Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1920-10-23
YOUTHDECLARES
DOCTOR PAIDFO
BURNING OF CAR

Ihree men, one a welI-known At
lanla physician, were arrested and
now are out on bond for their an
pearance in the recorders court Sat-
urday morning, on a charge of dis
orderly conduct, growing out of the
burning or Peerless coupe automo-
pile belonging to DR.. David B. Haw-
k1ns. the night of August 25 after an
apparent wreck in plunge down an
embankment on the road to Marietta.
where 1t crosses over the railroad
tracks near Collins switch.
DR.. Hawkins, owner of the car. was
arrested Thursday afternoon at his
once in the Gambler building, follow
ing the arrest of Jimmy" Neal.
twenty years old, and o. N. Cribs.
proprietor of the Cribs garage on
capitol avenue. The detectives say
they also are looking for another
young man. whom they believe to
have been connected with the af-
fair.
DR.. Hawkins talked freely of
the matter Friday and issued
statement in which he characterized
the charges against him as a
ridiculous frame-up," and said that
Cribs. was trying to pass the
buck" to him after the car had
been dstroyed, while Cribs was re-
sponsible for it.
w. T. Gloer, general manager of
the Adams National Detective
agency Ibroupbt about Tho ..
Thursday, following an Investigation
made by his agency at the instance
OF a local fire insurance agency,
which had insured the Hawkins car
for, $4,000. Neal was arrested at
Cr1bbs' garage, and, Mr.. Gloer saws.
made a confession that implicated
CRIBS, Hawkins and the third young
home, 1919 Crew street, and DR.. Haw-
kins at his office. The third young
man is being sought. City Detectives
Malcolm and Meeks made the ar
rests.
According to the officers Neal made
written confession in which he
stated that he and the other young
man had been hired to burn the
Hawkins car, Cribs acting as a GO
between for the owner and the boys.
They each were to receive $40, Neal
said
veal > COIlcSStOIl St1lu lIldI the OII-
er boy had driven the Hawkins car
out on the Marietta road the night OF
its destruction, while he had gone
out in another car and had brought
Neal back to the city after the coupe
had been wrecked and set on fire.
Cribs stated, the officers said, that
Dr. Hawkins had for some time been
making remarks to him about burn
ing his car up, he having wished to
dispose of it, and not having been
able to do so. Cribs said he thought
at first that DR.. Hawkins was joking;
but finally concluded that he actual
ly wanted the car destroyed, wnere-
upon he referred the business to Neal
and the other boy.
DR.. Hawking Version
DR.. Hawkins made the following
statement Friday morning:
II know absolutely nothing except
what I have heard as to the way my
course these absurd charges by
Cribs, and the statements Of this
boy Neal are part of frame-up-an
effort by Cribs, l take 1t, to pass
along the responsibility to me as the
owner of the car, after 1T had been
destroyed either with his knowledge |
:ad direction, or after being damaged
by one or more of his employees while |
joy-riding in it while it was In his |
hands for repairs.
"Cribbs was recommended to me |
by real estate man as good |
automobile mechanic. This was Au-
gust 90. The car needed some gener-
al readjustments; carbon ground out; |
brakes refined and so on. Cr1DpS TOOK
The car on Monday and Wednesday he
called me up and informed me that
the car had been stolen from in front
of his home, 1873 Crew street, where
he had left it the previous evening.
He said he had been trying it out
and had punctured a tire, so he lett
it in front of his home instead Oh
running it to the garage.
II asked him II he had notlned the
notice and he said he had not. l said
would do it, and attended to 1t at
once. L also notified the three news
papers. Soon afterward l was notl-
led by The journal that a car with
nv license number was lying wrecked
and burned near Bolton.
Car Was Stripped
1T went out there with Blum
Dimmitt salesman and we looked
Yer the wreckage. 1t appeared that
he car had been stripped of abso-
utely everything that was of any
yalue and that could be removed.
Upwards of 500 worth of tools were
mong the things missing which we
night have expected to find in the
IebriS.
"Of course I have no way of
moving whether Cribs stripped
he car and paid the boy or boys to
estroy it; or whether the boys dam
ICED the car while out joy-riding
nd decided to destroy it as the
implest way out of scrape. I I'M
that Cribs was charged
" Neal with paying him and the ]
CONTINUED on Page 7, Column 81 l.