The Washington herald., 1914-04-19
Maj John C. Groome, Placed at Head Of Force Has Built
Organization Into Wonderful Power
Against Crime.

Reading. Afterwards transferred two
Of the trcops from Punxsutavney and
Reading TO Pottsville and Butler. TWO
troops are now IN the eastern part OF the
State and two are in the western part
They live in barracks. The men Doaro
themselves at a cost of so a month. but
the State supplies them with horses
arms. and uniforms.
"Substations are established when the
appropriations are large enough. We had
sixty last summer The stations may be
farm houses or village hotels. Three men
are sent to each, two Of whom do pa
I troll duty. The third man remains at the
station and is in telephone connection
with the barracks and the patrols. Every
man has a little book. When he passes
through a village the postmaster enters
the fact in the book, stating the hour'
and so we know that our men are on the
move and are not sitting under trees
smoking cigars
. Rural crime is one Of the neglected
problems of government. 1t is left for
most part to country constables who are
often lazy and inefficient. and even
crooked. Farmers are getting good roads
and they already have telephones and
daily delivery of mail. BY and by they
will demand protection for their families
and their property. I can easily see the
time when there will be a rural police
system in every State. Substations. such
as we have established in Pennsylvania,
will be located twenty miles apart. -Four
men from each station will patrol the
country for ten miles north. east. south.
and west.
THE Pennsylvania State police began
operations. as an organized force. in jan
uary. 1906 We rode 5000 miles the first
year and made S0S arrests. Our men are
rot only taught how 10 shoot, but they
must know a good deal about criminal
law. They can arrest on sight or on war
rants issued by local authorities. Work
ing up cases is one Of their duties-get-
ting evidence the names OF witnesses
and so on. very large percentage of
our arrests, therefore. are followed by
lOn persons taken into custody were de-
clared to be guilty.
Crime In Rural Districts.
Crime in the country has about as
wide a range as it has in large towns
and cities. We make arrests for murder.
intoxication. burglary. larceny. Illegal
liquor selling. arson. counterfeiting. high
way robbery. gambling. and horse steal
ing. Also. We are charged with inforc-
ing the game, nsh, and forest laws
There are more crimes against women
and young girls in rural districts than is
generally supposed. We are thought to
be engaged principally in suppressing
riots. II is while performing such serv-
ice that We get sensational notices in
the newspapers. AS a matter Of fact.
riots constitute a very small part Of our
business
Our men catch runaway boys and
girls. find lost berry pickers in the noun
tains. put out fires. break up camps OF
vagrants. shoot mad dogs. help in times
Of food. arrest Italians and other aliens
for dynamiting streams and hunting with
ferrets. trap Black Handlers, maintain
quarantines during epidemiCs, and do
hundred other things to make life in the
country safe and TO protect property.
Mobs are only incidents in our work, but
when they gather. let me tell you. Char
ley SChwab. president Of the Bethlehem