Jul. 21—Bloodhounds were brought in for the hunt of seven bandits who killed a Scranton oil salesman, injured four people and stole more than $70,000 from a coal company paymaster near Avoca on July 30, 1923.
"The holdup was the most daring robbery ever perpetrated in Northeastern Pennsylvania, each member of the gang working smoothly along a pre-arranged scheduled with the coal company's payroll as their objecting," the Wilkes-Barre Record reported in the morning edition of the newspaper July 31, 1923.
Policemen from Wilkes-Barre and Scranton, Luzerne County detectives and state policemen joined together in the hunt of the seven bandits that occurred on a southbound Laurel Line passenger trolley between Moosic and Avoca. The money box stolen contained $70,125 for the West End Coal Company, pay for coal miners at collieries in the Mocanaqua and Shickshinny areas.
"Motorman P.J. Durkin was speeding the car along when one of the bandits who had been sitting in the front of the smoking compartment pressed a revolver against his side and ordered him to stop the car," the Record reported.
Maybe it was instinct, Durkin grappled with the armed bandit resulting in the revolver being discharged striking him in the wrist and chest.
At the same time a bandit wrestled with Durkin, another bandit held a revolver against the side of Conductor William Gleason in the rear of the trolley.
"In the meantime, Conductor Gleason argued with one of the bandits telling him it was foolish to try a robbery stunt at that time as another car was following and would be due in a few minutes," the Record reported.
As did Durkin, Gleason grappled with the bandit and managed to get a-hold of the revolver until a third bandit charged at him.
"Another of the gang came running toward Gleason yelling, 'stick up your hands or I'll drop you cold,'" the newspaper reported.
Faced a revolver being aimed at his head, Gleason relinquished the revolver he managed to take during the struggle.
Two other bandits on the trolley went to the front of the trolley and ordered "hands up everyone" and fired two shots out a window.
Passenger Edward J. Murphy, 36, of Scranton, a salesman for the Maloney Oil Company, seated in the front row, stood up and was instantly shot in the abdomen, dropping to the floor dead.
Two paymasters for the West End Coal Company sat behind Murphy while two pay guards armed with small revolvers sat behind them. When one of the bandits reached for the metal box containing the $70,125, one of the guards pulled his revolver and shots rang out. One of the guards, Arch Henshall, 44, of Scranton, was shot in the left thigh while other bullets riddled his suit coat and top hat.