Salt Lake Telegram | 1940-08-23 | Page 1 | Bandit Gang Stages Daring Daylight Robbery of Mail Car on Train Leaving New York City

Bandit Gang Stages Daring Daylight Robbery Of Mail Car on Train leaving New York City NEW YORK Aug 23 tINS tINS-A INS A masked bandit gang flourishing sawed-off sawed shotguns and pistols early today held up an Albany- Albany bound New York Central Railroad train in New York City and escaped escaped escaped es es- es- es with a pouch of first class mail The up stick-up one of the most daring train robberies in several years was executed with clock- clock like precision by a band of six or seven men in the Marble Hill station station station sta sta- tion in the Bronx The single sack of mail destined for Yonkers N. N Y was the only I one seized in the robbery United States postal authorities were expected expected expected ex ex- ex- ex to determine later today just what the mail pouch con con- tamed The gang which carried out the robbery in less than three minutes swung aboard the train when it stopped at the station for a few minutes Holding the mail mall clerks and train crew at gun point the themen themen themen men quickly rifled the car The up stick-up apparently had been carefully planned and the bandits I worked with swift efficiency The fact that they only seized one bag bagI I of lof mail when others were available available avail avail- able was taken to mean that they I had prior knowledge as to its con con- tents I The crime was executed with such rapid-fire rapid precision that the majority of the 32 passengers in inthe inthe inthe the coaches coach s were unaware that it was After the robb robber robbery r the gunmen m l lin a gray green sedan b bearing bearing bear bear- arin ar- ar in ing New Jersey liceri plates J According fo sto es est told Id by bythe the train crew the the- D bandIts were in their car along platform platform platform plat plat- form when the train arrived Inthe Inthe in inthe the station at 3 a. a m. m edt 20 minutes after it had had left Grand Central terminal in the heart of New York City Herbert Stevens of Groton N. N Y brakeman of the train told police police police po po- po- po lice he was conversing on the platform platform platform plat plat- form with Joseph conductor conductor conductor con con- ductor of the train when he notI noticed noticed no no- tI d a commotion up near ne-ar the front of the five-car five tr train n. n Just as the two trainmen were going to investigate guns were were jammed in their backs and one of the gunmen coolly told them This is a up hold-up I Get on that platform Meanwhile three other bandits gained entrance to the mail mall car carand carand carand and at the point of guns forced Louis Wheeler postal clerk and his assistant Bruce Hall to get in a corner of the car where they handcuffed them to the iron uprights uprights uprights up up- rights of a mail bag support Where is Ls the mail bag for Yonkers Yonkers Yon Yon- kers hers the leader of the gang de de- de- de When it was pointed out the men seized the pouch and fled from the car As the men tied lIed one stopped lo long g enough to order the engineer Albert Barry to give two blasts of the whistle and then proceed Barry Barry Barry Bar Bar- ry obeyed but brought the train to a halt 1000 feet down the track in front of a signal tower Here a hurried call was put into intI the police