Eye-Witnesses Tell of Timing, Skill; Bandits were Just 'Hanging Around'

As police, detectives, reporters, and photographers swarmed over the Coop immediately after the theft, sales-clerks, executives, and customers stood huddled in little groups on the main floor and in President George E. Cole's office today giving personal opinions on the looting and on the subsequent escape.

Business seemed to slow up on the store, while people spent time marveling over the neatness and timing of the robbery. Coop employee Don Courtney of Medford, who was in the cashiers' cage when the thief entered, said he had "heard a sound like a shot" when the smoke bomb exploded.

Thieves Loitering

Miss Helen Chalmers, another Coop employee was working in the stationery department office when she heard the bomb explode. Three men were "hanging around" in front of the office, she said, and as soon as everyone had stopped work because of the disturbance in front of the store, one of them rushed through the office to the cashiers' gate.

"I didn't see them use a gun," Miss Chalmers said. The man dashed out a moment later with the white sack containing the loot and all three ran down the aisle to the book department.

Robert A. Levine '50 was standing in front of the cage waiting to cash a check when he was distracted by the smoke bomb. "By the time I turned around, all I could see was the back of the man running down the book aisle," Levine said.

The incident was over so quickly that many people who were within feet of the bandits didn't realize what was going on.

The door between the cashiers' cage and the stationery office is never locked, Coop employee said, and although it was closed this morning, anyone could open it from either side.