Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-02-19
AUTOISTS Scent
GRAFT OF SLEU'
Recovery of Stolen Moto,&
Generally Costly to q
Their Owners
UNDESERvED 'REWApu
Closeup View of the Msr,.
Which New Squad Is Alle,,.
to Work ~

Protests OF motorcar ownsr. <
cars have been stolen and r....I
center about a new efficiency. ,,..' b.
automobile squad OF the Bures. = l.
tectives.
Spurred on by the rapidly ;nc,..
number OF automobile thefts. m. ~.
fifty" administration cast abou, *
remedy and created the spec,,, WA w
The results are:
indignant yelps from mo..-
i' owners, who assert that tbs~ n
victims OF a gigantic gouge IN ~ ~
Of undeserved rewards and tins ~
> Credit for recovery of stole. I. .
reposlng snugly among n. u
chlves of the new squad while orS,.'
policemen make the recoveries ~
2 Continuance by large au,o-.... E.
- insurance firms in employing \,
own men to run down motorcar NJ w.
Here is the history of nearly evs-. !.
marked recovered" at detect,v. (. n
quarters-how II actually was rsc,-.' !.
after being abandoned by joy-rIss.-. !.
patient policeman, trudglng aim. K
beat, finds the derelict chug- g-wasou I,
sends 1t TO his station. The hour. =
geant, according to orders. notiss. Z.
index clerks at detective neadou.,,
and they notify the head Of N. NJ
mobile squad.
This parsonage is Detective Jess. ~.
ter, an s1S00-a-year man. whiIe 49,
tries to get in touch with the sle,rr szs
was assigned to find the stolen ~. ~
index clerk goes to the filing cab,nss H.
loci<s M the licerse and motor nv,.,.3
as given by Che house sergeaut i "
diEtrict where the car was founi Nv
The clerk gives the name and sax.4
oe the owner to Wister. The dessrs;
supposed to have been looking for ~
car calls up the owner. who Is told ~
good news awaits him: after ~
deal of trouble and marvellous dis,,5
OF detective ability the speaker hss \
Gated the car! lie was walking NJ,
the street. when. 10 and behold NJ -
n car bearing the owners number an
by a wellknown and desperate ~
thief and gunman. He gave chan 4
another auto and overlook the a. :
such-and-such-a place (mentiopine 4
district where the car was foundl
The thief" Oh he jumped into anolh.
machine ard got away. But the q,
safe IN the district garage. Yes. !
would meet the owner and take him I
the place. The sleuth sees that he a
his car ard rides in part of the way N
him. SE
As thes owner bids the detective
pleasant good-by, thanking him for 4
diligence, the sleuth stands there in d
parent anticipation.
ADMINISTRATION" :" tbuslness
clearing his throaD.
Does the owner understand?
course he does. He explains to theld
| tective that the car is rather old and
| insured and that If II hadn't been I
| covered the insurance company N
ready to give him the full value 3D. 4
| up to the insurance company. N
automatically, the detective niento
such items as carfare. automobn< 4
penses. etc. etc. Usually the ~
comes across" %
OF course. the detective would1(
for a reward. Neither would ~
| But the auto-squad sleuth usually
1t, anyway, and makes jealous tmN
trolman who found the car the ~
sergeant who phoned the news y
| tective headquarters and the index e.
who gave the name and address d 4
owner to the auto squad.
The alertness of the motor squad
ward cars recovered in the dstric3
| judging from results on par ~
other lines. The actual number of 4
tomobiles stolen in Philadelphia In y
day will never be known, the police ~
ing public only a very small perez
age. 1t is estimated. however u
from ten TO fifty cars daily is The ~
vest of auto thieves. The twenty'e1
hours from Saturday night till Smd!
night hold the highest records dur
the week. About 75 per cent wers lnl9
by joy.riders and abandoned In the q
tricts. OF the remainder, few recove1
are made by the motor squad no
cars nine times out of ten were N
through the arrest of thief by ~ 3
trict police. who inform the motor
Of the facts. Confessions trsns1
by the district police to the motor
lead to many recoveries. s3
.o, .,ss.
SQoAD lNDirNANlLf pr@u .3
These charges by motorlsts
forth emphatic denials. especially
Wister and the eight men In his
who are patrolmen assigned to
quarters as acting detectives q
a day. Some of them are good
men. Others are good politicians