The Washington herald., 1919-02-16

pie.
! ings at which indignation was freely
| expressed over prevailing ponce
/ methods, and a demand was made
! for the reorganization of the police
department.
Reported Law Violations
| As the record of robberies was con-
tinued as a sealed book the Nationai
/ Republican called upon all citizenS
| interested in civic reform to report
/ to the city editor of that newspaper
| all robberies and other violations OF
! law that came under thelr notice.
| The result was an avahnche OF re-
ports from all sections OF the DIS
trict, and the Republican pOolsheo
such q great volume of police news
that the correspondents on old News
paper Row dubbed It "Washington's
/ Police Gazette"
! At that period the old-time police
reporter was required TO be a sleuth
/ and writer in combination. and fol-
lowing some OF the tips" sent in
/ by citizens, several hidden crimes
were developed by the Sherlock
/ Holmeses Of the Republican. One
tip" led to the development OF n
murder mystery. no report Of which
had been made by the police.
Several members Of the police force
who were opposed to the RUSSIAN
methods Of headquarters furnished the
newspaper with valuable news ana
! information. while a number OF tortner
policemen became volunteer reporters
Never before in the history of Wash
ington was so much police news and
calamity stun exploited in the COL
umns of a local newspaper. and the
circulation of the Republican was
kited to FIVE figures. something un-
usual for local newspapers at that
time.
Everybody on Qui Nive.
Everybody seemed to be on the qui
vive TO get a copy of the one morning
! newspaper that was making a drive
| for real civic betterment. To use the
| expression of the late Al. Cunning
! ham. news editor. they sold like
! Johns oyster fritters." In eXplana-
ton of this saying. a German known
| famiIiarly as John" kept a bar apd
! dining room in the basement at NE
northwest corner OF Seventh and u
streets northwest, and his specially
was three large. Well-browned oyster
| fritters for a dime. His place was al
ways crowded with patrons. some Of
whom came from Georgetown and ex-
| treme East Washington.
! While the fight against police meth
| DDS was at it's height. Editor Frank
! Hatton wrote a double-Ieaded edito-
I rial. which in those days was re-
I garded much as military men regard
| double-shotted cannon. He called at
| tention to the fact, as District Com
missioner Gardiner did several days
| ago. that policemen We're tried in Sc
| cret by men of their own organization
! instead of disinteres:ed judges. with
the result that many fragrant v.oIat-
ors of the laws Of the land and the
| police regulations could be white
| washed"
Mr.. Hatton also made Plain that all
! testimony taken before the trial board
! was regarded as part of the secret
| archives of police headquarters. and
: concluded with this query:
Are Washington policemen servants
+ of the people. or are they in a class
! of privileged rulers all 10 themselves? p
I One o. the active police reporters
! on the Republican at that time was
Louis Seibold. now political writer OF
note on a New York newspaper. An
! other was "Squinty'' Johnson. who
had been christened by his fellow
| workers as Rubber Soles."
! Working together. or in double
team harness" as they termed it. they
turned up several police scandals
which produced a sensation in the
community Members of Congress be-
came interested as the fight waXei
/ fast and furious. and it became evil
dent that the press and people were
on the winning side and would bring
about rigid investigation OF the po-
lice department
| Following an article on the wave
Of crime and immortality that was in
undating the Capital" in which the
open sins of the red-light districts,
and the prevalence of street walking
were exploited. and a promise OF fur
ther ''stratling revelations" the end
of the battle came. It was in the twi-
light hours and the reporters were
preparing TO go out on their night as
signments. when the telephone bell in