The Mathews journal. (Mathews C.H. [Court House]) 1903-1937, 1911-01-12
DOPE SELLER Is
SPIRITED AWAY
Emma Foster, Cocaine Fiend Her
self, Was Used by Officers to
Get Evidence, But She Can
not Be Found-Hard to
Fix Crime.
RICHM md. VA.-Special.-

r / G II N o N d, VA-Special.-
After laboring for over year to
procure positive evidence against Ar
thur Warwick, japanese of HindOo
half-breed cocaine distributor, who
for sometime has kept Richmond
flooded with the drug, the police found
out when the case was
called before Justice Crutchfield that
they expected to prove everything had
been spirited out Of town and appears
TO have disappeared utterly from the
face of the earth.
This witness is a colored woman,
Emma Foster, an ex-convict. The po-
lice had used almost every method
to catch Warwick but the man
evaded them, as his operations were
conducted through his agents. Final
ly Emma, by her frequent use OF the
drug, became an agent" She would
procure the cocaine from Warwick
and distribute it in small quantities
to the dope fiends-
Sometime ago Officers Palmer and
Folkes marked some money and pre-
vailed upon the woman TO go to War
wich and purchase a quantity of the
drug. She shortly reported that she
had made the purchase and turned
the packages over to the officers.
Warwick was then arrested. He was
searched and the marked money was
found In his pocket. The cocaine was
analysis reported it 100. per cent. pure.
The police then had their case. The
chain Of evidence was complete.
This morning, however. when
Emma Fosters name was called no
one answered. The officers who had
had been unable to find the woman.
She had mysteriously disappeared.
They had found an old negro man, il
was said, who reported that he had
seen the Foster woman riding out
towards Hanover county in a farm
wagon. She said she was going away
on vacation. Further than that he
knew nothing.
Justice Crutchfield refused to dis
miss the case against Warwick, but
continued IL to January 14th. He or
dered a searching investigation made.
and Chief Werner, of the Richmond
police force, and Captain Mcmahon.
| chief Of the city detective bureau.
| have instructed their men to leave no
| stone unturned in their efforts to To-
cate the woman. This is by no means
the first time that Commonwealth
it be possible to ascertain who sent
this woman out of town Justice
Crutchfield proposes to mat an ex-
ample Of him.
Warwick had been operating here
so long and had sold such quantity
of the drug that the police had hoped
to send him to the State Penitentiary.
Realiazing this, it is believed by the
OFFICERS, that the man Immediately
after his arrest fixed" the woman.
without whose evidence he knew the
commonwealth could not we'll con-
Wet him.
1t is believed that ascertaining her
price, friends of Warwick arranged
10 nave the woman spend a few
months in some neighboring county.
Nnrn
sion, and from the story told by the
old negro who says he saw the wo-
man leaving Richmond in wagon.
the police believe that she had been
heavily drugged.
The police have always experienced
the greatest difficulty in procuring
convictions in cocaine cases. though
" Is known and freely admitted by all
that hundreds of packages of the
drug are disposed OF in Richmond
every month.
The methods employed by the ven
dors and distributors are such, how
ever. as to render detection almost
impossible. They exercise the utmost
caution IN plying their trade and con-
sequently are rarely detected.
In the capture of Warwick the
police are positive that they have
what is known as the 'Richmond
distributor" the man who stands be-
tween the manufacturer, whoever he
may be, and the consumers. The po-
nee also know that every effort will
pc made TO clear Warwick. Money
VIII be mysteriously furnished for the
best counsel, and if this case is to be
Fought out along the lines Of similar
cases. nothing viii be left untried:
witnesses Will be flushed up" or
spirited away, delays and postpone
ments will be sought and in fact every
conceivable means will be employed
in the mans behalf.