The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-11-13
TWO FAKE POLICE YARNS.
An imaginative Reporter Makes His
Paper RidicDIOus,

Diligent search by several reporters has
failed to locate Harry Foulke. the thrill
ing story of whose rescue from the chill
ing waters of the Potomac was narrated
with great pathos and dramatic force on
the FIRST page of local morning paper
Yesterday Probably the reason he could
not be found is because he is dead. An
other argument is that dead men gen.
orally are not in the habit OF jumping IN
to rivers for the purpose of killing them
selves second time. Exhaustive enquiry,
supplemented by careful Derusal of the city
directory. fails to locate James and Co.
lumbus Beckham. colored. OF ''Bloodield. g
by whose heroic efforts the aforesaid Har-
~ Fouike. deceased, was rescued from a
second death.
The strange part about this awful trag-
edy, which thrilled the sober thinking
people OF Washington, is that the Police
Department and the Harbor Master and
his corp of assistants know absolutely
nothing of the affair. II is true the po-
lice do not know everything, bat ii is
fair to suppose that they would have
some knowledge of such an event as the
one described yesterday morning. IN fact.
1t is stated at Police Headquarters that
the story of Harry Foulke's attempted
suicide and his rescue from the Potomac
is nothing more or less tnan a fake.
concocted by the fertile Imagination of an
enterprising police reporter.
II is true that Harry Foulke is not f!c-
titious person. At one time, said to have
been fourteen years ago, he gave the police
of Washington more or less trouble. His
picture is in the rogues gallery and its
presence there is said to have suggested
the story which appeared yesterday MORN
ing. According to the police. there IS little
danger of Foulke denying that he attempt
cd suicide for they claim TO have fairly
reliable information that lie died out West
several years ago.
Tho two negroes from "Bioodfeld,'
James and Columbus Beckham. may not be
dead. BY that statement. however. it is
not admitted that they are alive. Many
strange things happen out in "Bloodfeld"
and II is not probable that any resident of
that famed locality would rise up in right
eous Indignation and deny that he was
hero who had taken part in such a spec
tacular performance as the one above men
toned.
But the morning newspaper referred to
was not satisfied with perpctraiing one
fake story on the unsuspecting people of
Washington. II had second one. and In
spactor BoardInan, Chief of the Detective
Bureau, had good laugh yesterday as he
threw himself back in his chair and read
the account of the manner in which the
nerves OF the entire department were
strained TO protect the community from a
terrible danger in the anticipated arrival
Of the notorious shoplifters, Minnie Nugent
and Lucy Owens.
Il should as soon expect TO find hun
bred thousand dollars on my desk in the
he remarked, las to see taese
women here at this time. Yes. l did re-
,eive their photographs from Atlantic City,
but 1t was only in the regular course of
business. Atlantic City being one of the
POINTS with which we exchange any new
pictures that are added to our gallery /!