Evening journal., 1909-07-30

men sometimes say superintendents'
divisions 70 distinguish them from the
general divisions.
The inspector OF the local division is
Charles German. with whom are as
ISOLATED Captain Grant Smith, Lieut.
ants w. II. Diggans and II. r. Buck
ley and a squad of twenty-five patrol
men. German has a long and honor
able record as a talSer Of thieves and
other criminals. The car thieves. rail-
road beats and a battalion of other
wrongdoers believe in his prowess and
tremble.
The criminals that make this part
of the State their stamping ground
know that eye as they know few other
things in the world; that is, II they
ever underwent its scrutiny when in
a tight place. German has many
a reminiscence, but he is slow about
taking the lid off such things. Ask
him about the history of a given case
and he viii have a nimble-hngered
clerk look IL up for you after the way
OF railroad men when they give out
information. Then he will open on
the case with anecdotes. If there are
any to tell. and few there be without
features f0OIlt NOuAu MAKE III.
Conan Doyle sit up and take notice as
material FOR a new Sherlock Holmes
sotry. Perhaps old Nidocq could hear
OF something new in his line II he were
10 wander back from the banks of the
River Letha.
HISTORY OF THE ORGANIZATION
The police service Of the Pennsyl-
vania railroad. like Topsy, ''growed.'
II started. Inspector Vernes. can tell
You, in a very modest way and kept
on increasing as the demand for it,
services grew and the problems II had
to handle grew more complex.
Everybody knows that the railroad
detectives go after offenders against
the laws by which the railroad com
panies live. move and have their be-
ing, but not so many have knowledg,
of their work as general officers oi
the peace--men who detect crime foi
the sake of breaking up nests OF
criminals and ferreting out individua
lawbreakers. The criminal who prey.
upon the community at large is al
! likely to select the railroad company
as a victim as any smaller corporation
/ or any individual. The railroad police
are trained to realize just such thing
as this.
The organization Of the police ser
vice dates, in its present form, from
November 1, 1907. when the presen
rules were adopted. From that tim
on the Pennsylvania railroad police
man, detective, or by whatever othe
name he might be called became eve
more than previously a most power
ful auxiliary IN detecting the nefar
ious operations Of practiced criminal
and running down their perpetratorE
The record Of crimes big and little I
legion. IL is the business Of the rail
road police 20 cooperate in all mat
ters where possible with the loca
authorities, or at least they make
their business.
Lost children come within the pur
view Of the railroad policemen. Ol
folks that wander away from HON
are often located and restored TO thei
families by them.
The fact that many criminals max
a business Of travelling as unauthor
lied passengers on the brakebeams q
freight cars or slowed away as onl
such gentry know how to secret them
selves in out of the way hooks. place
for the railroad officers in good positio
TO detect not only the perpetrators q
many a crime but TO head them off
advance.