Evening star., 1953-01-04
Hunters Find
Sailor Battered
By yHitchhikers
Foirfox Police, Tipped
OFF by Victim, Hold
z Alexandra Suspect.

OFF by Victim, Hold
z Alexandra Suspects
A badly beaten sailor, able only
to mutter Q description Of his
stolen car before lapsing into q
coma, was found in the woods near
Burke, Va, yesterday by two hunt
erS.
His muttered words, however,
started Fairfax County police on
grim game Of hide and seek for
two hitchhikers he had picked up.
The game ended about two
hours later when they arrested
two men and q 15-year-old Alex
andria boy in the stolen car near
Lorton. With them was o Marine
corporal. hitchhiker not involved
in the beating and robbery Of the
sailor.
The injured man was Frederick
Samuel Banko. jr., 20. of 207 Dom
n1anton drive, Alexandria. He Isl
an Aviation Electronics Mate, first
class. attached to the Military Air
Transport Command at Andrews
Air Force Base.
Beaten. Head to Toe.
Doctors at Arlington Hospital
said Mr.. Banko was beaten from
head to toe He has been semi
conscious since he was found at
about 2:45 pm. Occasionally he
shouted in terrified voice:
Please, sir. Let me CO."
Doctors said he was suffering
from serious head injuries, pos
sible chest and internal injuries
and cuts and bruises over his en-
tire body. His left ear was dan
Cling by shred Of skin but was
sewed back on at the hospital.
Admit Beating.
1t. Richard Utz, Of the Fairfax
Police substation at Groyeton,
said the two men had admitted |
beating and robbing Mr.. Banko.
They also have admitted robbing |
four taxicab drivers in the past |
two months he added.
1t. Utz said the 15-year -old
boy has admitted helping them
on at least two of the other rob-
berries. The boy did not partici-
pate in the Banko case, he added.
He identified the men as:
Bartel E. Davis, 46. of the 100
block Of North st. Asaph street.
Alexandria. He is floor sander.
Henry M. Schofield, 20, of the
100 block Of South Alfred street,
Alexandria. He is a former guard
at Lorton Reformatory and now
q roofer.
1t. Utz said they were charged /
with armed robbery. The boy,
also a floor sander who worked
with Davis. will be held for juve-
nile authorities. .ls- /
Hunters Find Man. /
The rapidly moving story began
when three hunters found athe
beaten man in the woods about
100 yards of Guinea road near
Burke. i
The hunters were Ralph Curtis.
%. of Burke, Elvin Samuels. 20I
and Monty Weed, 16, both of Fair
fax. Mr.. Curtisb, a maintenance
man at the Fairfax County Court
house, said he and his companions
watched Mr.. Banko's car pull up
and stop alongside the woods /
where they were hunting.
Three men got out of the car
and started into the woods. They
stopped about so feet away and
tw of the men searched the third.
Then they walked deeper into the
woods and sounds of a suffle were
heard.
The hunters ran to the parked
car and took the licenso n'''"''>-".
then hid on the opposite side Of
the road until two men appeared,
got in the car and drove off.
After the car drove of they
entered the woods and found Mr..
Banko semi-conscious and ran to
q nearb house to summon police.
Police Sergt., John Wahl and
four other policemen arrived
within minutes from the Groveton
substation. Sergt. Wahl managed
to get a description Of Mr.. Banko's
car and the license number before
the sailor dropped into coma.
About IS minutes later. Police
Pvt. Paul Dove spotted the car
on Route /. a mile south Of Grove
ton. The policeman was in an
unmarked car so he began follow
ing the stolen car, which was 60
ing south i
At Fort Belvoir. the car stopped
to pick up hitchhiking Marine.
later identified as Corpl. Howard
r. Bryan. Of Camp LeJeune, N. C.
Force Car on Road. 7
South of Lorton, Pvt. Dove
spotted two more police cars head
ing north. He signaled them.
Then he and State Troopers ]. L.
Slater and G. H. Farthing chased
the car and forced it of the road
about a mile south Of Lorton.
1t. Utz said the story the two ,
men related was this:
They were hitchhiking on N.
Duke street in Alexandria when
Mr.. Banko stopped and picked
them up. Davis got In the back
seat and Schofield in the front
seat.
Sailor Fights Back.
Davis then struck a revolver in
Mr.. Banko's back and forced himl
to drive to the lonely spot near
Burke. They intended only to
tie him up but he started to re-
sist.
After beating him and robbing
him, Of SIS, they drove the carl
back to Alexandria. There they|'
picked up the 15-year.old boy and
started for Knoxville. Tenn.
1t. Utg said the two men and
NJ