinement.
They are Robert Waldron. 10,
serving one to four years for auto
theft, and Edward M. Shane, 26.
doing two to eight years for
armed robbery. Both were caught
about pm. at Fourteenth street
and Maine avenue SW
They had fed Lorton shortly
after noon yesterday in stolen
dump truck and toward evening
were named in a lookout as prob
ably having stolen a car in nearby
Fairfax Park, Va. District police
were alerted to guard all bridges
leading to Washington, and a
scout car soon spotted the auto
mobile near Memorial Bridge. The
wild rush-hour chase ensued in
the vicinity of the Tidal Basin and
the men surrendered after a hail
Of police bullets.
Supt. Edward j. WEIGH of Lor-
ton said the men now face charges
of violating the Dyer Act prohibit
ing interstate operation of a
stolen car. Jail break and two
counts of stealing motor vehicles.
Returned to Lorton.
He said he probably would
specify these charges in a report
he is preparing today for submis-
sion to George r. Humrickhouse.
United States attorney for the
eastern district of Virginia at
Richmond. The cases probably
will go before the Alexandria
(Va.) grand jury at its next meet,
ing.
Waldron and Shane were re-
turned to Lorton last night by Its.
Hoke S. Hinson and Kermit A.
Weakley Of the prison guard staff.
Credit for the capture went to
two scout car men from No.
3 Precinct, Pvts. Wallace K. VAL
entine, 26. and Joseph O'Connell,
80. both veterans.
They had been assigned to the
Memorial Bridge by Police Dis
patchers Edwin F. Birrell and
Robert E. Lee. On observing the
stolen automobile speeding toward
the Tidal Basin. the two scout car
men took up the chase. with Pvt.
Valentine driving with his right
hand and his gun in his left. He
fred one shot and Pvt. O'Connell
fired five times.
Bullet Holes in Car.
From the Tidal Basin road the
stolen car took short cut to the
Hains Point road. Then 1t doubled
back to Fourteenth street and
Maine avenue, where it stopped
with a screech of brakes.
The car showed one bullet hole
through its rear and another in
the roof. A third appeared to
have struck the right side.
Pale and nervous. Shane and
Waldron stepped out of the gray
sedan, in the face of the police
mems drawn guns. They were
taken to headquarters, where
Waldron. who was the driver, ad-
mitted he was frightened at the
fusillade of bullets.
The Rev. Carl r. Plack, 80,
of 1915 North Roosevelt road, Ar
lington, chaplain's consultant to
the National Lutheran Council.
had just stepped out Of a Maine
avenue restaurant with his wife,
Virginia. and their 4-year-old
daughter. Carolyn. He said he
noticed bullet holes in the last
rear and right front windows Of
his own car caused by stray shots.
The automobile used by the
convicts was stolen from G. L..
Sinclair. who operates "a sawmill
at Fairfax Park, police said.
Mother Asks Surrender.
When the two prisoners fed
Lorton yesterday. they ran through
a blast from a guards shotgun.
Mr.. Welch said. Donald Clemmer.
director of penal institutions, ex-
planned the prisoners we're work.
ing with a civilian mechanic in
a garage. They leaped into the
truck and drove away when the
mechanic went to answer a tele-
phone. Mr.. Clemmer led a 12-
man searching party through the
vicinity of the reformatory.
Waldron's mother. Mrs. Mamie
Keyser, 5214 G street, Dillon Park.
Md. meanwhile had issued a plea
to her son to give himself up.
Both prisoners have long police
records. Waldron's record dates to
1910 and includes escapes from
the Receiving Home and the In
dustrial Home School. petty lar
ceny and housebreaking.
Shane's record goes to 1884. It
includes two escapes from the
Industrial Home School, six counts
of unlawful entry. petty larceny.
attempted housebreaking and
robbery. He has served several
prison sentences.
Police Praised.
The Police Departments part
in capture of the two escapes
was praised today by Director
Clemmer and mimeographed
copies of his letter will be for
warded to all members of the de-
partment, Supt. of Police Robert
j. Barrett said.
please extend to your many
associates the appreciation Of
Supt. WEIGH and T for the snIen-