The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1924-12-24
With The
.Alibi Artists
"A Cross Section Of the
Daily Grind in Judge
Schuldt's Court
Read 'Ern and Weep.
~ DONALD A1aeDOUGAI

THE WILL AND THE WAY.
Before 4 was assigned for duty
with the War Department had
spent q few days In Washington
visiting my roor11-rnate's family
my roommate at West Point.
"On leaving the Point / was
stationed at Baltimore. and, my
home being in Los Angeles, that
first Christmas looked pretty bleak
20 me until I received the invita-
ton from my room.nate's family
to come over here and have some
Yuletide on them. E1is mother was
an army woman and knew what
q young officer ID up against,
without any explaining.
"She told me to make her house
my home, and when was as
signed to the War College here.
that's about what did. Then /
went overseas for q couple of
years, and when got back the
old group was pretty well scat
tered.
Last October / was ordered to
Washington again. About the
first thing did after getting
Strengthened out was to write my
room4mate, In Louisville, and ask
where his family was located. I
went out to post the letter my.
self and was crossing @ street at
Seventeenth, on the way back;
when a Ford coupe .sizzled past
me about as fast and as close as
/ ever want to see one.
Something black was lying on
the pavement after the coupe had
passed that wasn't there before.
lifted the victim out of the
street and laid her on the side
walk. I'm not what you could call
Squeamish--I saw q lot Of dead
people during the war--but there
was something about this case
that made me sit down on the
curbstone for q minute or 30.
"Her arm was broken-I could
tell that by the way It hltng when
I lifted her up. She was carrying
. beaded mesh bag on that arm,
and 1t chung there when / tried
TO remove it. A bystander threw
4 flashliglit on It and / found that
the splintered bone, protruding
through the skin, was holding it.
but QOWA O1A %tAC SuADSSOAG nS0AAA'
Such b thin arm it was, and such
q frail old LADY, didn't see any
thing like that overseas.
A scared boy brought d pitcher
OF water, and when / washed the
blood ana dust from the victims
face. I recognized my roommate's
mother.
with the contact Of the cold
water she revived q little, and
I picked her up and held her tlH.
til the ambulance came. wait
ed at the hospital until the re-
port was made-two compound
1Actures of the left arm, three
ribs broken. right foot mashed.
After phoning my commanding
officer for three days. leave, I
started out to find the driver Of
that coupe"
"You had your work cut out
for you, Major"
That's why I asked for three
days leaveand the use Of a
compahy OF. engineers"
with the idea Of examining
every Ford coupe in Washing
TONI"
"Not quite-with the idea Of
interviewing the driver of every
brand-new Ford coupe. I got a
glimpse Of that driver as he
shot past me, and the car had
the unrnistakabIe squeak Of new
ness. My idea was to get list
Of the Ford coupes licensed in
Washington from September / to
October 1.-THE date Of the col
lision--and turn my scouts loose
on 'ern. They could eliminate
every machine that didn't have
q shock absorber and every driver
whose description differed too
much from that Of the man saw.
Then could interview the re-
naming ones and pick out the
winner.
A little before midnight I was
waiting at Number Three Pre-
cinct to talk with the officer In
the case, when, reaching for
cigarette, pulled the mesh bag
out of my pocket. The handle
was covered with blood, I dropped
Il to the floor and-found an
other clew.
Several beads were missing from
the fringe, and missing recently,
because the threads that had held
them, were in place. At ten
minutes after IL q phone message
came that q Ford coupe had been
found abandoned at Seventeenth
ana Cofcoran streets--it might be
the one we wanted and IL might.
not. But there was no way Of
proving which. A half hour later
the machine was lowed In and the
owner came with it, and he
wasn't the man.
borrowed q flashligflt and
examined the little crevice be.
tween the runningboafd and the
body Of the car. There I found
three beads that corresponded
with those on the bag. The police
did the rest"
What did the hit-and-runnef
get?'
"The case can't be tried until
the lady is out Of the hospital.
It's set for January S, but she
won't be out then. The accused
ID free on 800 bond"
zone hundred dollafs?"
iona hundred d0llare ~