Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-05-18
MANY CAUGHT |NNET
Autoists Fined at RossIynl for.
Not Having Licenses.
OVER FIFTY CARS STOPPED.
Sheriff Palmer and Deputies Hold
Up the Drivers and Justice
Thompson Administers Law.

Marshall Collins erstwhile guardian of
| the Conduit road, has been Outclassed.
In his palmiest days Marshal Collins held
| up nobility. not to mention sundry
| high officials of the United states, and
| saw to 1t that they were fined for pro-
ceeding through the main street of Glen
| Echo at more than seventy-two revolu-
lions the minute. or for venturing
into Montgomery county without the re-
quired -..aryland licenses--but even in
the height of his glory Marshal Collins
| never equaled the record which was
made yesterday by the guardians of the
peace in Alexandria county. Va
From sunup to shutdown yesterday
Sheriff Palmer and a squad of deputies
were strictly on the job on the one street
in Rosslyn. and since that dusty avenue
is one of the principal thoroughfares be-
tween the apital and Arlington the net
result of their work for the day showed
an excellent balance on the right side of
the ledger. And erring automobiles were
railroaded through ROsslyn's court OF law
at express speed
There is law on the statute books of
the Old Dominion which requires every
autOmobilst who proceeds over the roads
of Virginia to be provided with a state
license Heretofore there has been no at
tempt to strictly enforce this statue in
Alexandria county. and Washington auto
mobile drivers have taken it for granted
that the roads in Alexandria county
might be used without restriction. But
things were changed yesterday.
Motorists Held Up.
In the first place Justice of the Peace
n,
in the store of the Rosslyn Feed and
Supply Company, and Sheriff Palmer's
deputies assumed dignified expressions.
The deputies proceeded into the main
street of Rosslyn, and Justice Thompson
sat down to await events. AS auto
mobiles approached either the sheriff or
one of his men stepped into the middle
of the road and with upheld hand COM
manded the automobilists to stop. Those
motorists who happened to have had
prior experience with rural justice put
on full speed ahead and vanished in
clouds of dust either up or down the
road: Creduous souls, who thought the
upheld hand indicated a possible warn
ing in the road ahead. slowed down and
stopped. They are wiser now, likewise
poorer.
Every automobilist who stopped was
asked whether he had Virginia license.
If the answer was NO" the driver of
the car was taken before Justice Thomp
son and separated from coin of the realm
to the extent of s15.25 this sum repre-
senting both fine and COSTS If the
autoist declared he had a Virginia license
but could not produce 1t, the result was
the same, and mighty few slipped
through the net. because very few, even
if they happened to possess such things,
carried their licenses with them.
Over Fifty Cars Stopped.
Before the court finally closed for the
day Justice Thompson ran out of official
stationery. and receipts for many fines
taken late in the day were written on
feed store stationery. Incidentally, the
Rossiyn law emporium accumulated a
stock Of all sorts of watches and jewelry,
because anything of value was taken as
security for the payment OF fines when
the hapless victims could not produce the
actual cash required. Altogether more
than fifty automobiles We're stopped on
the Rosslyn road, and Justice Thompson
and Sheriff Palmer probably will con-
tinle on the job until all Washington
Automobiles take warning and procure
Virginia licenses before venturing across
the Aqueduct bridge. or else until the
business of collecting fines and costs
ceases to be sufficiently remunerative to
pay for the time consumed In making ar
rests.