Evening star., 1953-12-23
Check
Started in $4,000
Fl. Meade HoIdup

The FBI and police in IA
States were pressing a search
today for a superstitious young
gunman who held up the branch
bank at Fort Meade, Md, yester-
day-the day before payday
and scooped about $4,000 into
his canvas overnight bag.
Military police still had the
rambling Army post surrounded
with road blocks this morning,
but the bold holdup man either
escaped the net or is still on the
base.
In addition to the road blocks,
which were thrown up within
minutes after the holdup and
which backed up traffic for more
than a mile on main roads, po-
lice put up planes and hell
copters in a futile search for a
getaway car.
Man-By-Man Check.
The FBI was making a man
by-man check of the thousands
of soldiers and civilians on the
post at the time of the holdup.
A spokesman said nearly 100 were
questioned last night.
He said Army personnel files
would be checked individually to
sift out all persons fitting the
description of the bandit.
He was wearing an overseas
cap and what appeared to be a
full Army uniform when he
Strolled into the small wooden
building housing the Fort Meade
branch of the Citizens National
Bank of Laurel shortly before the
2 pm. closing time yesterday.
Pulled Ruse on TelIers.
Investigating officers said he
pretended to be interested in
opening an account until the
days last customers had left.
The he calmly pulled a small
pearl-handled revolver out of the
pocket of his olive drab trench
coat and forced the three women
tellers into the walk-in vault.
With the tellers out of the
way he filled his small brown
upper bag with virtually all Of
the bills he could find in the
three cash drawers behind the
counter of the bank.
Investigators labeled him
"superstitious" because he pur-
posely ignored several So bills"
along with checks and other
papers.
The bandit set off an auto
matte alarm in opening the
drawers, but was able to make
a clean getaway before military
policemen arrived. Investigators
did not even know whether he
fled to a waiting car or on foot.
Door Was Locked.
Corpl. William Farrell, who
was in the vicinity, was the first
military policeman to reach the
bank.
Corpl. Farrell had to climb in
a window because one of the
tellerS had thrown the latch on
the only door to the bank at
closing time. Soon other MP's
arrived and the three tellers
were freed. Investigators said
they had been in the vault about
10 minutes. The bandit had not
turned the combination wheel on
the vault but had merely locked
it by the handle.
The three tellers were identi-
fled as the Misses Hazel E. Gore,
80, of Laurel; Olga j. Sealing,
%. of Simpsonville, Md, and E.
Anne Waters, 26, of Laurel.
Miss Gore and Miss Waters
were in the same branch bank
during a spectacular $25,00O
holdup last March. At that time,
the bandit was armed only with
a bottle of acid. and he threat
ened to diSfigure Miss Gore un-
less other tellers handed over
the money.
That robbery took place on
payday for civilian employees at
the post. This time, it was the
day before payday.
Had Heavy Beard.
The March bandit is still un-
captured. but the post provost
marshal said descriptions in that
ROBBERY and the one yesterday
were too vague to speculate as
to whether they might be the
work of one man.
The description of yesterdays
holdup man, put out by the
Federal Bureau of Investigation
and teletyped to 13 other States
by Maryland State Police. SAYS
that he is white, from 5 feet S
inches to feet 8 inches tall, be-
tween $50 and 100 pounds. of
stocky build and full face, with
dark complexion, dark hair and
brown eyes.
At the time of the holdup he
had a heavy beard described in
the lookout as IS O'Clock sha-
dow"
! Military police are checking
the possibility that yesterdays
bank robber may also have been
involved in two other burglar
| les and a safe cracking at Fort