Evening star., 1920-01-19
LINE Of DUTY CLUB
TO AID bEREAVED
FAMILIES Of BRAVE
Members Pledge ST in Death
OF Policeman or Fireman
Killed in Service.

The Line of Duty Club. to be made
UP OF pubic-spirited Washingtonians.
Is born today.
The death of Policeman o. A. Nc
klmmie. occurring within a month
after that of Detective Jimmy" Arm
strong. Ia the immediate cause for its
organization.
It's purpose is to standardize public
contributions to bereaved families Of
the protectors of life and property
and, as Its first member stated in a
letter, to make sure that the brave
men who patrol our streets or walt
IN police stations and hrehouses for
the call to duty can at least be sure
that the bullets or fire cannot reach
past them and bring to want their
loved ones at home"
Membership Cost IL Pledge.
Mem bership Will cost only a pledge.
The pledge guarantees that the sub
scriber will give Immediately at least
81 to the family of the policeman or
fireman who meets violent death in line
of duty
One dollar is the pledge of member
snip and will probably be the average
pubic contribution. But if the sub
scrlber wishes to send a larger amount
to the cashier of The Star, who will
handle the receipts and acknowledge
for them. the larger subscription will
be appreciated
Louis Brownlaw, Commissioner of the
District. is tentative chairman of the
advisory committee. Members of the
present committee who will direct ac-
tion in time of need and issue the ap-
peals for funds are: Superintendent
Raymond w. Pullman of the police de-
partment Chief Frank Wagner of the
hre department, Robert N. Harper. pres
ident of the Chamber of Commerce
of a
Board of Trade, and Joseph Berberich,
president of the Merchants and Manu-
facturers' Association.
Bible Class Contributes.
Members of the ONO Bible class Of
the BriShtwood Park NJ. E. Church,
of which Policeman McKimmie was a
member, were the first to come to the
relief of the widow and children, the
Oldest of whom is six years old.
AT services yesterday $3.50 was
raised among the class members and
the fund taken to the widow late
yesterday afternoon.
The class is about to launch a pri-
vate campaign to secure funds to cut
down the $4,000 mortgage on the Nc
kimmie home.
The board of directors of the Po-
lice Benefit Association will meet this
afternoon to pass on the insurance
benefit of $1,000 for the widow and
children. McKimmie had paid only
one assessment. but it was paid
up to date on the 18th of January. 1t
is expected that the family will ex-
perience no difficulty in receiving the
benefit, since even the one payment
is said to have made the payee a
member of the association.
y. Il. ID. Is First Member.
Its first member wishes to re-
main unknown. His initials are r
e. B. He occupies a responsible po-
sition in Washington. His check was
consent was later secured to become
the first member of the Line of Duty
Club. His letter, received shortly
after organization plans were made
strikes keynote in the campaign: II
follows:
"As the great home paper of the
District of Columbia. / am sure The
Star will render for the McKimmie
family the service it so efficiently
performed for the Armstrong family
Inclosed find check for s25 for this
purpose.
THE circumstances of this latest
tragedy seem to be even more dis
tressing than in the other case, and
it is to be hoped that those who con-
tributed to the Armstrong fund will
as far as possible, duplicate their
Until Congress can see it's way
clear to provide without the pay
ment of premiums an insurance of
not less than IS. 5.000-S10.000 would be
better-for each policeman or fire
man killed or permanently disabled in
line of duty, the citizens of Washing
ton. who are able to do SO, Should
regard contributions of this kind in
the light of a small additional tax
for the protection of life and prop
erty, to be received by the beneficial
ries as q matter of right and not OF
charity.
Then the brave men who patrol ou.
streets or wait in police stations and
firehouses for the call to duty can at
least be sure that bullets or fire can
not reach past them and bring to
want their loved ones at home"
viii Aid Service.
That's the tenor of tenets of the
organizers. They think that it will
rebound to the benefit of the service
unwittingly and unintentionally, by
this fact:
When a policeman with a wife and
children. with his life representing the
bread-winning factor in his family
faces death, he will be relieved OF
thoughts of what will happen to
them" and with mind clear can dc
his duty with speedier and reader
turn of mind than If he had the pic
ture of his fatherless family lowering
in his imagination.
McKimmie Family's Plight.
The McKimmie family is in a sad
plight. Tho father fell dead from the
bullet of a supposed robber. The wife
is about to be confined. She has three
children who may go hungry unless
through the sense Of responsibility of
the public, Washington comes
through clean" with subscriptions for
the family deprived of it's head in pro-
tecting society from the menace of a
criminal.
McKimmie did not finch. He started
for the man who had aroused a womans
screams by entering her house. He
pursued him and. while drawing his
gun, was shot dead.
The money is wanted quickly. Delay