Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-10-08
SUPPORTS CHARGE
OF RUM TRAFFIC
Mrs. Van Wrinkle Says Lack
of Motor Cars Handi-
cans Police.

| Collaborating the charges made by W.
Pearce Rayner at the group chair
mems meeting recently Of the City
engaged in bootlegging and white
| slave practices, Mrs. Nina Van Win
kle, head Of the woman's bureau of
the police department. spoke Wednes-
| day night to the public safety group
| Of the club.
| Mrs. Van Wrinkle said that the al
most total absence of motor cars in
| the police department made the APP
| prehension of men engaged in these
| practices difficult. She stated, chow
| ever, that the wor1an's bureau had a
great deal of matter on file which re-
| lated to certain men of the public
| hacker class of the city.
Mr.. Rayner, chairman of the group
| emphasized that he did not make the
| charges against all public hackers,
and said that as class they were
good citizens; but against those men
| who had engaged in the practices. He
| reiterated that there were certain OF
| these men whose actions had come
| under his observation.
The matteC was turned over to
| Claude owen, chairman of the police
protection committee, who was Or
6ered to make a searching investiga-
tlOn anu report MS uuulHSS ~ Tic
group at an early date.
| Asylum Officials Blamed.
In connection with the investigation
| Of ST. Elizabeth's, Mr.. Owen. in his re-
port to the group, stated that in the
committees opinion the reason for
| the wholesale escapes lay with the
| laxity of the heads of the institution
No fault was found with the hos
pital authorities, said Mr.. Owen, for
the escapes of patients on parole in
the city, as the maximum amount OF
| liberty for mentally sick patients
seemed to be the best cure; but the
escape of the patients who had no pa
role, because the grounds were open
for seven-eights of a mile, was a
dangerous situation, and, in the com
mittee's opinion, should be prevented
1t was pointed out by Mr.. Owen
that the majority of cases of escape
where the inmate had either done
damage to himself or to others in the
institution. were among the class who
had no parole.
| The committee recommended that
the following suggestions be made
at an early date to Congress. the
whole committee appearing before
that body if necessary:
| Immediate establishment of an in
dependent police department within
| the bounds of the asylum. with its
own chieA introduction of system
| of passes for all patients; establish
ment of a permanent gatehouse, with
a gatekeeper, at the east gate of the
| institution, and erection of fence
along the seven-eighths of mile OF
luninclosed boundary line.
Hospital Oficial Speaks.
NJ Sanger. administrative assistant
to the superintendent of the instftu-
ton, made a short address on the
| treatment of patients.
| Mr.. Sanger said that the reason the
seven eighths of mile of boundary
1 line was not fenced was because a
fence suggested confinement, and con-
finement to a mentally sick person
suggested in turn an attempt to es-
cape.
| Chairman Rayner read letter
from Daniel E. Garages, secretary to
the board of Commissioners, in which
the group was asked to make prac-
teal demonstration before commit
tee, selected by the Commissioners
of it's proposed headlight law for
Washington.
! A letter was also received from Maj
Gessford, thanking the group for its
Endorsement of his proposed anti
pistol toting" law.