Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1919-04-30
MANY AT CAMP DODGE FALL
VICTIMS OF oEs MONIES
UNDERWORLD
CIVIL POLICE FAIL TO
AFFORD THEM PROTECTION
Painted Women, sootiessers and Gam
bisrs Reapine Rich Harvest Among
Men Discharged at Dodse-Oozens
Of Complaints Lodged With Military
Police.

Des Moines. April S0.-The lid is on
+, in Des Moines, but-under the lid 3
fragment OF tEe old underworld is stir
ring and reaping a rich harvest
The prey Of painted women. boot
leggers and gamblers is the horde Of
discharged soldiers.
Scant information can be gained
from civil police. But the military Po-
lice are active in the matter
Military police are conducting an
investigation into the systematic meth
cd of robbing the soldiers. The num-
erous reports from discharged soldiers
that they have been rolled for the
money or robbed are similar in method
used
Here is the Welcome.
Here is the welcome that Is being
accorded discharged soldiers:
Bray Gladstone, 30 years old, over
seas sol'..r arrived in Des Moines
Monday. He was met at the railroad
station by Negro bootlegger who sold
him a pint of whisky for s..
Tive girls met him on the street
They procured SO each from him.
Then a quartet Of gamblers induced
him into q sams in which he lost
heavily.
He said he was at the Manhattan
hotel Monday night He strolled into
nearby pool hall. A oootlegger sold
him another pint. The bootlegger fol-
lowed him into an alley at Fifth and
walnut streets. drank with him. then
slugged him over the head and took
more than 500 from his pockets.
Military police arrested Gladstone for
!Gtoxication.
I'm a game loser" he said. I'm
not kicking"
Sunday afternoon three discharged
soldiers were invited into a house
owned by a negro well known 10
police. The house is at South West
I Second and Union streets. There were
numerous drinks. Each of the SOL
diers lost several hundreds of dollars.
One OF them asked Sergt- A c. Brown
of the military police for carfare.
Dozens of Complaints.
Military police receive complaints
\ running into the dozens every week Of
soldiers fieeced by women taxi drlv-
The reports are not made public
because In most cases the soldiers are
afraid to file the charges. They fear
the publicity.
A few days ago a discharged over
seas soldier was robbed of $500 in an
East side resort. He reported the
matter and prosecution Of the persons
implicated is pending.
A few days ago a military police
sergeant was hailed by a taxi driver
near Fourth and Walnut streets.
DO you want q girl:' asked the
driven
The NJ. P. said he did. The driver
whistled and q 20-year- old girl, wear
! ing q fiashy white fur coat. bounced
into the car. They drove west of the
city limits.
The driver produced pint Of
whisky for the soldier. The soldier
stepped out of the car a moment to
get in the front seat with the driver.
He pulled his VI. P. arnband from his
pocket and said: Drive TO the police
station
Before he could re-enter the taxi
the driver put on a burst of speed and
escaped. The NJ. P. kept the girls
white fur coat.
The sign Of the red cheyron con-
veys to the minds of evildoers that the
soldier has just been paid off and is in
the mood for a good time. He gets the
good time-also d good trimming.
ignorant Of Conditions.
Civil police apparently are not we'll
Informed on the subject. Chief of Police
Alb Day has not been informed, he saio
today. Nevertheless. military police
are well cognizant OF the condition.
The names of several soldiers who
were rolled" for the money in
South side resort several days ago
were turned over to Police Captain Eo
Wyman by Tom Cross, jailer, who re-
ceive the report from member of
the military police. The address of the
resort was also turned in.
III soldiers are being robbed they
have not reported the matter to me-"
said Chief Day. 'If they'll Cooperate
by telling us about it We can accom-
piish something. 1t looks as tho they
manage to get drunk, lose their money,
and then are ashamed to report the
matter