The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1917-03-14
Emil Sch midt Case
Just Another Instance
of Incompetence
MEN NOW SOUGHT
HAD 3-DAYS' START

Police Commissitner James
Cousens. admitting that the number
OF killings In Detroit during the last
two months presents q deplorsble
condition. defends the departments
poor work on homicide cases by say
ing his men In the detective bureau
are working from " TO Is hours a
day. They are doing all they can
the commissioner says. and then he
ADDS that he In hopeful that there
will be q streak" OF lucky circum-
stances that will wind up the In
vestigation of these -urimes about ss
rapidly as they occurred
II the Detroit detectives working
on these cases spend their time on
al OF them az they did In the hrst
week OF the effort 10 catch the slay-
ers OF Pstrolman EmfS r Schmidt.
they could plug along faithfully "a
hours a day and show no better
results.
The Schmidt investigation was
hungled. and no one knows II bet
ter than some OF the veteran ON
ocrs who worked on IL. Schmidt was
killed on a Tuesday II was not
until Friday that the ofieers discov-
cred the overlapping outnt Two
doors from the Detroit Savings bank
branch a. Grand River. and War.
fen-ayes. The wireIappers are sus
pected AZ the slayers OF spe OH.
GERS.
From Tuesday until Friday, the
squad OF men working on tho case
devoted most Of their efforts 20
trying TO fasten guilt on a trio OF
dYunks. All circumstances indicat.
cd that the men who killed Schmidt
must nave taken q cool aim and
fred accurately. The men who were
arrested had been drunk all OF the
night before. and N Schmidt hae
stopped them II r. probable that
they would have welcomed a nights
sleep In the golden rule cell rather
than try to make a getaway.
Some OF the officers who thought
the arrests were valuable ones
rointed significantly 10 ths fact that
the men contradicted themselves
They were in such befpddled state
OF mind that IL Is DOUBTFUL II they
knew what they were saying.
At least one officer-hs has done
much important work TOR the de-
psrtmeni during his long term OF
service--TeaIiEed that the depart.
lnent was on the wronG trail. He
didn't hesitate to say so bur ne
was told bg his superior to continue
TO investigate In the hope OF get
ting something on oe three sus-
poets =
Then. three days after the siay-
ing. came the discovery OF the wire.
tappers' outfit. and the suspects
were promptly released. In ih1
meantime the real sisyers had gait.
ed a three-dsys start.
FtiNVAn IN FoAfF NFNuIuhiNFfN
wondered what had become>of the
rolice efficiency system when IL
was announced that Detectives
Black and Rick would be sent 10 the
inauguration OF President Wilson N
Washington 10 assist In protecting
the cpowds against pickpockets.
Black and Rick have made enviablc
records ia lhe department, but not
as officers whose speciality IL lamp
ing" crooks. The Detroit depart.
ment boasts the services OF Detec.
tive Frank Wilkinson. who has es-
tablished countrywide record as
an oficor who Is quick TO recognise
a man from a photograph. spot.
ting criminals has been wilkiu.
sons speciality. H. has devoted
years to this particular work. VIII.
kinson stayed az home Turing the
inaugural.