The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1919-11-13
MEMPHIS POLICE
COMBAT JUSTICE
AND DEMAND TIPS

HVU ULlWHNU y
Just how difficult a task the new adj
mlnistratton will have in renovating the
Memphis police department and reviving
It's fundamental function Of law enforce
tent must have been impressed upon
Mayor-elect Rowlett Paine by the ex-
I perlence meeting in which the Chamber
OF Commerce delegation to the law and
order meeting in jackson, Tenn, in
dulged when marooned at Berclair,
shelby county, for seven hours Wednes-
DAY. This symposium consisted largely
q anecdotes on unhappy personal eXpe-
rlenceS with grating and crime-serving
proelivities OF the Memphis officers OF
the 'lawless,' Several Of them are
worth repeating.
The first OF these concerns a stolen
automobile. This car was stolen one
morning during the late controversy In
Europe while the wife of one Of the del
agation, who had driven the car to the
Grand Central station, was working in
the Red Cross canteen. The police were
hotnled Of the disappearance OF the car
ana furnished with the license number
and a description. A couple Of hours
later the owner Of the car happened TO
be passing Main and Madison and II oc-
cured to him quite accidentally that it
might be wen to make a little test as
to the stir which the theft Of his car
had created In the police department.
Naturally" he thought, the number
and description Of the car had been tel
ephoned to every man on every beat In
the town, so that they could keep an
eye out for it." He approached the
traffic policeman to ascertain il this
were true. Haven't heard OF t." said
the traffic cop. well. suppose / leave
the lumber of the a with you" said
the owner Of the car. 1T is possible
somebody may drive by here with It
during the day and you can nab him"
number.
Within ar hour the owner Of the car
was again passing the corner OF Main
ana Madison, n stopped to ask his
friend the cop II he had had any luck.
Sure, said the policeman, with his
strong Hibernian accent You hadn't
gotten out Of sight before two little
lhlggurhs drove up with II. / nabbed
EN- n sent the a up to the station"
The grateful car owner tipped the cop
a ten spot and went up to the station
TO reclaim his lost property. He was
informed at the station that the car
had been there, but that q detective
mad been sent over to the owners office
with 1t. The owner hurried over to his
office and found his car, unoccupied
street, opposite the office, He got in
the car and drove it pinto a side street,
where he had been In the habit OF park
ing 1t, and went up to his office. As
he went up in the elevator he passed
the detective, who was to deliver the
car coming down. The detective had
been up to get a tip for delivering the
car. But when he got back down on the
street and did not find 1t, he thought
It had been stolen again. The owner OF
the car looked out the window of his
office and watched the fever OF excite
| manf INFO which fhA diua Tna rn MA ~
the car threw the detective. He saw
him rush off in the effort to recover it.
After an hour or two Mr.. Detective did
find the car where it had been parked
and returned to the owners office to
report the circumstances, But he found
the owner OF the car strangely migrate
full. Instead Of passing out a ten to the
faithful retriever of stolen cars, the
owner dismissed him with a sweet and
! simple thank you"
The second story also concerns a stol- |
en- car-one belonging to the son of a
certain one Of the delegates. II was
reported to the young man that his ear
had been recovered by the police and lie
went to the station to claim 1t. He was
first told that the car was still out
where II had been found and would have
to be brought in. But there happened
him that his car was then in the rear
| of the police station. He went to the
rear of the police station and found his
car. Knowing of no good reason why
he should not, he climbed into the car
and started to drive off.
But he was not to get way so mex
pensively. Hey! Where are you go
ing with that carr, Q lettering police
man shouted at him. Going home"
replied the young man, its my car
We'll, | was the mar that brought it
in said the officer, don't ] get moth
| iDi1' Tho nov ayTnnV- fnnL aYt Lie |
pocketbook, drew forth a ten, gave 1t
to the noble retriever and departed in
peace.
A person of his acquaintance, one of
the delegates said, had q valuable dia-
mond stick pin stolen while en- route
home on a street car n evening. He
happened to be well acquainted with
a certain local attorney celebrated for |
his defense of criminals. Thinking of
this attorney, and also reflecting on the
cunning efficiency with which the po-
lice avoid the arrest of criminals or
recovery of stolen property, he decided
to enlist his services to recover the
lost stone. Say he said, after get
ting the attorney on the phone, some |
body took my diamond stickpin out of
my necktie when | was going home to-
night, Now, ! don't feel like ! ought
to lose that pin; in fact, | cant afford
it; can't you help me get 1t back? If
you happen to have a client whom you
suspect has my diamond, | would be
obliged II you would get it,"
In about two days the attorney called
the owner Of the stolen scarfpin, Come
over to my office" he said, I've got
something for YOU The something"
proved to be the lstickpin. That's ef-
ficiency for you" remarked the man
who was telling the story.
An interesting story also was told In
connection with the Hazel Bray as
sault case. 1t was said that in the heat
of the search for II of the escaped
principals in the attack on the Bray
girl this man was arrested on some
minor charge and brought into police
headquarters. He registered under an
assumed name and remained in jail for
several days before his friends secured
his release. When persons conducting
the prosecution heard a rumor of this
and went to police headquarters to
inquire about it, officers on duty
laughed at the idea that such a thing
could have occurred. The inquirers
were invited to examine the records
and, of course, found nothing that
..l II A. IL = I