Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1959-09-07
Two Arrested,
S22,5OOFound
Bank Ho|dup
FBI Still Hunts
For S., 900 More
Taken in MARYLAND

suspects in a Maryland bank
robbery within "a hours over
the week end. today continued
the search for $4,000 still miss
ing from the loot.
Most of the $27,500 taken
from the County Trust Co. of
Mechanicsville. Md, last Fri
day was recovered yesterday
afternoon in Miami Beach,
Fla, with the arrest by FBI
agents of a man and a woman
in a luxurious hotel.
Charged with bank robbery
is Charles Edward Lawrenson.
40, the FBI said. Arrested with
him in hotel room was Kath-
crime Freda Merrick. Al, Of the
400 block of H street NV. The
FBI said the couple had regis
tered as Mr.. and Mrs. George
L. Merrick after an early
morning airline fight from
Washington.
Apparently involved in a
double-cross of the second
bandit, Lawrenson fed Wash
ington when he read in a
newspaper of the arrest in
Alexandria Of Robert L. Couch.
%, of the 1900 block of r street
NV.
Meeting Apparently Failed
Couch. a grocery clerk in an
Alexandria supermarket, was
arrested Saturday afternoon at
his job and charged with bank
robbery. The FB1 would not
comment on the supposed
double-croSs, but the older man
apparently failed to keep a
RENDEZVOUS in Washington to
split the loot with Couch.
None of the money was re-
covered from Couch, the FBI
said. Agents found $22.503 in
bills, however, in shoe boxes
and luggage belonging to Law
renson and Miss Merrick. She
was charged with being an
accessory.
When Lawrenson was
arrested. he had a cooked auto
matte pistol in his possession,
FBI agents said. He admitted
his identity but would say no
more.
Lawrenson's bond was set by
United States Commissioner
Roger Davis at $4,000 on a
charge of violating the Fed
eral bank robbery law. Bond
of $4,000 was set for the slen-
der, haired Miss Merrick
on the accessory charge. Both
will have hearings tomorrow
in Miami.
Women Tellers Gagged
Two men, wearing railroad
engineers overalls, baggy caps,
cowboy boots and sunglasses,
bound and gagged three women
tellers in the st. Marys County
Bank Friday afternoon and fled
after cleaning out the tellers'
booths and the vault.
Witnesses said the men drove
to Hughesville, Md, in a black
Cadillac and then switched to
a 1857 Chevrolet. The FBI said
the Cadillac had been rented
by Lawrenson and that the
Chevrolet was registered to
COUGHS mother.
Working with Maryland State
police and the sheriffs of
Charles County and st. Marys
County, FBI men traced the
second car to Couch with a
partial description Of the Ii
cense plates furnished by wit
neSSeS.
Couch told investigators. ac-
cording to the FBI, that he had
separated from his companion
at the Greyhound Bus Terminal
in Washington and had set a
rendezvous which the other
man never kept.
Quick Flight to Florida
After the account of COUGHS
arrest appeared in Sunday
morning newspapers, the FBI
said, Lawrenson and his woman
companion took a pre-dawn
nonstop flight from Washing
ton to Miami, their luggage
crammed with 81, IS. $40. $40.
$50 and 500 bills. They regis
tered at the Fontainebleu Hotel
at 7 am. yesterday. They were
arrested at 2:l5 pm.
FBI agents said it is not
known what the pair did with
the missing $4,000.
The chubby, black haired
Lawrenson, wearing a silk suit
and a sport shirt, asked,
See ARREST, Page AS