Leverett House Students Robbed At Gunpoint by Armed Intruders

Last week, in the largest robbery this year at Harvard, an estimated $1500 in personal belongings and cash was taken at gunpoint by four youths from a room in Levered House.

On the night of Nov. 7, a group of nine students in Levered B-51 were sitting around talking and smoking when at 10:30 p.m. there came a knock at the door. "Is Fred here?" the caller asked. When told there was no Fred, the man left.

This knock on the door began a series of events which, by the end of the night, left the occupants of the room poorer by two stereo sets, a Sony clock-radio, an electric typewriter, two cameras, assorted watches and rings, and $200 in cash.

The occupants-Mark A. Faller '72, Ira E. Kasai '73, Kenneth G. Gross '71, and Jeffrey Mayersohn '73-had six friends visiting at the time of the incident.

The Man Returns

About five minutes after the man first called on B-51, he returned. This time he arrived with four friends and carried a 45-caliber revolver. He was called "Henry" by his accomplices and appeared the leader of the group. Faller and Mayershn described him to the police as being a black man 5'8" tall, 185 lbs., of medium build, wearing his straight hair combed over his forehead, and dressed in a long black overcoat.

When "Henry" knocked the second time, he was invited in. "Does anyone have any acid?" he asked. When he was told there wasn't any he proceeded to draw the gun.

"Henry" ordered the entire group to get onto a couch that had been folded out. When one of Mayersohn's friends put his hands behind his back and his head between his knees, in what he thought was the standard position for someone who was being robbed, "Henry" was reported to be impressed with the tactic and demanded that the rest do likewise.

While "Henry" was busy covering the couch, his friends ransacked all the rooms in the suite, grabbing all the valuable articles they could carry. As this was transpiring, Harvard varsity wrestler and NCAA quarter-finalist Faller entered the room after being out for the night.

"Mark opened the door, saw all Jeff's friends on the couch with their heads down and couldn't figure out what was going on. Then he walked in, saw the guy with the gun and felt relieved cause he understood what was happening," Kasoff said.

Faller, who had come from visiting his parents, was carrying a box when he walked in and "Henry" rushed over to confiscate it. "They're brownies. Would you like one?" asked Faller. "Henry" was reported to have refused the offer.

They Take a Hostage

With the job complete and the four ready to make their escape, they contemplated taking a hostage. They wanted to take a girl friend of Mayersohn's but when she informed them she would faint they settled on taking the smallest male. When they reached McKinlock Hall's second floor, he was released.

Faller and Mayersohn ran to call the police and then headed down to the station to try and identify mug shots, turned over to the Cambridge Police They had no success and the case was Department's Bureau of Crime Investigation.

Contacted last night, Kasoff said, "We haven't heard anything. I imagine the police are working on it. I hope."