The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1915-11-13
CRIMES BY NIGHT
The Period Between Sunset
and Sunrise Most Favored
By the Murderer, the Thug and
the Highwayman.
CRIMINAL ACTS IN Topeka
Nearly All Carried Out Under
Cover of Darkness.
There Are Places Where a Pc.
liceman Never Goes Alone.

Does the night bring a mania for
crime?- What is the weird, semi-in-
sanity, woven by the darkness, which
sends men and women sinking into
streets or into firesides and business
places to pillage or murder? Is there
mysterious power of the night which
intoxicates mems brains that they will
incubate wild schemes and carry them
out whereas the day would deface the
idea before it had hardly started to
evolve? Criminologists the world over
have studied the insanity of darkness,
have failed to offer a plausible solu-
ton but admit that every night new
enemies of society are born to the
ranks of crime.
The mania is known to the police
of all cities. Topeka is no exception.
The police records show that nearly
three-fourths of the major robberies
and 1nurders were carried out in the
night. And the strangest fact of all
is that the Sweating processes which
frequently take place at the police
station in that room with a door la
beled chief" and in the county at
torney's office disclose many times
that plans for the crime were Matched
at night. ITO the crook. the eyes of
the night are blind" says Tim Dono-
Topeka department.
Recent Crimes.
AS were many others in the last
year, the last murder that took place
in Topeka was at night. Shortly be-
fore 8 o'clock in the morning of No
vember 2, a pistol In the hands of
Philip Brown, a colored youth, spat
three times. Ira Gay, another co1ored
man, lay on the floor dead. A week
ago Friday night, Rosa Hall, white
woman, shot and seriously wounded
Clearance Floyd, a negro. at the for
mer's home in North Topeka. About
two weeks ago-on eve evening of
November 1, Archie McCallum,
white man, went to the home of Ethel
Davis, 119 North Madison street, to
buy piano. He was invited to take
a drink. He touched his lips to the
bottle. The world went black About
two o'clock in the morning he awoke
in a clump of willows east of the Santa
Fe shops. One hundred and fifty
five dollars which he had in his pocket
were gone. 1t was another crime of
the night A half-dozen characters of
the underworld were rounded up and
brought into the county attorneys Of
flee where warrants were issued.
Window Smashers.
About two weeks ago three boys.
two of them not out of their teens,
stole an automobile under cover of
darkness and started out on a joy ride
and tour of destruction. Nearly a
dozen windows, big plate glass ones,
were smashed in all parts of the city.
A little more than a month ago the
south window of the Santa Fe Watch
company was smashed and $500 worth
of jewelry was stolen. The burglar
did not leave his address and the po-
lice failed to locate his residence. The
robbery was committed just before the
break of day.
Not long ago, Miss Laura Bailey and
Francis Kiene, two well known To-
peka young people were waiting for
car about 10 o'clock at night at the
Willow park waiting station. Young
Kiene suddenly looked up into the
business end of huge revolver.
The aforementioned crimes are just
a few of the recent ones committed
after night-between sunset and sun
rise Every day the police hear of
the work of these after dark providers,
and every day brings victim or more
into the office of the county attorney.
Deserted by Day.
There are streets in Topeka, down
near the river and in some of the for
eign quarters, where a policeman
scarcely ever ventures alone after the
street lights are lighted on Kansas
avenue. By day, the streets are sim
ply two practically deserted roadways
with dirty children playing in them.
either side. Often the blinds are
drawn during the twenty-four hours
of the day. Not a few occupants of
the houses on these streets sleep until
begin to blink uptown there are but
few lights in these districts but lack
of light does not hamper activity.
Scores or even hundreds of times
have the police listened to the tale of