Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-04-27
PursuerS, Baked by Screens,
Afraid to Use Guns to
Halt Flight.
ONE OFFICER ALMOST
THROWN FROM ROAD
7O-Mile-an-Hour Chase, in Which
Three Trail Car, Ends in Victory
for Liquor Runners.

Speeding ahead of clouds Of smoke
thrown out to blind pursuing police
men, four rum-running automobiles
last night made good their escape.
Afraid to use their guns because of
the action of the coroner's jury in hold
ing one of their number for the death
OF bootleg car driver in a chase last
wednesday night and other criticism
directed at them, seven policemen who
participated IN the four chaSeS trailed
nehlnd IN perilous and futile chases
Lnrougn the downtown streets of the
city while the speedier rum cars es-
capped.
In one chase Policeman B. r. Canp-
Dell OF the eleventh precinct, who ac-
companied Policeman Clyde o. Rouse
wednesday morning when Ottmer Her
man Fleming, driver of another rum
car, was killed, narrowly missed being
thrown down 35-foot embankment as
tne smoke screened car he was pursuing
tried to force him off the roadway.
IN another case, machine equipped
with smoke screen and whistle similar
to that used on police cars tore through
p street east from Fourth street. down
North Capitol, past the Capitol and to
Stanton Park. Smoked out, the first
policeman gave up the case here and
two other officers took after the runner.
doubling back by Union Station, belch-
| ing clouds of smoke. the car was lost
again In the vicinity where the chase
! started.
Police Circles Abuzz.
Following the debate in the House
| yesterday, when Representative Holadav
| defended Policeman Clyde o. Rouse of
the eleventh precinct, who killed Ottmer
Herman Fleming in the chase Wednes-
day morning, police circles were abuzz
| WIN speculation as to the outcome Of
| the situation.
Superintendent of Police Pratt YES
terday warned all police to use more
discretion in the use of firearms and
| declared that it seemed to him that
the men OF No. IL precinct went out
| shooting"
Two policemen in the outlying eleventh
precinct in Southeast took up the chase
/ OF two different cars they said were
laden with liquor, and after a chase of
| several miles through Southeast WASH
lngton were forced to abandon the pur-
suit and concede victory to the smoke
| screen"
Pursues Despite Screen.
| Policeman Guy Rhone, while cruising
! in police car in the Southeast section
about 4:30 this morning, noticed large
| touring car loaded with liquor travelling
at rapid speed along Pennsylvania
avenue near Minnesota avenue southeast
| Rhone wheeled his car around and
started in pursuit.
There was only one man in the car,
cot 411Q .Ips,,1 A.
| policeman he accelerated his speed, and
| in few seconds clouds of white smoke
| poured from the exhaust. Rhone said
| he drove his machine at capacity speed
and drove blindly behind the barrage
OF smoke, at times attaining a speed Of
IS miles an hour.
The chase continued down Pennsyl-
vania avenue southeast and over the
Pennsylvania avenue bridge, where it
ended. Rhone said that at one point
! during the chase, near the corner of
Eighth and G. streets southeast, the rum
car almost crashed into horse drawn
bakery wagon.
Campbell Is on Motor Cycle.
At about the same time Rhone was
engaged in his pursuit Policeman
Campbell took up the chase of a ma
chine, which he said was loaded with
| whisky at Pennsylvania and Railroad
avenues southeast.
Campbell, on motor cycle, chased
| the suspected car east on Pennsylvania
avenue to Branch avenue and south on
Branch avenue to side street, where
the liquor car swerved to the right and
was soon lost to sight.
Campbell said that during one point
of the chase along Eastern avenue, the
pursued car tried to force his motor
cycle off the road, and he narrowly
missed plunging down a 35-foot en-
bankment. The rear wheel of the po-
liceman's motor cycle struck a rut in
the road, and he was able to right it
only after considerable difficulty.
In another chase through the North
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