The sun., 1908-05-10
AMONG The AUHONOBILIS7S
NEW SPEED TRAP WORkING ~
PELHAM MANOR.

SOLITARY Policeman Timcs cars over q
stretch Of no Yards and Every Driver
Arrested Is Fined s2b Dinner 10 H. y.
HUUat. VINO CO,Cts Grand PrlX Gossip.
From reports tat iuve ALREADY been made
of sr.ed traps conducted by rural conslaults
IN districts around New \ ork city It seems
quite likely that local motorists viii be more
interested than ever before IN working Tor
The passage Of Llll IN the neNt State Legs
h,rs that viii put an end to tbs iegaIiled
tiynway robbery by abolshing the miles
Ter hour" speed regulation That the com.
r,lnir!r, wlich permit their coustabes and
Justices to engage IN such work allow the
traps to exist for revenue purposes only and
rot because Of any real interest or concern
tor the law Is proved by the fact that there
IL never the slightest attempt to warn drivers
Int on the contrary the brave miuions Of the
law hide In the bushes aud then rush out
10 wave pistols In front Of approaching cars
i,eorRr " BENNETT who does a good deal
cf driving up IN NrStchcstcr county In lis
Nlil". made the following remarks on tbs
.ubj,t Yesterday
Otrr NJ the most perncinuS police traps
90 M. section = In existence NJ the village ni
lrham Manor Just beyond the Hunters
Point Inn On the main road from New YORK
lo Bo,ton The village proper controls only
about iOO yards OF the Pelham parkway, Us
jurisdiction commencing AZ the top OF the
rrst incline past the Hunters Island Inn and
Indicated by slgubOard on the right side
OF the road This signboard has recently
been changed In that the speed limit Is now
twelve miles an hour instead Of four. as
hitherto. Almost opposite the signboard is
a lamppost and from this lamp a course
measuring no yards has been measured on
the sidewalk BY the Pelham police. the fn'sl-
ing mark being on u telephone pole on the
right side Of the road ut the foot Of the de-
cline
On Sundays and when tra1ic IS heaviest
one lone police officer is stationed about -Un
i6et beyond the finishing line and Il is upon
his judgment Of the -prrd that arrests are
made. There are no uuirce AZ the commence
ment or the finish ul the trap. The road
curves At this point aud shorter and some.
whHt dangerous curve Is Just ahead as the
lmVers Island clubhouse Of thr New YORK
Athletic club comes into view
The trap Is IN operation every Sunday
afternoon and occasionally In the morning
The autOmoblsts are arrested aud taken up
into the woods about a mile. held In cash bail
On the succeeding Thursday evening before a
Justice named Karbach Regardless of any
testimony produce the fine is the same In all
cases and under all circumstances, namely
1?j.
In recent trial where the evidence Of the
policeman was disputed the policeman
swore that standing $50 feet from the starting
point and 200 feet from the finishing point he
could tell within six inches when the cars
passed the imaginary line drawn AZ right
angles to those points The operator and the
gentleman who was seated at his side both
sworc that the car was going only eleven
miles per hour by the speedometer that was
In ulaln view Of both that they had slowed
down upon seeing the sign previously rc-
ferred TO. that the power had been shut On
and The footbrakC SGT
Il he policeman. however. swore the car
was going twenty-five miles an hour and that
he had jumped on the running board while
II was az that speed remarkable evidence
Of agility. If true. In spite Of these facts,
sufficient in any court Of justice TO convince
even the most sceptical Of the worthlessncss
Of the policeman's evidence the fine was the
usua SIS.
The measurement OF the course has not
been checked, nor has the of'icer at that
point measured It himself but IN spite Of
these facts justice. as is usual in such bucolic
comm untiCs, is blind and the fning goes
merriv on. t has been openly stated in
Pelham Manor that the new town building
is to be erected from the proceeds Of this
campaign. The case referred to was such
a travesty on the law that az appeal has been
taken and it will be fought IN the higher
courts"