Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-05-25
Boys in Joke HoIdup
Admit Lesser Charqe
3 Face Terms
Up to 10 Years
In Hugerstown
BY RICHARD RODGERS
Star STAFF Correspondent

~~A ~S-~~ NSAASSRSANSAN
HAGERSToWN, Md, May rs.
= Three Silver Spring high
school boys whose bank holdup
Joke backf1red, pleaded guilty in
Circuit Court today to a charge
of simple assault.
A more serious charge of as
sault with intent to rob was
dropped by States Attorney
Omer T. Kaylor, jr.
Judge D. K. Mclaughlin of
Washington County Circuit
Court postponed sente cling
pending "a very thorough and
|painstaking pre-sentence inves-
|tlgation."
The judge said the boys bank
stickup prank, IF it was a joke
most ridiculous horSeplay :. is
too serious to pass over lightly"
CECCu Vu SA,UUU DUlu
The three boys were released
on $1,000 bond each until the
court decides what to do with
them.
They are:
William A. Blomgren, II. of
1904 Highland drive; Michael C.
Bird, 16, of 6102 Deerfield ave-
nue., and Daniel G. Hummel. 16,
of 1920 Red Oak drive.
The Hummel boy was only five
days past his 10th birthday on
April 7 when he and his two
companions were arrested in a
Hagerstown loan Office.
The three had left Silver
Spring the day before to play in
a Methodist Church basketball
tournament in Cumberland, Md.
Their car broke down in Hagers-
town and they were too late TO
play in the tournament.
The defense lawyer said today
that young Bird walked into the
First Federal Savings & Loan
Association Office here and
handed woman teller a threat
ening note just as joke.
The note read, This is a
stickup. Keep quiet. Hand over
$1,000. I may be small but so
lis the little piece of lead in my
pocket"
I The teller, Mrs. Neva Shan
non, asked the Bird boy if it
was a joke. He did not answer.
She attracted a customers at
tention and the boys arms were
pinned. The two other boys.
watching from the doorway, en-
. tered the loan firm to protest
, that it was all a joke.
Defense attorney Charles E,
Wagaman kept repeating today
that this was all a joke" He
; said it was "a typical practical
/ joke, it wasn't practical and it
; wasn't a joke"
The attorney said the boys
realize now what a serious thing
they did. But they are not and
never were the kind to commit
a robbery, he said.
!, Jasmine Assault"
They're guilty of assault.
This was an aSinine assault. The
boys know it was asinine.
He pleaded for 1.-The extreme
leniency of the court" The max
imum for simple assault is 10
years.
4 Earlier the prosecutor had de-
lclared that newspapers gave such
full accounts of the case, COM
plete with comment from police
officers. that it is questionable
what kind of trial we could get. :"
/ The court agreed THE case was
tried thoroughly in the papers
before the preliminary hearing"
He said he did not know
whether these boys were serious
or not. / don't know whether
they thought we were yokels
and they could have some fun at
our expense :"
He said he would not remove
the boys from school pending
their pre-sentence Investigation.
Not Spoiled Brats"
The defense lawyer. referring
again to the courts extreme
leniency." stressed that these
are not spoiled brats."
He said the parents have
pledged that if the sentence is
restricted to fine, the families
will give the court an affidavit
swearing the boys will have to
pay their own way"
Mr.. Wagaman told Judge Nc
Laughlin the boys are already
under parental punishment He
said they are permitted out only
to go to church.
Mr.. Wagaman said it was al
most impossible to tell when boys
their age are acting their age or
acting like 6-year- olds.
He said all three are fully con-
scious now that their so-called
Joke was immature.
II think" he said, this is