Evening star., 1922-03-23
REUNION DELAYED
BY POLICE FRICTION
Frantic Fathers Here After
Runaway Girls Kept Wait
i ina Two Hours.

Two frantic fathers who rushed to
Washington today from New York
to get possession of their runaway
daughters were forced to warm their
heels for more than two hours in an
antechamber of the house Of deten-
ton before securing permission to see
them.
Meanwhile. police officers and
officials of the woman's bureau, VINO
had taken charge of the girls
literally burned the telephone wires
the police ordering the release OF
the runaways and the poltcewomen
turning deaf ears to all commands
until their chief, Mrs. Nina G. Van
Wrinkle, gave the word. incidentally,
this action, it Is said. strengthened
persistent reports of existing friction
Ietween the woman's bureau and the
police department.
Girls Seeking Adventure.
The girls in the story are Gwendolyn
Gladys Pell. sixteen, and Jane Evans,
fourteen, both honor students Of high
school in Brooklyn. N. Y. who bobbed
their hair and garbed themselves In
male attire and started a proposed ex-
tended hike of the southern states on
Monday. The girls had but $35 be-
tween them and revolver and knife Tor
protection Two days on the roao
brought them into Washington with an
enormous appetite and hat1eneo
pocketbook.
Broken in spirit, the girls went to
the Union station and Miss zen wisea
home to their fathers for money. AS
they waited patiently in the station
Headquarters Detectives Obrlen anu
Livingston took them INTO cussSoy Sy
at the request of their relatives. Tney
were taken to the house of detention
pending the arrival of their parents
Fathers Rush to City.
At $3.50 o'clock this morning AL
bert w. Pell, treasurer of Lamont
Corliss & Co. and j. Harry
Evans, also of Brooklyn, n. "
fathers of the girls, alighted from the
New York midnight express, which
had just pulled into Washington. and
hurried to the detective headquarters.
Detective Cornwell, who was IN
charge of the bureau at the time, toid
children at the house OF detention.
Greeted at the house Of detention
with q refusal by the policeWomen TO
surrender or to even see the girls, the
father appealed again to police onh-
cials, who ordered their release. But
the policewomen held their own. sex. .
eral times the police telephoned the
woman's bureau to turn the runaways
over to their fathers, but their or
ders were ignored.
About 9 o'clock, Lieut.. Van Wrinkle
of the women's bureau reached the
house of detention and permitted the
anxious fathers to take their daush-
terS.
Panied at Treatment.
Both Mr.. Pell and Mr.. Evans declar-
ed they were not able to sec why two
anxious hours had been spent in an
effort to get possession Of the girls.
Then ieut. Van Winkle had them
dressed in female attire, and fathers
and children went on their way.
when reach New York." said Mr.:
Pell, II shall write Senator Calder OF
my diScourteous treatment ana re-
quest tnvestigat ation.
Lieut Van Wrinkle, told OF Mr.. Pelrs
determination to ask an investtgatioh.
said she hoped an investigation Wou!o
be made. She added that she was IN
charge Of the house Of detention and
she intanded to conduct its affairs as
she thlnka- they should be conducted
I'm not sfdestepper," she SAID.
Tho children were here unoer my
care and I would not let them leave
before they were given female at
tire and something to eat"
The fathers described the girls
escapadA as a childish desire to see
the world.
Commissioner Oyster announced
that he has asked Maj. Sullivan for
9. complete report on the controversy
which arose this morning between
the woman's bureau and officials OF
the police department over the release
of tho girls in the custody OF their
parents.