Evening star., 1954-12-31

would have had nothing even II
they had been successful. The
bulging satchel they tried to
steal contained only Cancelled
checks
A quick-thinking truck driver.
who pinned the getaway car
against a curb. was responsible
for foillng the attempt at the
door to the National Capital
Banks main Office at 316 Penn
sylvania avenue Sc.
One of the bandits was cap
tured, one fled afoot and the
third hailed a passing taxicab
and disappeared.
The captured man was listed
as James w. Lytle, 25, colored.
and 1t. Ernest P. jefferson, of
the robbery squad. said he will
be charged with assault and rob-
berry, and that the Federal Bu-
reau of Investigation plans to
charge him with bank robbery.
Police said Lytle, whose police
record lists an address in the
4200 block of Edison street NE,
has refused to talk about the
holdup attempt. No weapons
were used in the holdup, Of
f1cials say.
Runner Knocked Down.
The messenger, Paul Ballenger,
81, of 3511 Beacon lane, Falls
Church, Va, was set upon as he
returned from the Washington
Clearing House with a briefcase
full of Cancelled checks at $50
am. today.
He had parked his car in the
banks lot to the east, and was
near the door when two men
Knocked him to the pavement.
He was stunned when his head
struck the concrete.
One man grabbed the satchel
and both leaped into green
sedan, waiting at the edge of
the parking lot driveway. A
third colored man was behind
the wheel.
Henry Brinke. %. of 28l5 Cow
ington road, Silver Spring, Nd.
was in his heavy panel truck in
was in his heavy-panel truck in
a line of traffic on Pennsylvania
avenue, waiting for a traffic sig
nal to change. He saw the
tussle in front of the bank.
Rams Getaway Car.
AS the green sedan began
edging from the curb to get into
the line of traffic, Mr.. Brinke--
he is S feet 5 inches tall and
weighs 1870 pounds-stepped on
the gas and rammed the car.
pinning it to the curb.
Il saw one of the two grab the
bag after the messenger fell to
the ground" Mr.. Brinke, a part
ner In Bausermans Home Serv-
ice and Sheet Metal Co., said.
They both ran across the pave
ment to the curb. 1t was then I
noticed the third man sitting at
the wheel Of the automobile
Il figured it was a bank rob-
berry so / stepped on the gas Just
as the parked car started TO pull
away from the curb. I cut my
wheels hard to the right and
rammed the front end of my
delivery truck into the holdup
car.
Three Leap From Car.
Before I could get out of the
truck all three jumped out of the
car and began running. The
last thing I saw was the man
with the money bag running
down the street with a bunch of
guys in shirtsleeves chasing him."
One of the men in shirtsleeves
was Bernard Eshelman, SO, Of
IT'S Hlghwood place Sc, assist
ant vice president Of the bank.
Mr.. Eshelman said he was
seated at his desk inside the door
when "a woman poked her head
in the door and shouted Hold
up!"
Mr.. Eshelman, followed by
three tellers, William Ellery,
Hank Hebb and John Marshall,
ran into the street. Mr.. Eshel-
man saw colored man running
down the street carrying
satchel. He recognized the
satchel as the banks, and the
tellers, led by the assistant vice
president, gave chase.
About Is passersby Joined in.
The chase led to Fourth Jtreet,
down Fourth street to Independ-