Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-05-06
Aides Spy on Dry Squads to
Warn BootIeggers, Say
Dry Agents.
BLOCKING OF. PURSUERS
ON CITY STREETS TOLD
Eleventh Precinct Men Make One
Seizure of 24O Quarts and
Auto During Night.


corning police activities and of evading
apprehension, are resorting to the use
of taxicabs as spot" and block" cars.
Patrolling the roads leading to South
ern Maryland, the chief source of liquor
supply, they warn bootleggers of i'm
pending danger and disclose the hiding
places of police lying in wait for rum
cars.
The recent adoption of this system
becomes more apparent nightly, accord
ing to police of the eleventh precinct,
who say their efforts are hindered by
taXicab drivers, who learn of their &C
tivities and reveal the information to
rum-runnerS, awaiting the signal, across
the District line, to run" in their car
goes.
Police last night seized a car loaded
with 240 quarts of corn whisky. The
car carried no smoke screen, but the
tags were changed between the time 1t
left the District and returned in an
effort to deceive police, who have been
making check on all suspected rum
runners when they depart into Mary
land.
Policeman Fails in Chase.
Early Sunday morning a nquor-laden
machine, believed to have learned of
police ambushes on roads in the South
east section from the driver of taxi
cab who patrolled the highways, sue
cesSfully eluded police after smoking"
Motor Cycle Policeman G. F. Newton
and causing him to be thrown from his
machine at Fourth and K streets south
east. Police, pursuing in an automobile,
were blocked by taXicab driver, who
swung his machine into their path.
causing them to halt. He escaped be-
fore he was arrested.
Warned that Good Hope road was too
hot" the rum runner sped down Penn
Sylvania avenue, across the bridge,
through Southeast to escape. Before he
made the attempt, a taxicab travelling
east over OXon Hill on Pennsylvania
avenue toward the District line passed
Officer R. v. Sinclair, parked on the
hill, and Newton, concealed at the top.
No attempt to halt him was made and
few minutes later large sedan, trav-
cling at so miles an hour, sped over
the hill to Pennsylvania Avenue Bridge.
One after another the three policemen
pursued and the driver of the car was
halted on the bridge by Newton, but
search revealed no liquor. The car was
merely a decoy.
Second Car Passes.
Campbell continued west on the ave-
nue., Sinclair halted at the end of the
bridge preparing to return to the cap
tured sedan. Partially turning his ma
chine around he was warned suddenly
by the scream of a siren that another
car was approaching, and quickly drove
to the curb, narrowly avoiding the au-
tomobile which swept down on him at
10 miles an hour, with siren blowing,
and heavily laden with a supposed
liquor cargo.
Newton and Sinclair pursued up
Pennsylvania avenue but the latter was
overtaken by taXicab occupied by
the driver and two men. The cab. at an
intersection. forced Sinclair to Swerve
to side street and before he could
turn around and continue the chase,
the liquor car had passed from view
Sinclair turned his attentions to the
taXicab but it also had disappeared, and
after a fruitleSs search he was forced
to abandon the pursuit.
According to police. they are contin-
ually confronted with the same situa-
ton. Taxicab drivers learn police hiding
places, which roads they are patrolling,
and other information regarding their
activities. This is relayed to bootleggers
waiting in Maryland. either by tele-
District line to their hiding places, and
informs them of the situation.
Car without Screen Taken.
There was no smoke screen device
attached to liquor car seized last night
by the police road squad composed OF
Sergt. George M. Little and Policemen
George c. Deyoe, T. o. Montgomery
and Leo Murray on Cedar Hill road
h.
ern Maryland with a cargo of 240
quarts of corn whisky.
Changing of tags on the trip did not
fool the police as occupants of the car
probably thought it would, nor did
selecting Sunday night as time for
making the trip prove safe. 1t Is gen.
orally believed by persons engaged in
the business of running rum that Sergt
Titles road squad takes Sundays of.
The sergeant and members of his
squad are in evidence at staggered
hours night and day, however, and the
two young men. alleged occupants OF
the car seized last night. are said to
have shown surprise when arrested.
They gave their names as George Ed
ward Shanks, 80 years old, of the 100
block of New Hampshire avenue, and
William Carley, 81 years. of the 1900
block of L street northeast.
OeTSJ. Allllt dAlO HlClhOC4o VI lis oANoA
were in a secluded spot on Naylor road
last night shortly before o'clock when
they saw car equipped with rental
tags appear and go in the direction OF
Maryland. They switched positions to
the Cedar Hill road, and two hours
later the same car, equipped with other
tags, appeared.
A short zigzagging down the road at
rate of speed in excess of that per-
mitted by the traffic regulations ended
in the sudden stopping of the alleged
rum csr and attempt on part Of Carley
to disappear in the darkness. He was
quickly overtaken by Policeman Deyoe.
however, and taken to a police station
with Shanks.
Car and liquor were seized. Both
defendants were charged with illegal
possession and transporting, and Shanks
was also charged with reckless driving
and having dead tags on his car.
Drastic Screen Measures Urged
Aroused by the widespread use of
smoke screens, the Policemen's AsSocia-
ton, it was revealed today by Sergt.
Milton D. Smith, president, is planning
to recommend drastic measures to COM
bat the illegal device.
Sergt Smith announced that the
smoke screen problem would be the
principal topic of discussion at the
regular meeting of the association May
81, and by that time he would have
some definite recommendations TO sub
nit which he believes will defeat the
bclptleggerS at their own game"