Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-02-03
morgan AIDS FITCH APPEALS TO POLICE
W. S. Hutchins Urges Enforce
ment of Anti-CrueIty Laws.
OVERLOOKING AND BEATING
President Of Humane Society Says
Agents Are Unable to Control
Situation.

Walter Stilson Hutchins, president of
the Washington Humane Society. today
requested the District Commissioners to
issue special order to the metropolitan
police force, directing it's immediate at
tention to violations of the anti-cruelty
laws during the cold weather now pre-
vailing.
So many cases of overlooking, over
driving and beating of exhausted animals
have been brought to the attention of
agents Of the society within the last few
days, Mr.. Hutchins declares, that they
are overwhelmed by the work.
The Commissioners will refer the mat
ter to Maj Sylvester, superintendent of
police. That official, this afternoon, said
that the members of the police force reg
ularly have been instructed to keep on a
lookout for offenders of the anti-cruety
laws.
Mentions Principal Offenders.
wagons and ash men and garbage collec-
tors are mentioned in President
Hutchins' letter as the principal Offend
ers. Records of the Police Court, he
states. show that members Of the police
force are not as active in the enforce
ment Of the law as they should be.
President Hutchins' letter is as follows:
II respectfully request that a special
order be issued to the police force di-
recting their immediate attention to viO-
lations Of the anti-cruelty laws during
the cold weather now prevailing in Wash
ington.
"Our staff of agents now practically all
on duty on the hills) are overwhelmed
with many cases of overlooking and over
driving, with the attendant brutal beat
ing of exhausted horses and mules. which
are daily brought to their attention, and
are greatly in need of the assistance
which the uniformed force should give.
A great deal of cruelty goes on uncheck-
ed in the downtown section OF the city,
while our men are busy elsewhere, and,
in spite of their efforts. many fragrant in
stances Of brutality occur in the outlying
regions.
Horses Badly Beaten.
THE express and coal companies, the
brick and sand concerns and those NOV
ing building materials are constant Of
tenders against the law, their offenses
taking the form of beating outrageously
teams stalled in the snow or on the hills.
quite unable to pull the heavy loads be-
hind them. The ash men and garbage
collectors also are showing no mercy to
their teams, too many of which are in
poor condition and underfed.
Complaints of the sort enumerated
come to us hourly from all over the city.
Our men are hard at work during the
hours of daylight, but the force is en-
tirely inadequate to cope with present
conditions in Washington. 1t is certainly
the duty of the police to share this bar
den, and l ask that they may be given
prompt orders accordingly. The proper
ton of arrests now made is plainly shown
in the record Of Police Court cases for
December, when our ten agents prose-
cuted 1876 cases and the whole police force
but seventeen. Violations of the law go
ing on all the time and all over the city
should be as visible to the police as they
are to our men and to citizens generally
who complain to us of what they see."