Evening star., 1925-11-06
POLICE W|LLPUSH
DRY WAR DESPITE
DEEGAN CASE FIGHT
Coroner's Jury's Demand for
Curb on ''FIying Squad" Will
Not Stop Enforcement.
SLAIN MANS BROTHER
AND 2 POLICEMEN HELD
Fenning and Hesse Declare Rum
Runners Tactics Require
Desperate Measures.


Desperate Measures.
While the wheels of legal ma
chlnery were starting TODAY to carry
INTO effect the responsibilities placed
upon the Office of the United States
district attorney by coroners jury
which at | O'Clock this morning re.
turned verdict holding two police
men and a civilian for the grand jury
in the death of Charles c. Deegan
last Saturday. police authorities here
came out with the unequivocal state.
ment that they would continue 10
enforce prohibition in Washington
vigorously and rigidly with due re
gard 10 property and person.
The inquest into the death Of
Charles Deegan came TO a dramatic
ending after three sessions of the
coroner's jury. the final one being =
night session that lasted until early
morning.
The verdict found: Charles {.
Deegan came to his death October
81 ar Freedman's Hospital from q
sunshot wound of the chest. hemor-
rhage and shock due to a bullet fired
from a pistol discharged in the auto
mobile Of the deceased on the night
Of October 81, 1925.
We hold Francis Deegan. Henry
! Rinke and Robert +. Langdon for the
action of the grand jury.
Curb Recommended.
We recommend that immediate ae.
ton be taken by the proper authori-
n cIIrh Thp reckless arriNifiGS nf
the police flying squad"
The effect OF this verdict was not
only to start in motion the machin-
cry of the judidiciary branch of the
Government. 1t also brought to
t, head, by the recommendation, the is
sue of prohibition enforcement in the
District of Columbia and focused at
tention on the methods whereby po-
! lice will enforce the law here in the
future.
Rising to the support of the meth Z
DDS pursued heretofore by the police
and outlining the program for the fu-
ture, police officials pointed out that
! there are two alternatives to follow:
One is to enforce the law.
The other is to disregard it by
pa ssive enforcement.
To enforce the law. il is claimed
means to get the bootleEgers and rum
runners, using speed if necessary, tn
get them without injury to persons or
damage to property.
To adopt a supine attitude means.
in the opinion of the police. a wide
open town for the Capital of a dry
Nation, the exemplary city Of the
whole country.
Commissioner Frederic A. Fenning,
under whose supervision the Police
Department comes, and Chief of PO-
lice Edwin 8. Hesse both came out
with IlnpniIiVnral SfafanlanfS n rhp
methods to be employed by the police
in the enforcement OF prohibition in
Washington.
Fenning Stands Firm.
Enforcement of the prohibition
law is to continue without abate-
ment," Commissioner Fenning said
today. THE flying squad, SO called.
is a body of picked men, selected
because in the past they have shown
a true sense of discretion and capa
bility for assuming responsibilities.
Each man was selected for his work
after a careful analysis of his quail
fications."
The prohibition law is on the
statute books Maj. Hesse said. The
police are here to enforce the law
There is nothing else that we can
do"
Investigation of complaints of reck
Iessness on the part of police enforC-
ing prohibition has developed not
single instance where culpa bility
could be placed on the shoulders of
the policemen, it was revealed by Of
ficials today. Each report, made IN
good faith, has been carefully investi
gated, Maj. Hesse declared, and the
measures adopted by the police in
each case have been found to be jus
titled.
At the district attorneys office
Assistant United States Attorney E.
Russell Kelly reported TO Maj. Pey-
ton Gordon, his chief, the results of
the inquest and described the testi
mony in it's high lights.
Three Placed on Bond.
The two policemen, who have been
relieved from duty, were placed on
bond Francis Deegan already is
bonded for the grand jury investiga
tion.s
Arrangements to present the. mat
ter to the grand jury were taken UP
Immediately. and it is presumed pos
sible that the case will be in the
grand jury room before next week
is well under way.
The Deegan case, which produced
these effects, came to public notice
Sunday. Summarized, the case is as
follows:
Charles C. Deegan. 21. of 2312 On
tario road, al the wheel of his auto
mobile on u street east of Florida
avenue. was found Shot . death
through the body. ne automobile
at the time the shot was fired it was
admitted by all sides at the coroner's
inquest, were: Policemen Rinke and
Langdon; Raymond ]. Beavers, and
Francis Deegan, the 17-yearold
brother of the deceased.
Policemen Rinke and Langdon told
the coroner's jury that the shot had
been fired in a scuffie, Immediately
preceding which there had been a tus-
sci for Rinke's revolver, which had
been snatohed from his holster b.
Francis and which was in the hands
of Francis just before the shot was
fired.
Boy Denies Statement.
Against this statement stood the
testimony of Francis Deesan, to the
effect that he never touched the re-
volrer; that Rinke shot his brother;
that he was badly beaten. up in the
rear of the automobile and had been
overcome-thouGh he had made no
resistance-at the time the shot was
fired.