Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-08-05

w y ASHINGTONIANS collect 2
per cent interest on one In
wv vestment-the police aut
squad Out of 4,l66 auto
reported stolen in the fisca
year ending June 50, 1923, approximate
" % per cent or $3.50, were returned U
owners. Police forces of the country a
large average about 30 per cent in thu
number of stolen cars recovered,
Exactly SO per cent of persons allegeC
to have been implicated in these theft
we're convicted in District courts on Joy
riding" or grand larceny charges
Probably ! 900 sleuths all over the
country are looking for the S27 autos
that local police were unable to find
and unless these cars have gone To Junk
wards or were "Ssanghaicd" to Baffin
Island or Timbuctoo, the chances are
7s.935627 TO one that they VIII be re-
covered.
Auto SQUADS Of big cities enlist some
Of the Shrewdest detective talent in the
country. They must. Auto thieves have
;7ieher intelligence rating than the or
tinF-v craftsman, thug or holdup man.
Tsut the successful curhing Of their &C
Invites and the high average Of conVic-
tons prove that their detective friends
have respectable talents too.
1--WE detective sergeants and clerk
administer the business of the Cap
1ta!'s auto squad Members are j. A.
Connors. Jacob Wolf, H NJ. Jstt. Eu-
gene Davis and F NJ. Alligood Herbert
Carr is clerk. Detective Connors is
squad chief
The District being a small spot on
the map Of these States. and auto
thieves enjoying the run of the coun-
try. il is necessary for the auto squad to
keen in close touch with police depart
ments everywhere. Frequently car
stolen from the District is found IN
PeyTyville, Mo. or MokamuEalook, Iowa.
Il then becomes necessary for the
District TO send an agent there to bring
back the thief and the auto. Mr..
Washington Citizen gets his car back.
probably little the worse for tear and
in need of new paint and tenders.
There Is no doubt that a number
a. auto rings drive their illegal bust
ness in the Atlantic States. but, accord
Ing to Detective Connors. their hides
are pretty rare in the District. Most
Washington theftS are by amateurs,
who NAV take a shine TO an autono-
bile lust for an evening or through
some morbid streak become obsessed
bv "automsnia."
eAutomanla" is a peculiar Illness
and IN its strange symptoms might re-
MIND an alienist of pyromania. An
'sutonaniac" develops fondneSS for
one kind of gasoline wagon and will
not be tempted by another. no matter
whether its upholstery be goSsamer lace
or its pistons be made of platinum.
An automaniac might at times be
respectable law-abiding citizen He
T.. .--t.4 ss2 s@f AZ
long as he controls his ohsession. But
when his beating mind Subdues his
common intelligence he performs a
piece of acting that keeps police squads
on the Jump and makes many an in
nocent automobilist walk nome in the
rain. II a particular automaniac should
feel attachment to a model A fiivver,
you will not tempt him with a gold
plated foreign car. Model A is his
meat and ii he can't drive of with
that breed of auto he'd rather not ride |
a. all
A ND it's not any sample of model A
n that viii please him He must |
have one that attains a certain speed /
SC fast and comes to a complete halt |
In 50 many feet If the car does not /
live I'D 10 these requirements. he'll de- |
sert i as ungracefuily as rats swim /
from a sinking ship and will keep on /
searching until he finds a specimen |
that satisfies his fastidiousneSs Then
he breatlles IN an auton1aniacal heaven /
end would not change places with a
Prince Of Monte Carlo Chances are /
waega the gas tank is drained the car
E1ll be abandoned
Automaniacs have been known to
trv cut as many as a dozen autos In
cne night. leaving caSt-of samples
strewn about the city, where they are
soon recovered by the auto squad. Let /
him keep 81 his business for any length /
Of time and he'll soon find himself /
charged with grand larceny.
Detectives recognize IN the auton1a- |
mac a streak Of perversion that Is un- /
common among his fellow thieves. !
Gangs. rings and cliques develop sys- |
tens and methods whose fallacies are
soon discovered If repeated often enough
The channels and tangles of secret
auto intelligence that span the Nation
make il so difficult for the thief to
perform that IN % Of our largest cities
only 3 out Of every 100 stolen autos Is
lost 10 the owner forever. After the
car is IN his possession. the thief viii
first try to change the license tags. aIld
secondly alter the motor number. He
Uill aie away the raised numbers from