The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1909-10-12

How two members OF the Washington
police force outgumshoed Sherlock
Holmes and caught a notorious house
breaker with no more Of clew 70 work
on than smashed-in safe and bone
button lying IN the yard back Of the
building was told in a report OF Capt.
Robert f. Doyle. OF the Eighth precinct,
TO Mai Sylvester yesterday morning
A further feature Of the catch is the
fact that one OF the men who made the
arrest and the man who was arrested
bear exactly the same name-Harry Car
rett
Last Wednesday night the Office OF EN-
erson & Co. q coal and wood concern. on
the southwest corner Of Fourteenth and
streets northwest, was entered from
the rear by man who smashed IN the
glass door. The next day the combina-
ton OF the iron safe was found complete
~ demolished. On the floor beside il was
the AK with which the lock was cracked
There were no other signs to point TO the
probable culprit
r. G. Ault was the policeman on the
beat. AS IS the custom when an IN
usually mysterious case comes Up. an
extra man was detailed with Ault to
track down the offender. That man was
Harry p. Garrett, a bicycle policeman.
OK the Eighth precinct.
One SmnH CIcw.
The two men went up to Emerson
& Co.'s ONCE. They examined the
room, the combination. the ak. the broken
window. the footprints in the dust
on the floor. and the back yard. Clews
were as hard TO find as gold teeth in the
submerged tenth.
Just as the case was beginning TO look
pretty hopeless. one Of the policemen
stopped down near the back fence and
picked up a little round, fat object II
was bone button
/ With that ghost Of a clew they set TO
work 20 find a man TO 1T the button;
that IS 10 find a man with a button
missing from his clothes. It was learned
/ that a negro thirty-flve years old had
! been working about tho place. They
/ looked him up at 1882 Eleventh street
northwest. where he lived with his
! father and mother. he wore three
button coat The middle button was
missing. and the remaining two were eI-
act counterparts OF the one the police
I
/ Garrett.
The policemen reported the suspicious
| circumstances 10 Capt Doyle and asked
him II ne thought It was enough 20 war
| rant action against the man He told
them 70 go ahead and slip the net.
Garrett, the negro. was arrested and Ia
ken 20 the precinct station, where he was
locked Up, stoutly protesting his limo
/ cence and ignorance OF the affair. That
was last Friday. All day he was kept IN
his cell. and all day he gwore he was a
guiltless man The. men al the station
Kept their mouths shut and waited.
That night the prisoner announced thE'
re wanted TO make a confession. In the
presence Of his father. Charles F. Gar
rett: Capt Doyle, Policeman Garrett
and Night Station Clerk c. o. Turner b,
acknowledged that he was the man thel
were looking for. HIS confession wai
put IN writing and he signed his name
The next day IN Police Court he waiveC
preliminary examination. and was helS
in s.. 900 bond for the action Of the granC
jury. He IS now In the District jail
Garrett Old Offenders.
In Garrett what Capt. Doyle says r
one Of the worst law-breakers IN TIT
precinct was captured. Several times h
) had been arrested for petit larceny.
, year and half OF so ago the coils o
= the law were again wrapped around him
and It is q strange coincidence that Their
again It fell TO Policeman Garrett I
draw them tight. On that occasion
store at Eleventh and r streets north
west had been entered.
The man had cut his finger in gettin
1 into the place. and Policeman Carrot
Q followed the blood stains along the side
+ walk to the house at 1892 Eleventh street
q where he arrested the negro Garrett o
/ the pleadinss Of the father and mothe
the charge was reduced from house
= breaking to petit larceny. Garrett plead
. ed guilty 10 that and set nine-mont
sentence. To this day he bears sea
q on his finger from the cut that led
z his arrest Only a few months ago b
4 was released from jail for stealing over
coats.
Capt. Boyle yesterday forwarded a n
port OF the capture 10 Maj. Sylvester.
. which he praised IN the highest term
I the good work Of Policemen Garrett an
! Ault
. We are receiving numerous inquire