The Washington times., 1919-01-28

tice anything out of the ordinary. 1t
was only a short time later that. I
reached the N street and Connecticut
avenue patrol box and that / was told
there was trouble at Miss Geagan's
home. I then ran across the man
walking away from the scene of the
shooting. Had 1 then known what
him into custody and to the Geagan
home" 49, %.
"Loaned, to City. -
Peloquin is one Of the soldier police
men loaned" to the Washington Po-
lice Department by the War Depart
ment. He is from Rhode Island. I'm
, til recently he had been detailed In
front Of" the British embassy, but
lately, because Of the repletion Of the
ranks of the Police Department, he
has been assigned to watch Connecti-
cut avenue from Dupont circle to X
street, and particularly keep his eye"
! on the home OF Secretary of State
Robert Lansing, on Eighteenth street,
just off Connecticut avenue. He was
working this beat Friday morning.
Did Three Mems Work.
1.-THE beat I worked Friday morn
ing, when the three women were at
tackled, should have been patrolled by
at least three policemen" declared
Isadore Schechter, soldier-policeman,
one OF the six men on street patrol
duty in the Third police precinct that
morning.
1t was on schechter's beat that the
madman entered the home OF Miss
Martha Geagan at 1912 Connecticut
avenue and shot her as she lay N
her bed. He was at the patrol box
at Seventeenth and P streets north
west when notified of the shooting
OF Miss Geagan.
Schechter was manager Of scent
store In Philadelphia before he was
drafted into the army one year ago.
Because of a slight physical defect
he was not assigned to overseas duty
and was loaned. by the War Depart
ment to the Washington Police De-
partment for police duty to help fill
the gap in the ranks caused by nu-
merous designations Of policemen.
Takes Hour to Cover "Beat.'
Ordinarily three policemen patrol
the beat worked Friday morning.
1t takes about an hour to go around
the beat While l am at one end Of
the beat burglars and footpads could
operate and get away before I got
any knowledge of 1t.
q. Then a policeman could be mur-
dered before aid could reach him. For
90 minutes waited, several weeks
ago, for aid in arresting some bois-
ferrous negroes. Finally / blew my
police whistle for at least five min
utes. Still no one came. The negroes
then calmly walked away. Had I at
mi n a. 20 II,
am certain they would have tried to
kill me. So let them walk of.
Stops Many People.
Il stop many persons 1 think are
of a suspicious character and demand
satisfactory explanation of their
identity. One night I saw Major
Pullman at a patrol box. He walked
OF and ! stopped him, intent-upon
arresting him. He, told me who he
was, and / was surprised because
did not know the major. a.
Il always go about my beat when
/ have the early morning shift, with
my hand on my pistol, ready for any
emergency. / do not take any
chances. I don't think I was cut out
for a policeman, and am hoping to be
mustered out of service SO I can get
back to the scent store in Philadel-
phia. I suppose my boss will take me
back" =. #s.- -.-s,r 70. st-s ~. ~.
Schechter was the second patrol-
man at Miss Geagan's home. He
searched the house and says he found
no clue to the identity of the mad
man.
On Friday morning. sSchechter was
doing the regular work of three pa
trolmen. He was trying to patrol
that section of northwest Washington
between N and Q streets and Fiji
teenth street and Rock creek. The
home of Miss Martha Geagan, 1912
Connecticut avenue, one Of the vic
Tins of the madman, is on the ex-
tensive beat" he was patrolling.