Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1922-08-02

F1gSIUtWt IUbGFUutfUHut dopOttuttoH VI
Chiefs Of Police.
~ TEAR midnight l sat in my office
N library at the Berkeley, Cal,
l. police station, working on diff
ficult case. The lights glowed on the
switchboard. which could see through
my'open door.
Street car robbery heard the oper-
ator say. "San Pablo avenue-talk slow
er-I don't get you. Yes, yes, yes. All
right; come into the station and give US
the details"
The operator turned to me as l walked
over to the switchboard.
Lone bandit, Chief, unmasked, held up
car No. SO on San Pablo avenue, near the
Albany city limits" he said. HE robbed
the crew and passengers and escaped
"Turn on signal lights and horns to call
all officers to boxes" ordered. IF any
one has anything to report switch them
onto my line +
I had installed signal light system at
prominent street intersections, to be
flashed to call the patrolman on the beat
to his box, and this had been supple
mented by horns. which could be sounded
electrically from the desk sergeants seat.
BY pressing couple of levers the quiet
of the University City was suddenly
transformed into bedlam. Horns were
blowing everywhere, while red lights
flashed their urgent call to my harness
bulls" as the crooks" call uniformed
officer.
The switchboard buzzed again. The
operator listened a minute and then
turned to me. Another robbery at the
same place." he said.
"Give 1t to me on my desk phone l
told him.
II was a very excited woman who tried
to tell me how a short, red bearded man,
wearing a SLOUGH hat and dark clothes
suddenly had boarded San Pablo car,
lined up every one, with their backs to
the aisle at guns point. and then had
robbed them quickly and deity. "Oh, 1t
was terrible, Chief" she cried He
pointed that horrid gun at me and took
my diamond cross"
l told her to come down to the station.
This second robbery was within block
of the first. The officers now began to call
In and were given instructions by the
night sergeant to hunt for the bandit.
Detective Sergeant Henry Jamison
came in in answer to call and together
we went over the case. The victims OF
two robberies came drifting in with dis
connected stories.
While we were talking street car
motor man reported that he and the con-
ductor had been confronted by stickup
man at the foot of University avenue, the
end of the line, and robbed There were
no passengers aboard.
BY this time all the night patrolmen
had been given description of the out.
law and were securing their beats for
him, automobile patrols had been sent out
along the principal highways leaving
Berkeley, detectives had been called from
their homes and emergency and special
officers had been notified to hit the ball.
For my part felt sure that I could
sit in my office and put my finger on the
guilty party. 1t was professional job.
The robber was no novice, and nine
chances out of ten he had prior" con-
viction.
Identification records are so classified
can lay my hands on the cards of any
particular kind Of criminal, whether he
be "yegg," "check passer,' automobile
bandit or street car robber. BY the use
of "ihodus operandi" sheets quickly Sc
lected the records Of all known street car
robbers who operate alone and unmasked.
Some of these men were Fasteners and
in Eastern prisons; some were local fell
lows; others were on parole or waiting
trial.
/ thumbed through the loose leaf rec.
ords Of the lone wolf" street car robbers
and at last came to card which bore
the picture and Bertillon description of
short red haired man. His name was
George Beatteate. He had been released
from San Quentin prison only a month
before, having served time there for rob.
bling number Of trolley cars. His meth.
DDS of operation correspondent exactly
with that of the bandit we were now
seeking. He was two time loser, with
a San Quentin and Folsom record.
At the bottom Of the card in my own
handwriting was the notation:
"Beatteate now living just across line
from Berkeley, in. Albany"
Dawn came and with it Detective Jami.