Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-10-26
A PLAIN NARRATIVE
or How Three Weil.Meanlns Citizens
Esssyed to Arrest an Auto Bandit,
and What Came Of u
By GEORGE NOx MCCAIN

BY GEORGE NOX MCCAIN
AN ENTIRELY new literature has come
n into existence in the last sixteen months
since prohibition became effective:
IL Is the literature Of the little brown
Jug or, rather, Of the surreptitious black
bottle. IL is both literature and history. II
is being written in the daily press OF every
. state In the Union and the far islands of
the sea under the American flag.
1t liz bringing into existence new vocabu-
larry, In which new nouns and descriptive
's "home srew, anon" raisie e" stuff, |" "broncho R
kick" and near beer" shine.
But not all the stories of adventure and
the concealment of contraband stuff. OF
a drink Of "the real "oi old stsn'' al are % on one
side of this prohibition enforcement era.
Not by flask full
A business friend tells the following and
vouches for It. It's a Philadelphia story.
1t hds to do with the "hootch" OF an out
!nwed commerce Of today--likewise a gun
man.
ON A certain night recently a party Of
" three well do citizens, all Of them
well known In certain business circles, met
at the home Of mutual friend, where a
fourth Joined them.
1t was the shank of the evening when they
finished pouring numerous libations Of the
real stuff" stuff besides samplinE some cellar. Ia
hosts, and decided to start home.
1t was past midnight when the soiree
broke up. One of the four lived downtown
and he was taken southwark to his des
tination in the car of another member Of
the party. ....-
The delegation also carried on the floor in
the rear a half gallon OF gasoline; q
present from their host to one Of their num-
Der.
For reasons not necessary to elucidate, the
,fntt. NnA . ~
corner nearest his home. As he sagged OF
down the side street the car started to move
away. As it did so a man who had been
standing on the corner hoped on the run
ming board.
The driver supposed him to be a friend
Of one Of the two men in the rear. The rear
seat combination took him to be a friend of
the owner chauffeur. .r.'
-Four squares away the running board
rider yelled to the chauffeur to stop. He
wanted to get off. Then the discovery was
made that the new acquisition was a total
stranger.
As the auto did not halt quickly enough
the mysterious stranger poked q gun rudcly
into the ear of the driver.
The car stopped within its length and the
stranger descended cursins like a Bashi-
bazouk.
A LITTLE further down the street the trio
"A in the car awoke from their semi
comatose condition induced by the dramatic
episode. 1t was evidently an intended
hold-np IN which the holder up had lost
Then wild scheme came to life in the
brain of one. The others were at that par
ticular saturaton point where anything
crazy or bizarre appealed to them.
The machine was wheeled around and
headed back to where they had dropped the
man who had lost his nerve. He was still
standing where they left him.
lie was invited to side-car conference in
which the confession was made to him that
the three men In the auto were gentlemen
OF the road" who were looking for fourth
to complete their party
Would the stranger join them and run up
town for a few little evening adventures in
the stick up" line?,
The gunman fell for the patter in an in
stant. In fact, he was seemingly overanx-
ious to prove his qualities as first class
bandit. He hurriedly climbed in beside the
others.
The auto wheezed rapidly away and
shortly drew up in front Of a police station.
The quartet scrambled out, the trio sur
rounding the man with the gun, whom they
rushed inside into the glare Of lights under
which the desk sergeant presided like
brooding Buddha.
Then the ruckus began.
THE entire party was gabby and vocifer-
""o anu III unison an though
each was trying to qualify for Carnegie
hero, medal for the capture of an auto
bandit
The supposed highwayman was as gar
rulous and wavering as the others. TO the
lattcrs surprise the desk sergeant gave him
the floor. In fact, he called several reserve
officers to hold the three jokers and self
confessed bandits before the desk.
In the, midst of the babel of twisted
tongues the whirling dervish of the running
p3ard, VINO had poked his gun into the ear
OF the chauffeur. flung back his coat and
displayed the badge of a special officer.
Here the tragedy begins.
The supposed bandit was q policeman.
The others were the auto thieves and crooks
Dy their own confession. The story of the
manner peculiar to citizen in the throcs Of
an overdose OF Lombard street gin.
Further circumstantial evidence was forth
coming when search of the car outside
revealed the bottles of ''hootch" on the floor
1t Is almost unnecessary to continue the
painful recital. The trio of amateur sleuths
plesding. protesting and otherwise profanely
endeaVoring to establish their identity. were
slammed into separate cells.
Before being incarcerated, however. they
were trisked' by the station house officers
and their personal belongings, even down to
thelr gold mounted fountain pens, removed
IL was In their favor that neither re-
volverS, blackjacks nor cocaine were found
III 'ne'r possession or on their persons
Along about 2 n. m, after frantic tele.
phoning to influential friends. Of whom n
number appeared at the station house NJ
that unholy hour, the trio were finally iden .
tined as reputable citizens who mistakinrlv
had endeavored to perform a mertorion, !,
public duty by arresting a modern highway.
man.
As for the Special" the original hiyb =
wayman, the chronicler Possesses no further
| information. '"ei