Evening star., 1921-03-01
SEELAXGUNLAWS
CAUSE Of MURDERS
Deaths Held as Horrible Ex.
ample of Selling Pistols
to All Corners.

| A coroner's. jury at two inquests
, held at the morgue yesterday after
noon. heard testimony showing the
{ need of a drastic pistol law in the
! District of Columbia. One inquest
was in the case which involved the
killing of Policeman Samuel c. Hay
den of the eighth precinct. Sunday
| morning and the subsequent shooting
to death of Twitty l.. Harris. colored,
| his slayer. The other involved the shoot
! ing to death of Harry Parker. colored,
! 235l Sherman avenue. following u
! liquor deal, Friday night
! Much interest was displayed in the
case in which Policeman Hayden was
| slain because Harris, only recently
discharged from St EliZabeth's Hos
ptial. was able to purchase revolver,
I the weapon law throwing practically
| no safeguard about lawabiding citi-
ZenS
Testimony was given that Capt.
Thaddeus X. Bean and Policeman A.
b. Cole discharged their weapons at
Harris, who was hiding in closet
and trying TO do additional harm with
| his weapon
1t was impossible for the jury to
determine which of the two mem
bers of the force actually killed Har-
ris. but it was an easy matter to
reach the conclusion that the shots
were fired strictly in line of duty,
and such a verdict was reported
In the case involving the killing of
Harry Parker, testimony was given to
show that the shooting was done by
unidentified white men seated in an
automobile. Several cases of whisky
had been delivered at Parker's house
by two white men, alleged to have
been in the bootlegger supply busi-
ness. The whisky was spirited away
hot Il Co. n,r1y or.
went to Covington street to visit his
friend George Johnson. 1t was when
he was about to enter the house that
he was shot and mortally wounded.
Witnesses to the shooting were un-
able to identify the person who fired
tageouS to seek place of safety than
to remain on the scene and make an
effort to identify the slayer of their
friend. The verdict merely set out
that the killing was done by a man
whose identity had not been estab-
! lished.
Officials to Wage War.
District officials will make every ef-
| fort to put down the practice of un-
authorized persons. more especially
bootleggers and other fragrant vio-
lators Of the law. carrying deadly
weapons, and, in view OF recent ex-
periences, it is stated. the police will
pay some attention 20 persons Sus-
| pected of having imGsefred mental fac
ulties, but who are not under care in
hospitals.
1t is the belief Of police officials
that pistol toting" could be reduced
to minimum if Congress would en-
act the measure suggested by Maj.
Harry l.. Gessford. superintendent of
police, or one of the several other
measures suggested
Had their been a proper law on the
statute books last summer the police
believe Twitty Harris discharged from
an insane asylum, would not have OBJ
tanned a weapon. 1t is certain that his
hospital record would have meant an
adverse report on his application for the
purchase of d weapon, and the police
doubt if he would have gone to another
jurisdiction to make the purchase.
Adoption of the measure introduced by
Representative Hill appeals to many
members of the police force as being the
kind of a law that is needed. It would
give the right to arrest persons sus-
pected of being armed and permit search
to be made for weapons. 1t probably
would mean a restoration of the prac-
tice of ''frisking' suspected persons by
the police.
"The practice of frisking' suspected
persons meant arrest of many armed
persons years ago." commented a police
man. "On many occasions policemen
touched pistol pockets of suspected
persons. found weapons and made ar
rests. In a number of instances murder
probably was prevented by the 'frisk-
ing"