Los Angeles herald., 1909-07-25

as was depicted in the blood and
thunder" literature of old successfully
put the officers of the law at defiance
by overcoming the men sent to erect
his capture, for now the desperate mas
not one or two to encounter, but often
dozens Of brave, we'll drilled and scien-
tifcally equipped men who are inferior
to none in courage and the superior or
most criminals in mentality.
1t is true that, in some eastern cit
les, the desperate and sanguine robbers
who are still not convinced that the
odds are too great, do use the most
modern of inventions in their sinister
undertakings. One invention which, is
pregnant with danger to law-abiding
citizens and vigilant officers, Is the
Maxim silenCcr, which makes a re-
voyer or firearm Of any description
absolutely silent when it is fired, with
out affecting the accuracy of the
weapon.
Registration Is Necessary
So far, the only counteracting plan
discovered is to force all who purchase
such devices to register their names
and addresses, and to first take out
a permit from the local authorities.
However. the greed of man always
makes the task of protecting a COM
munity a hard one, for dealers VINO
find that they can make a heavy profit
by selling sIencing devices without de-
manding a permit from the buyers al
ways will be found to jeopardize the
safety Of the community.
II thieves take to using noiseless re-
volvers, how in the world is the lurid
detective and hair-raising desperate
story to continue in its present pros
perity? If desperadOes all use noise
less guns, think Of the difficulties
that viii be experienced by writer's of
blood-curdling episodes when they are
forced to do away with the time-hon-
ored beginning of "Bangu Bang! Il
two shots rang out on the midnight
air"
If shots do not either bang or ring
out on the midnight air, what is to be
done about it? In sober fact to state,
"Old Sleuth became aware Of sud
den whif of breeze close to his left
ear and from this was led to believe
that the desperate was shooting at
him"-Will surely be far less thrilling.
Messenger boy readers would as soon
have a bold bad man chlOrOform "Old
Sleuth,' as have the great detective
picked off in the silence of the night by
nickel -jacketed bullet fired from
noiseless weapon.
Menace in New Invention
But fiction aside, there is grave
menace in the new invention according
to Sheriff William A. HammeL who
gives the following view of the matter:
"Noise and light are two great
friends of those who make it their
business to battle with crime ana
criminals. Whenever shot is fired
with a noise-making weapon, someone
hears it. If the hearer is an officer
of the law, he Tushes in the direction
Of the sound, and the least an ordi-
nary citizen can do is to telephone to
the police and let them know that
there has been some weapon dis
charged in the neighbOrhOod so that
the officers can rush to the scene at
once.
Even in pitchy darkness the electric
soarchlight of an official automobile
and the electric hand lights make it
possible to follow a criminal for long
distances, especially in the less thick
ly settled parts Of a community. But,
with the use of silent weapons, as
sassinatiOn will be made easy holdup
men and highway robbers can as easily
shoot their victims as not and thus
obliterate or wipe out possible Wit
ness against the WrOng-doer.
THE robbers and men who prowl in
darkness, seeking an opportunity to
Waylay a lone Wayfarer have been in
measure restrained from consummat-
ing their violent deeds by fear of being
forced to shoot in case a victim made a
resistance, for to discharge a tirearm
meant noise, Noise brings police or
officers of the laW-and in many cases