South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1916-07-22
PROOF Of TALE
MUST BE GIVEN
Tribune Asked to Present Evil
denCe of Alleged "JOy Ride"
to Board of Safety.

Yellow journalism Of the South
Bend Tribune variety which sends
poIicewomen and policemen on
10y ride" in the city ambulance in
the wee hours of the morning. and
occasionally has some young man
die because his mother objected 10
his taking out MISUNDERSTANDING but
little regard for truth when it better
serves its purpose to prevarieate-is
to have a try-out before the board
of public safety next Friday morn
ing. according to notice served upon
the Tribune publishers last evening.
According 10 the board the Main St
paper has been doing considera bic
"nagging'' of the police department
Of late and, in response to its latest
outburst. * has been invited to pre-
sent its evidence or reveal the source
of its knowledge. The notice fol-
lows;
Demands Evidence.
department Of Public Safety. city
of South Bend. Ind. July 81, 1916.
Tribune Printing Co. Publishers of
he 1OuAl btIlu ldllA 1IlnunRs
South Bend, Ind:
In the issue of your paper of
July IS. 1916. you published the fol-
lowing article. TO wit
:" DECLARE POLICE WE'RE
ON MIDNIGHT JOY RIDE.
Two Officers and POlicewOman
Minnie Evans Are Accused by
Witnesses.
" Night owls who CHANGED 10 be
on Michigan st. Wednesday evening
about 1915 declare they saw an ex-
cellent demonstration of real speed
when they Witnessed the city auto
mobile patrol racing north on the
| principal thoroUghfare at a rate of
speed estimated TO be between 35 to
60 miles an hour.
Some maintain that two police
men and Mrs. Minnie Evans were in
the car taking a joy ride. while en-
route to the latters home at 622
CoquilIard ST. Eye witnesses say that
! the car nearly turned over at the
corner of Michigan St and Lasalle
av. while it was negotiating the
turn. Five minutes later a call
came in TO local garage saying that
they had had an accident and want
ed to be pulled in.
| According TO information at po-
lice headquarters the patrol was
| taking a woman prisoner to her
! home across the river on the east
side. They say that the car suffered
| a break in the rear axle and that
the accident is a common one
The board of public safety hereby
notifies YOU that on Friday morning
July %, 1915, at / o a. m, it will be
ready TO hear such evidence as you
desire 10 introduce to prove the truth
| of the allegations set forth in said
| article.
IF the board has in its employ
persons who are not discharging
their duty and conducting them
| selves properly. it wants 10 know
the facts. and you owe it to the
board and to the city Of South Bend
to produce the evidence to prove the
allegations set forth I'm said article
I'VE trust you will help us to
prove that these allegations are false
or true, as the evidence may show.
yours truly.
BOARD OF PUBLIC SAFETY.
"B. r Augustine,
John A. Hibberd
Clement S. Smogor."
Chief of Police Kerr was en-
phatic in his denial fast night re-
| garding the so-called JOY ride.
"On the night in question" said
the chief, capt. Schock sent Mrs.
Evans 10 accompany a girl to her
home in the police pa,rol When
the officers and policew woman re-
turned to the station, it was after
midnight and there were no cars
! running. The policeman took Mrs.
Evans to her home in the patrol"
In regard to the accident to the
machine. it was one which is not
uncommon, the rear axle breaking
off near the differential, and the
slight damage was repaired in less
than five minutes. Extra axles are
kept in the barn and one is carried
in the machine.
There is absolutely no joy-riding
IN the city machines" said Capt.
James Schock last night. we can
never tell when they may be needed
in an emergency and they are al
ways kept ready for business"
In a story printed Friday the Tri-
bune attempted to straighten out
the report but further misrepresent-
ed the facts by stating that Mrs.
Evans was at home with a sprained
ankle on the night in question and
not joy-riding. Mrs. Evans was on
the patrol on the night in question,
according TO the chief. and was the
woman who some person thought
they saw as the Tribune so gram
matically pointed out. This at
tempted effort 10 cover up the vel
low Journalism of a few days pre-
vious has proved another fiasco and
an example of the reliability of re-
ports spread broadcast from the
same source.
N q NnI nIEn Miro