The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-01-27
Jumping Out Alley After Them
a Mans FavOrite Sport.
Many Clerks Have Lived in
Dread of Queer Character.
PLUMBER HELPED CATCH HIM
Officers Say f. F. Irwin Is Man
They Have Been After.
He Has Observation-Disclosures
Wife and Family.

providing he caught the right man,
and the police assert he did, 1t took
K. l.. PauIson, a plumber employed
by Bass & johnson, sol Topeka ave
nue., only a few minutes Friday
70 turn trick the police have been
trying to engineer Tor the last three
months. During those three months
the most of the plain clothes squad
took turns about trying to catch
man who, early in the morninG. hid in
the mouths of alleys and terrlfled
shop girls and telephone girls on their
way to work. The mysterious nIan
harmed none of the passing girls, re-
ports to the police asserted. but his
alleged immoral actions established
reign of terror among the early morn
ing feminine pedestrians.
When first the complaints began
coming to the station. Chief Parsons
sent plain clothes men to haunt the
street a short time before and after
sunrise. Continuous reports of the
mans activities caused the chief to
Increase the number of watchers just
as steadily. Police attempts to catch
him were not without their humorous
side Many times the girls discovered
the plain clothes men and ran scream
ing for other parts of the city.
Caught This Morning.
The mysterious offender. the police
declare this afternoon, or rather
The then mysterious offender. met fis
Waterloo this morning when he terri
fled a passing girl not far from the
plumbing shop at Sixth and Topeka
avenue She voiced one of those pc
culiar feminine screams that 80 far no
one had been able to initiate with let
ters in the English language and ran
to the shop. Paulson heard the girls
story and started a man hunt He
sighted someone and followed him
down the street and then the quarry
doubled back to a place near the shop.
Paulson captured him.
In the meantime report had been
turned in to the police and car load
of them rushed to the scene Just in
time for Paulson to turn his captive
over to them. At the police station
the man gave his name as i +. Irwin
and said he lived in the SEQ block on
lincoln street
Chief Parsons and Sergeant Walker
assert that he is the man who was
picked up not long ago for stealing a
check at the Seymour packing plant,
but was released later out of sym
pathy of the police and others for
him. Irwin had been employed tenn
porarily at the Seymour plant and
had 80 cents coming to him While
st the plant to collect his wage the
police say his fingers stuck to n check
for 1929 which the polio also say he
cashed at the Topeka Pure Milk COM
panys office after endorsing t him
self.
Had a Sick Wife.
He was picked up and the police
Investigated his case. 1t was found
that he has a sick wife and two small
children and that he is almost pen
niless. Irwin himself, the police say,
is affected with the white plague and
is otherwise affected. The manager
of the milk company where he cashed
the check felt as sorry for him as did
the police and offered to drop mat
tiers and let Irwin work out the
amount of the check and do other
work besides.
Irwin is booked at the police sta
ton on a charge of investigation.