A six-state alarm for the lone gunman who on Tuesday afternoon held up the Norwood Office of the Bay State Federal Savings & Loan Association of $2360, and dropped another $310 in his haste to make his getaway, has been broadcaste by the local police as they and agents of the Boston office of the FBI continue their search for the bank robber.
The holdup, the third bank robbery in Norwood in the past 12 years, came with dramatic suddeness just 15 minutes betöre the bank was closing its doors to business at 5.00 p m.
In the bank when the unmasked bandit, wearing a gabardine jacket and a cap and dark glasses, entered the bank at 4.40 p m. was the bank manager, John F. Murphy, 35, ot 1G3-A Albion street, Somerville, and teller, Mrs. Joseph Komola, 23, of 71 Hillandale parkway, Norwood. There were no customers in the bank.
Walking up to the third teller’s window where Mrs. Komola was at work, the bandit pushed a note through the window opening The note read: “This is a holdup. Bush no alarm, do not scream or I will pull the trigger. Put all bills In here. No ones or twos. Work fast”.
Mrs. Komola stood stunned for a moment as the bank manager came to her side. He also read the note and than told Mrs Komola to comply with the instructions on the note. The bandit pushed a large red fibre envelope into the teller’s hands in which to put the money.
Mrs. Komola stuffed the envelope with bills and the nan-dit started to race for the door. In his haste he dropped the envelope and about 50 of the bills were strewn on the floor.
As soon as he left the bank, Manager Murphy raced to the front window and saw him get into a gray sedan that was parked in front of the bank He obtained the registration number.
Meanwhile, Mrs. Komola had called the Norwood ponce station to report the holdup.
Patrolman James Thomas, who was on desk duty at the Norwood police station, took the call and immediately notified the cruiser cars. Police Chief James M. Murphy and Lt. James Lyden sped to the bank, as did Sergeant James Curran and Inspector Arthur Groh.
Sergeant John Flaherty and Patrolman Thomas Michicnzi were in a cruiser car at Central and Nahatan streets when the alarm was sounded and sped to the bank within moments.
Given a description of the car and the registration number, they commenced the search for the holdup man.
They were told by bank manager Murphy that the car nad sped out of the parking lot, known as the Star Market shopping centre lot towards Rte 1 They scoured the area as the other two cruiser cars also took up the search.
Chief Murphy and Lt. Lyden obtained a description of the lone gunman from the employees and his description spotted the wanted car. They stood guard at the car until the arrival of the Norwood police and FBI agents who were still in the bank.
Chief Murphy said that the bank symposium held by the Norwood police several “months ago and held in a local bank, at which time Agents of the FBI Instructed bank employees what to do and what to look for in case their bank was held up, paid off. Both bank’manager Murphy and Mrs. Komola were able to fill out forms that tallied exactly as to the description of the bandit who had held up the Bay State Bank.
The holdup came just 15 minutes before Mrs. Komola was due to leave for the day and enjoy a birthday party to be staged in her honor.
“I am 23 years old today,’’ she told reporters.
The car used in the holdup was towed to the Boch Garage on Tuesday night where FBI agents went over it for fingerprints and other possible evidence that might lead to the apprehension of the bandit.
On their arrival at the bank, the FBI agents carried several identification albums of known bank bandits which Mrs. Komola and the manager looked over.
The holdup Tuesday was the third bank holdup to be staged in Norwood in the past 12 years. On September 13, 1951, a trio of holdup men entered the Norwood Bank & Trust Company bank in South Norwood and made off with $12,000 in cash. They were later arrested by the FBI and one of the trio, Teddy Greene, is now serving a life term. The same bank was hit again on February 9, 1956, by a lone bandit who got away with $10,000.
The fact that the bank robber came into the bank unmasked substantiated a police theory that the robber was given to all Norwood officers and also put out over the teletype system to the police of all of the surrounding towns and to the Boston police as well. The Boston office of the FBI was also notified and six agents were soon on the scene.
The counters and other sections of the bank that the bandit may have touched were roped off by the police to await the arrival of the FBI fingerprint experts
The gunman’s description as relayed over the teletype gave his age as about 35 or 40 years, weighing 110 pounds and wearing a gabadine jacket and a cap and dark glasses. All of the six New England states received the information, along with the police of New York City.
Mrs. Komola said that the bandit had what looked like a toy gun in his hand when he accosted her, and pushed the note into her teller’s cage.
Police were scouring the local area including the sandpits off Everett Street in search of the car used in the holdup when word was flashed to the Norwood police that the owner of the car used in the stickup was at the Boch Rambler garage on Route 1.
State and local police went to the garage and were informed by a customer, Paul Stetson of 33 Hancock Street, Lexington, that the car used in the holdup wà* his and had been stolen from the rear of Boch’s Garage where he had left it for service on Tuesday morning. His story was substantiated by the garage. He is employed by the Lincoln Lab in Lexington and was at work all day, police said.
Chief Murphy said the note handed to Mrs. Komola demanding the money was crudely written and in a shakey hand. The words “work fast” at the bottom of the note had been underlined, Chief Murphy said. The note was given to the FBI for analysis.
At 6:50 p.m., about two hours after the holdup, two State troopers from the Foxboro Barracks, Basil Walsh and John Farrell, in checking the parking lot outside Mai’s store at Route 1 and Dean Street, spotted the wanted car. They stood guard at the car until the arrival of the Norwood police and FBI agents who were still in the bank.
Chief Murphy said that the bank symposium held by the Norwood police several months ago and held in a local bank, at which time Agents of the FBI instructed bank employees what to do and what to look for in case their bank was held up, paid off. Both bank manager Murphy and Mrs. Komola were able to fill out forms that tallied exactly as to the description of the bandit who had held up the Bay State Bank.
The holdup came just 15 minutes before Mrs. Komola was due to leave for the day and enjoy a birthday party to be staged in her honor.
“I am 23 years old today,” she told reporters.
The car used in the holdup was towed to the Boch Garage on Tuesday night where FBI agents went over it for fingerprints and other possible evidence that might lead to the apprehension of the bandit.
On their arrival at the bank, the FBI agents carried several identification albums of known bank bandits which Mrs. Komola and the manager looked over.
The holdup Tuesday was the third bank holdup to be staged in Norwood in the past 12 years. On September 13, 1951, a trio of holdup men entered 1 the Norwood Bank & Trust Company bank in South Norwood and made off with $12,000 in cash. They were later arrested by the FBI and one of the trio, Teddy Greene, is now serving a life term. The same bank was hit again on February 9, 1956, by alone bandit who got away with $10,000.
The fact that the bank robber came into the bank unmasked substantiated a police theory that the robber was not a man from this area. They pointed out that a local man would have covered his face with a mask or a silk stocking before entering the bank to thwart possible identification.
A large crowd gathered outside the bank when word of the holdup spread.
Yesterday, FBI agents and local police were questioning the personnel of the other stores in thè shopping centre as they sought a lead to the possible identification of the robber.
(All articles originally published in the Norwood Messenger)