The New York herald., 1922-01-29

he wore broad brfmmed hat that Mapped
down over his forehead. Trooper Rooney
looked him over and decided he had found
glimpse of the scar, but he was not certain
Of 1t.
Certain or not, Rooney went up to him
and grasped his arm.
Hello, Castro" he said.
"Howdy yourself. and who are your" the
man came back, sullenly
Rooney looked at him scrutinizingly.
Castro made move toward his hip pocket.
Then Rooney pinioned him.
You're wanted in Buffalo, you know"
he said.
Trooper Fowler came up then, and Castro
started on his way to Buffalo that night.
Crime Prevention Keynote
Of the Troopers Work
These men, Rooney and Fowler are of
Troop X, which is assigned the territory
including suburban New York and an
area totaling seven counties. Troop K Is
commanded by Capt. John A. Warner and
Lieut.. Eugene c. Roberts. The barracks
Willets place near White Plains
In recounting exploits of Gray Riders
account must be taken OF the fact that
crime prevention is the keynote OF their
work Their presence is calculated to act
as a check on crime, and the fear in which
they are held in the outlands has brought
about an effectual diminution OF petty
crime.
An outstanding faculty of the Gray
Rider Is to protect women and children.
The tenets of its creed are somewhat like
the doctrines by which King Arthur's
knights were bound, and II has been evil
dent that their standing order to prevent
cruelty to children wherever 1t may be
found is an instruction which is carried
out with personal sincerity.
Burglary and arson cases, prevention of
cruelty to children and to animals, the
wiping out of filthy dives the protection
of rural communities from the derelict
bad men of the city, the apprehension of
automobile bandits, the ferreting out of
Secret stills and the tracking down of
bootleggers-these are among the daily
duties of the Gray Elders.
Every trooper in the outlying sections
reports by telephone several times day to
this Office" Capt. Warner explained.
Then we give him additional instructions
IL necessary, or we learn just where he
will be at a certain time of day or night
in order that when the occasion arises we
can get in instant touch with him."
Capt Warner credited much of the ef.
fectiveness of the Gray Riders to the con-
fdence held in the organization by the
substantial citizens of the communities In
which the constabulary works. At first,
he said, the people did not call on this new
protection a great DEAL but now they do
depend upon It and always render any In
formation and aid OF all sorts that they
can do.
In the upstate communities patrolled
by the Gray Riders whisky runners and
operators OF Illicit stills are monotonous
but interesting quarry. Exciting stories
of encounters with moonshiners and boot
leggers have drifted by word of mouth out
of the barracks OF the troopers in the
northern portions of the State.
In a wildly primitive upstate county
Gray Riders were called to aid local au-
thorities in the suppression of operators
of Illicit stills who had become inordi
nately active in the few weeks just before
Christmas Of 1921, and who we're flooding
the section with fiery hot but most effec.
tive liquor.
Through the late part Of November, par
tieularIy during the four or FIVE days sur
rounding Thanksgiving, the county Of
fcials we're distracted lot, for there was
drunkenness and disorder and consider
able disturbance of the peace. But their
.eee..a 20 diacovor the source Of the moon.
shine fluid, which was the unquestionabls
cause of the county's chronic state of rue
tion, were as futile as the efforts of reve