Elsie's Evacuated By Bomb Scare; Patrons Lunch on Mt. Auburn Street

A lunchtime crowd of about 30 people at Elsie's Delicatessen and Lunch on Mt. Auburn St. calmly ate their food on the sidewalk after a bomb threat on Friday forced the evacuation of the restaurant.

Members of the Cambridge Police and Fire Departments searched the building but found no trace of a bomb.

Phillip Markell, the owner of Elsie's, said yesterday an employee called the police after receiving the threat by telephone at 1:00 p.m. Markell himself ordered the building evacuated.

Markell said he does not know why the caller chose Elsie's. "It's just one of those freaky things," he added.