Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-04-26
RUM CHASE DEATH
PROvOKES DEBATE
PoIiccman's Action Defended
by Holiday, Attacked
by La Guardia.

bootlegger's car was not jutifiable
homicide.
While the debate was getting under
way in the House Supt. OF Police Pratt
declared that after listening to the evi-
dence st the coronsr's inquest yesterday,
which resulted In the holding of Rouse
to the grand Jury. 1t sounded to him as
If most OF the men in the eleventh pre-
cinct went out shooting every night. J"
Mai. Pratt ordered all precincts to use
more discretion In the use OF firearms.
Another angle to the situation brought
about by the action OF the coroner's
jury developed early this morning when
Policeman Henry Rinke reported to his
return the IRE of an escaping rum run
ner because ne feared criticism.
Holidays speech led to numerous
requests from other members for time
to speak on the same subject.
Holiday Outlines Position,
After h. had been interrupted BY
many questions from the floor, Repre-
sentative Holiday requested that he be
permitted to make this statement:
Here is the position We are con-
fronted with. There has been used
within the last two weeks ten or dozen
smoke screens This evening and every
other evening OF this week and this
month officers OF the police force will
be on duty. Undoubtedly they will be
confronted with the same situation as
Officer Rouse was confronted with day
before yesterday morning.
There Is one OF two things that must
happen. Either the officer must have
the right and the moral support in the
use Of is force IL necessary In order to
capture these men or there will be no
way In which man can be Apprehended
who is fleeing In an automobile, be he
guilty Of bootlegging, bank robbery,
murder, or any other crime. There Is
the situation. This evening oi1lcers will
be on duty and before another 10 days
have passed, they win meet the same
situation.
what Il the feeling Of an oficer
on duty this EVENING" Does he want
to neglect his duty and allow law vio-
lators OF any and all kinds to escape7
II ne uses the force necessary TO effect
their arrest then he Is to be held ip
TO condemnation and liable to be- taken
on duty and sent TO answer to grand
jury?
members OF Congress ana the citizens
OF this country should come to the
support OF officers attempting to do
their duty with our moral support"
Incident Called Unfortunate.
Mr.. Holladay reviewed briefly the In
cident which he called "an unfortunate
occurrence In this CITY that has re-
ceived much publicity"
He said that he spoke as q member
OF the committee on appropriations,
which Is responsible for the appropria-
ton for the police force OF Washington
"On April "a an oficer OF the wash
lngton City police force. Clyde o.
Rouse was on duty In Southeast Wash
precinct Word came to the precinct
that an automobile machine carrying q
man who had committed q felony was
headed toward the City Of Washington.
Thereupon Rouse and his companions
took up position near Nichols ave.
nue. on 8 street.
The House will remember that the
bridge from AnHcostia TO the City of
washington crosses the river ut s
street, parallels the river just south
Of the bridge. A short block beyond,
End south OF S street there Is o street
intersection at which there is a stop
light. Rouse and his partner were. In
q machine Just on OF Nichols avenue
on s street waiting for this machine
that was supposed TO be coming In that
direction. A machine approached at
a rapid rate, disregarded the signal
light, proceeded north on Nichols ave-
nue., crossed 8 street and started across
the bridge. Rouse and his partner In
their machine started in pursuit OF this
Va1arhfMA gThM TnMnAfAA vnRnx+fSa0
rapidly and the pursuit car necessarily
was moving rapidly. After they had
crossed the river and had proceeded .
block or two beyond the bridge. they
drew up Alongside this car and they
were able to ascertain that the driver
OF the car was the man who had COM
mitted the felony"
Turns on Smoke Screen.
"They were In uniform and the driver
OF that car was eble TO recognise that
they were police officers. The two
speeding cars, side by side, proceeded
down the street. There was some kind
of a barricade so that 1t was impossible
for the two cars to pass that point
abreast. The driver of the car. pulling
to the left. undertook to crowd the po-
lice car into the curb and into this
barricade. SO that the police car was
compelled TO slacken speed and fall In
behind the speeding car. When they
did that the car preceding them turned
on the smoke screen"
Mr.. Holiday then explained the oper-
alton OF the smoke screen. saving that
he went to the eleventh precinct this
morning ana examined the machine,
When valve was opened the exhaust
threw out dense cloud OF smoke that
completely enveloped the machine and
the street 50 that 1t was impossible,
with any degree of safety. for pur-
suing car to follow" said Mr., Holiday.
1T Is felony for q man to have
car equipped with a smoke screen
tank" Mr.. Holiday emphasized.
Early In the morning word had come
to the Police Department that felony
had been committed and that the man
who had committed that felony was
speeding In that direction. The police
officers were on the lookout and the
car approached. The driver was guilty
of q rnisdemeanor when he ran by that
stop light. The police car started In
purgeit and they ascertained that the
man who had committed that misde-
meanor was the man who had COM
mitted the felony. They were known
to the driver and the driver undertook
to stop their pursuit. The owner OF
the car ran them into the curb and
then the driver OF that car turned on
his smoke screen. There was q man
fleeing from the officers. who had in
the presence and to the certain knowl-
edge OF those officers committed two
felonies and one nnisdemeanor. Under
those circumstances the officers were
confronted with this situation
Representative Underhili. Republican
OF Massachusetts,, q member OF the
House District committee. asked Mr..
Holiday: rs the gentleman aware OF
how many officers In the District of
Columbia have been killed In just such
pursuits AS he has described here try
ing to arrest offendersq There never
has hAAn aAh stiaff tAars shnd