South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1915-01-11
But Only Four Were Charged
With Murders Committed in
SOpt., Bend, Review of Police
Statistics for 1914 Reveals.
MANY FACED COURT
AS PETTY VI0LATORS
Larceny Charges Aggregated
1874 and 121 Were Arrested
for Motor Law InfraCtionS-
FOrty-One Liquor Cases.

Crime and misdemeanor in South
Bend through 1914 was, in proportion
to other years. not an element that
caused the local police department a
! great amount of work. Stamping out
the petty criminal and placing the
amatuerish yeggInan behind prison
bars formed the bigger part of the
years work, according to figures COM
piled by Harry +. JosephsOn, clerk of
the board of safety.
Accused of petit larceny, 1S4 per
sons faced Judge Warner in city
court of which number only II were
compelled to serve Jail sentences.
| Twenty-six were acquitted, % given
suspended sentences. 53 dismissed and
eight were bound over to higher
courts.
Seven Taken for Murder.
Seven alleged murderers were
handled by the local department in
I 1914, only four of whom were want
ed for South Bend crimes. Mrs.
Augusta Suhl, one of the few South
Bend women ever accused of murder,
Floyd Fifer and Joseph Smith and
Ernest l.. Dodge were the four per-
sons who were accused of homicide
in South Bend. Mrs. Suhl was acquit-
ted of the murder of her husband by
arsenic poisoning, in circuit court;
F1fer drew two TO 81 years in prison
upon being found guilty of man
slaughter-his victim was Emmanuel
Fink, the druggist--in Elkhart county
circuit court; Dodge will have an early
trial in the St. Joseph county circuit
court for the alleged murder of Jo-
seph Clark of Niles, in a west side re-
sort
There were Al arrests for violation
~ OF 1ay yvc
during the year. Ten of these were
fined in city and higher courts, ID
cases were disposed of in the county
courts and six pleaded guilty and paid
fines.
Many Motor ViOIatOrs.
Violations of motor vehicle laws
were frequent the department being
compelled to arrest 121 persons for
such violations. The department was
given instruction by Chief of Police
Kerr soon after his appointment, TO
give the strictest heed to the city
ordinances as we'll as the state laws
and arrest every person found guilty
of their violation. Most of the cases
were disposed of in city court, being
arraigned there, the result of arrests
by PatrOlman William Wesolek, who
otficiated through the year as speed
detective"
Made 1870 Arrests.
The South Bend police department
made 2.379 arrests in 1914. The
largest percentage of the arrests were
between en- the ages of p and 80 years
and 81 and 40 years. In the former
classification was noted the largest of
any other-6S2: the latter classifCa~
toned showed that 500 had been ar
rested.
The number of Juvenile criminals in
South Bend is unusually small accord
IL
pert. Through the year only 1873 per-
sons under the age of II were taken
into the tolls of the law. Between the
ages Of Il and d the number was
ESQ Nineteen men of over 20 years
of age were arrested for various Of
fenses.
The largest percentage of the per-
sons arrested were unmarried, ac-
COrding TO records kept by Clerk
Josephson Of the safety board. which
show that 947 married persons and
1882 single persons were arrested.
OF the total number Of arrests for
the year. only 229 were female vio-
latOrs. while 2,150 were men. The
largest percentage of female arrests
occurred in the early months of the
year when the department was in
structed by the board of safety To
force all resorts and houses of i'll
fame from the city. Eighty-One ar
rests were caused by the fact that the
victims were wanted elsewhere. In
the courts of the county and city
l1.159 were fined and 40 were impris-
Cned: 219 were acquitted of accused
crimes. 61S had sentences suspended
and AL were allowed their freedom
after charges had been dismissed.
More than 200 paid and staid out
fines while 331 We're sent 10 jail.
Spend Whole Appropriation.
The appropriation TO the police de-
partment for miscellaneous expenses
was S2.962.55; all of which was spent.
The largest items in the miscel-
laneous expense column proved 10 be
repairs for the autos OF the depart
ment and for articles necessary TO the
convenience Of work in the Offices Of
police officials.
The final completion Of the Bertil
ION system Of finger print identtica-
tiOn and measurement Will be ac-
complished within the next few weeks.
IL was at first thought that the eX-
nense OF this department would be
horne by the 1914 appropriation but
il Will be carried over into the pres
ent wear. 1t is thought that its total
expense viii not exceed S40O. Ii was
Installed indirectly as the result OF
the recommendation of former Chief
of Police Guy L. Bunker. who sug-
gested its installation in his report at
the expiration OF his term as chief in
1913.
The roster of the police depart
mention Dec 81. 1914. contained SIS
CONTINUED on PAGE TEN)