The Washington times., 1921-10-25
DOPE
USERS OUTW|TS.
EFFORTS.
Difficult to Secure Convictions,
Says Detective Mansfield.
Nemesis of Addicts.

In police pariance the vicinity Of
Third street and Virginia avenue
is called the hop dis
trict." To the dope addict It is the
Land o. Dreams" for exclusively
TO this district do the dope fiends
and their caterers confine their sc-
tivities. II is fertile territory to
deectives seeking clues involving
dope users. but despite its almost
daily visitations by police Of all
ranks. the only trio desperately
feared by the drug peddlers are Pre-
cinct Detective w. o. Mansfield and
Pharmacy Inspectors Saunders and
Evans.
1t is in this locality that most Of
the efforts OF the police and Federal
authorities have been centered for
many years and although the ped.
dlers are known. II is one of the
hardest jobs In police work to cap
ture them with the evidence on
them.
Detective Mansfield averages about
one arrest a week. Mansfield rarely
fails to connect his prisoner with
one or more robberies. The two go
hand In hand, he says.
All Thieves, He Says.
"I doubt IL there is one drug ad-
dict in this city that would not
steal, IL given half an opportunity.
The use OF the dope makes them
unfit for manual or mental labor
and as they are mostly of the poorer
class they have to exist and not be-
ing able to work there Is only one
opening left-stealing.
Most of the arrests now being
made, according to Detective Mans
field are young men and mere boys.
They are working for older men. he
believes, and he has for many months
been working with the pharmacy in
spectors I'm trying to locate the mas
ter minds" i'm the underground
traffic.
The heads Of the traffic in Wash.
ington take good care OF their sales
men. Mansfield says, and they are
hardly in the station house before a
professional bondsman appears on
the scene and balls their release.
Last Saturday Detective Mansfield.
assisted by Policeman c. A. Berry.
arrested Robert Ford, colored, who
gave his address az 40 l. street
SOUTHWEST, n titoieS ~
possession of narcotics.
Ford had been arrested before on
the same charge. and is now out on
bond in both cases.
Destroys Evidence.
Mansfield was strolling through
his precinct when he saw a white
man with the appearance OF cope
fiend talking to Ford. The Dope
started his automobile and was off
as soon as he saw Mansfield ap-
preaching. Policeman Berry, chased
him while Mansfield started after
Ford Berry caught the machine
after a chase of several blocks, but
the man knowing his fate broke the
vial of morphine with his fingers
and after being questioned at the
station house was released because
the police had no evidence against
him.
Ford, however, was brought to the
station after a tussle with mans
field His name had not been en-
tered on the blotter when a proIes.
sional bondsman called up and asked
what the charage was against MIN
and what bond was required.
Mansfield captured a quantity or
dope from Ford. which the latter
endeavored to destroy.
Ford. like most dope peddlers. is
known to hundreds of dope addicts
I'm washington as Papa" While he
gave his age as fifteen years at the
station house, Detective Mansfield
believes he Is older. When he was
arrested about a year ago he gave
his age as sixteen years, and Mans
field says that like most dope addicts
he has no idea how old he Is. Mans
field says he believes that he Is
about twenty.