South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1915-08-27
TELEPHONES WILL
BE POLICE AID
Description of Criminals to be
Sent Broadcast as Soon as
Deed is Committed.

NEW YORK, Aug. 81. - Police
Commissioner Woods and the local
telephone company have just cooked
Up a brilliant little scheme 10 net
criminals who get away from the
scene OF their crime but whose lhoeh-
tity or personal appearance IS known
a Few minutes after the crime Is com
mitted
To show how the system viii work.
take the case OF the recent murder
OF a wealthy Flatbush woman. She
was beaten TO death by a man servant
who stole her jewelry and left the
house with two packages a few sec
Onds later "a woman friend Of the vic
tim, on her way 10 the house, noticed
the escaping murderer but did not
guess his frightful deed.
Upon the arrival at her friends
home she found the dead body and a
few minutes later all the facts, with
a full description Of the fugitive were
in the hands OF the police.
Now. under the new system, the
police would Immediately give the de-
scriptiOn to the telephone company
and the telephone company would do
the rest Through its wonderful net
work of lines it would notify every
chief Of police, sheriff, constable and
railroad station agent within radius
Of 100 miles of the point where the
crime was committed.
The fleeing murderer would not
dare to board a trolley car or an ele-
waited train, ne would fear to use the
subway or the steam railroads-for
everywhere he would know exact de-
tails of his looks and clothes had
gone before him.
He could only Turk near the scene
OF the crime or get as far away as
his legs could carry him. He might
use a horse or automobile but he
would not dare to cross a ferry or an
important bridge. He would have 10
hide in the neighborhood Of his crime
and here the people would be interest
ed in the case and undoubtedly sus-
Dect him.
AS it turned out in the Flatbush
murder the police without the CO.
operation of the telephone company
took two hours TO notify important
points. In these precious two hours,
the fugitive slipped through the cor
don. He made his way TO Phlladel-
phia by train-something he would
have only the ghost of a chance OF &C
cOmplishing now.
Skyscraper Jail For Women.
Father KnickerbOcker is interested
in hearing that Uncle Sam is going in
for skysCraper post offices to save
money Father Knick owns several
fine buildings and believes in them.
He is just about TO erect another. a
16 story building in w. Thirtieth St.
which will be combination de
luxe" for women and court house.
From a distance the new Jail will
be a thing of beauty. The architects
sketch shows its graceful lines, in the
Renaissance style, while the facade
viii be Of brick, limestone and terra
Gotta.
The Jail will be in the upper part
of the building. and the court rooms
will occupy the second and third
floors. There is to be chapel on the
fifteenth floor and a hospital ward
and kitchen on the top floor. Every
floor from the sixth 10 the fourteenth
will have an open air loggia. There
will be two dining rooms. The cost
is $365,0O0.
Sunday Dead i'm New York.
A leading hotel man informs me
that Sunday from the best has grown
to be the worst day in the week for
big New York hOstelries. This is true
not only in summer, but throughout
the year.
There are at least three causes. -"
he said. First. the automobiles:
second. the spread of the notion that
one end of the week should be for
play for all except idiots; and third.
the love of golf.
I'm the old days business travellers
1oafed around the hotel Sundays. not
doing much of anything except per-
haps play cards, but keeping their
expenditure in the hotel.
Today these commercial travellers
arrange q trip out OF town Prob
ably some friend invites him to a trip
in an automobile.
Ten or 20 years ago. too. there
was big crowd staying in New York
over Sundays which looked forward
TO hearing the famous ClerSymen of
the city preach. This moving force
IS sadly diminished In summer. too.
the clergyman is away for longer
periods than in the old days-perhaps
he plays golf. 7 don't know
Indeed Sunday for the city Amer
lean has become just as much of a
holiday as it is in Paris and Ruenos
Ayres. even If we don't tolerate cock
a.