Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1919-12-29
TAOS, \. CHANDLER,
MISTAKEN FOR THIEF,
ARRESTED BY POLICE
Had an Unpleasant Encounter
With Plalnciothes Men While
Returning From Work
HE THOUGHT HE WAS
IN HANDS OF CRoOho

\ .,rit-s OF revolver shots. foiiow'H oy
.-pny,ci ~rlr,, for help. startled residents
-,Ind Nineteenth and Monroe Su'''S
(~,,rt o'rlo~k Yesterday morning ahd
sv.Hlght men and women To the'' rom
.,-,-hcs IN their nightclothes Srizod WIN
=, nsnickv fear of burglars
~c,rr,l nlsjn clothes pntoIncn doing
.,.,sl J,,tv around there. according 80
l.,st ,rl,rnatjon obtstnabic, had mus
- a f1r,rkcepcr ~ Tie Harisn ship
- f.,y b,lrg,4r AMI shot NJ him seven
-. They cq}icyi On him Ia halt and
',,.r, ne rar tS"y sent . ieadcn voiity
- him l. h's terror the fugitive.
,u,k,n. f,u.,l' pursued by lot q
huos ran .uso the tirst lighted house he
.,ld Ind and there h. WAS captured
ktirr thr excitement had suh5Idcd and
4. r-Sitit,,rts had returned sh'vrrng 10
h,,r warm lp,i~ the innocent prisoner had
Wi ui'h th. police At hcadquartnrs. Tic
/. - %,on released with apologies snd ~
.slrst,,t 10 saY nothing moro about T.
m officers evidently Wcrc convinced that
IL, man WAS al night and weTc glad I" gct
1d If him
The man was Thomas II Chandler
Who lryc- with his mot her at 2i3 West
<lnctccnth street Chandler WAS born
-rar Wilmington snd has been employees
Al the Harlan plant some tlmc. tie t'ad
oe.,n working late n his inventory Natur
,iay night. On his way tn his garage, cn
Jackson str,~,t between Nineteenth and
Twentieth. b. notIcs~i two incn NOT.
,owc~cr. uniformed officers standing ~
Ninctccnth strrt Anu tn Boulevard.
They aatcheI hun - ntcutiy That ils
1t,Sriclous wcrr aroused ltoior' leaving
hi- garage. hc S.lvs, he put his 'lT" IRON
md monkey wrench hiS T0Ts,t Ter
icfcnce N case ot attack
vfSrooK orrlCsRs roR H1CHw t7Tr,>
Returning 10 Ninctccn;h street ani ,hc
boulevard be found that the Gruup There
Rad s.dderlv grown IL flvr or SIX ana
Noncludci hc had better fIrn of nt"
Eighteenth strc,'. as be thought they worc
: gang 7f hlghwavmcn As hc dld turn
,fF one of the men standing N nc shadows
allied on hlra - halt Instead, hanoicT
'ook 10 his heCia At that ail The men give
hase. firing Tcvolvcrs as fhoN TAT
Chandler Thought s'rr i" n-1s II for m
,ncnunter w1th desperate tootpade and
sept on gong 4> fssf IS hi could run.
4 hrlcht light appearing on thc first
1r.ly Of tho home ~ Mr. and Mis- ttlwari
ii PhhrN. ii the northwest corner 81
Nineteenth ard Mcnrnc streets. looked
mighty ccod IL Chandler With the hve
~ s5x nren close 1T his heels and sta,
ing. the tcrror-str'cken man turned INTO
he Philips lot CRYING Hc'R. II tie TOP
1 his voice This crv was repeated tune
nd again IN almost agonizng tones
Mr. Philips waA Just ascending mas
taIrs v hen the first CRY was heard k'lsh-
~ 10 the door, he found ChandleT trcn-
ling from head to foot and iTanticaiN try
80 Ia get into the storm ycStihuic and
.a-av from the Ieadcn hail that lac cX-
,crtcd at any moment The officers had
~iopped firing on seeing the man 60 unto
nc Philips house
The officers car1C running IN almost on
,he nan's heels ana nabbei hlm beiorc
Mr.. Philips cog'1 make Up BIS mind Just
what his part IN enc early morning episode
vas 70 be WhGte-Eop-ncd mcn 9nd women
soon bec:sn ~ e. ing at ther front doorS
and some cvci 81 pped ont On ihcr porch
= ready To fec at The FIRST sight o bur
liars. which thcy appeared = tbink had
come en- T1asSc to foot tho Whole foVI3 .
,ncc. Robbers had been reported from
that section and 50 many SUSPICIOUS per-
zons had been seen on the streets around
there that these plain clothes mon had been
sent out there IN the night tluc u lrN to
come up with sone Of them
Chandler was speechless, according n
9Ttnesses- AL be could say 10 hIs capfor@
was wait q minute. After recalnanc
ms breath he tried TO persuade the Of
hcers they had made an error Mr. Phil
ips and Others listened and looked on IS
he officers questioned Their prisoner and
went through bis wallet and other things
taken from his pockets There were ictters
addressed to Chandler Hc assured them
that was his name and offered to take them
to his home, 50 he SAID Furthermore he
showed them ms shlpvard badge
What s the use oi arguing any Tnorc
broke ii q bys5ander Why not take
him 70 the station house and let him ca
plain If be can2'
The officers called patrol car and sen
the man In IN CUSTODY of I he Two uniform
ed men who came With he wagon The si
or seven plain clothes men continued on
their gumshoe hunt for thieves. From
the police station the PRISONER got IN touch
with friends st the shipyard who soon
satisfied the police that tins was no man
for them 10 lock M 50 they let Chandler
70. The latter was hchlr indignant 10
day, though his ndIElatlon did not inter-
fere with his resumption Of work At
Exvfar's