Show MIDWEST GANG LEADER NABBED BALTIMORE ALTIMORE Aug 9 W The RO-The The precarious trail of freedom that Charles I Bird midwest desperado had followed since breaking jail with his robbing bank gang in Cleveland veland last year was ended dead cd In a barred jail cell cen today Last of his notorious gang to be ea taught caught the the haired dark-haired year 26 old convicted robber and his at attractive attractive attractive at- at year old wife ife blond Barbara SeIbert Bird w were e r o 0 trapped by detectives t last night and held for foi for a a. series s of armed rob robberies robberies I s here herP her Captain of of Detectives John A. A Coone Cooney said Bird admitted his Iden- Iden and that of his wife after the officer had removed a a. piece of adhesive ad- ad tape from the mans man's arm irand revealed the tattooed initials f C a aS B. B S Later the bureau of Identification at et police headquarters announced the couple had been Identified positively positively through checking their their- fingerprints fin tin fingerprints with Cleveland police The Birds have a year-old year son Charles Jr living with his grandparents grandparents grand grand- parents In Cleveland A Acting ting P Pol Police o lice t co Commissioner I Stephen G. G Nelson Nelsen said Bird con con- I to at le least st seven robberies here including g th the e a National Brewery up hold-up in fn June and admitted ho bo had planned to hold holdup holdup up tip six Baltimore banks and business business business busi busi- ness hous houses s. s Bird insisted detectives said that although his wife drove his automobile automobile automo automo- bile on his jobs she know a e. thing about what I was doing Their arrest ended a e. flight light that had carried them to the west to eastern seaboard points Including including including ing Boston Atlantic City Newark and finally Baltimore a a city Bird said he had been warned was poison poison poison poi son on ow thieves thieve I Captain Cooney said Bird told him he ho and his wife came here in May after a 1500 holdup in Boston They were forced to abandon their car carl he said d and later ter bought a new car That mat sedan led lea 10 w car a Dig big green their arrest arest Philip Parks a 8 liquor truck driver held up August 3 gave e detectives a 8 description of the green sedan and tho the sleuths began beran tracing tracing- the model until they found where their quarry lived On constant watch the armed detectives led by Lieutenants Louis and Alan Crone Cron and Sergeant Edward Ward saw saw aw the sedan sedan pull pull up in front of a North avenue venue house last night They had so arranged their trap that the couple had to park between two planted cars A third squad car hemmed In the green sedan and three detectives with drawn guns i t surrounded the machine They said that although both Bird and Ws his wife carried pistols I they I surrendered without a a. struggle They quoted Bird as saying wing to his wife wih I the use It looks like its it's itsU aU all U over Babe Captain Cooney said Bird told him a partner had been arrested in Philadelphia and sent to the Alcatraz federal prison I He Ho apparently was referring to James lames Widmer 31 captured in Philadelphia October 15 driving a stolen tolen car car Frank Bird 30 another member of the g gang ng and brother of Charles Charle was taken In Cleveland October 29 with his wife Sylvia 21 Widmer and Frank Bird are now in Alca Alca- Frank Bird and Widmer serving life terms term for murder escaped from the Missouri state prison in the winter of 1937 some six months after Charles Charl s Bird Eird serving a a. 10 10 year term for robbery J had ad broken out The three men facing federal federa charges of in a Cleveland bank robbery were captured d in th the Ohio city In July 1937 after a gun battle following another bank holdup hold hold- up upOn On September 22 1937 all aU three thre made a a. sensational escape from the Cleveland county jail aided federa federal federal fed fed- era eral agen agents said by pistols smuggled In ln by Barbara Bird A woman pedestrian was killed In the gunmen's gunmen's gun gun- mens mens men's automobile flight through 5 downtown Cleveland |