Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-01-11
Number of Arrests Decrease
but 0ffenses During Year
Held on Increase.
FEWER TRAFFIC CASES
ATTRIBUTED TO POLICY
Statement Says Gambling Flour.
ished, but Operators Managed
to Evade Capture.

cials yesterday disclose that, despite the
absence Of organized "mobs" and
rackets" that infest other large cities,
crime Is steadily gaining a stronger
foothold in the National Capital.
Special squads of trained experts
were formed during the past year in an
effort to cope with Illicit trafnc Ia
liquor, gambling and other crimes, but
arrests for such crimes showed q not
iceable decrease with no apparent let
up in operations.
Base ball pools, handbooks, policy
wheels, numbers" lotteries, gambling
houses and other dens Of vice fiourished
and their operators showed marked
success in evading the strong arm Of
the law.
Nearly 300 gaming dives, the ma
jority of which were well furnished
and patronized by women as well as
men, were raided and approximately
800 persons taken prisoners, but IN
spite Of this display Of activity the work
fell short Of that accomplished in 1929.
EeAOny Arrests Increase.
Arrests and seizures of liquor suf-
fered likewise, while it was disclosed
that approximately q quarter OF a mill
lion dollars was cleaned up by bogus
check artists and confidence men dur
ing the past year.
Investigations of felonies resulted In
the apprehension Of 4,176 persons, an
increase Of 256 over the 1929 total, In
GLIDING IS for murder and IL for arson.
OF the murders handled by the homi-
eide squad, two gained Nationwide at
tention, the Staying Of Mary Baker on
the night Of April 10 and the Beulah
Limerick case which broke" on New
Year eve. Both remain unsolved,
Two pyromaniacS taken into custody
by detectives were adjudged insane.
One Of these, James William Hickson,
colored, ~, set fire to four apartment
houses, in one Of which Mrs. Jessie Car
mack, 70-year-old blind woman, was
burned to death. The other, Logan As
bury Butler, -, confessed to setting fire
to Hub Furniture Co. building on I'VE
occasions, causing property losses esti-
mated at approximately $15O,000. q
The figures released yesterday, COM
! piled by Capt. L. !. H. Edwards, per-
sonnet officer, show that Toe, 432 persons
were taken into custody for all offenses,
1910 less than In 1929.
Traffic Cases Show Drop.
This decrease is attributed by police
officials chiefly to the introduction of
Maj. Henry @. Pratt's traffic courtesy
campaign, devised as q means of OBJ
tanning better cooperation from citi-
zenS in the observance of traffic laws,
thereby leaving officers more freedom
for the execution of other duties.
Arrests for trafiic violations alone fell
1910 under the preceding years total
with 45,456 sutoists booked on charges
last year against 65,926 in 1929.
Under the departments new policy,
Ma. Pratt ordered that warnings were
to Se issued for petty infractions Of
motor regulations while courtesy cards
were to be given tourists instead of the
usual pink summons slips.
The homicide squad investigated 225
deaths by violence during 1880, eight
less than in 1929, including SO suicides,
" traffic deaths, As murders Zone less
than in 1920 and cases of man
slaughter other than those growing out
Of trafic fatalities. In addition there
were 261 attempted suicides and lie
accidental deaths
The report reveals that 59,s76 persona
fell into the tolls of the law for off
lenses other than traf1c, led by the
1881 approximations for misdemeanors.
Sheppard law arrests totaled 1926:
investigations and fugttives from JUS
tice, 12,034; Volstead law, 1859, and
felonies, Ats.
OF the latter, 3O3 were for assault
with dangerous weapons and 80 for as.
sault with intent to kill.
One Charge in Each Case.
Getting back to prohibition, arrests
for 1880 showed decrease of SOS, due
principally, according to Capt Ed
wards, to an order issued by Maj. Pratt
in which members of the force were
instructed to place only one charge
violations, instead of the two, and
sometimes three, charges customary in
the past.
Filing of additional charges is now
left to the district attorneys Office
when the information is presented by
police in preparing the case for hear
ing in court.
Seizure of contraband liquors fell of,
with only S4,849 gallons of assorted
whistles, beers and other intoxicantS
being confiscated in 1880, against 45,178
gallons in 1929. More mash was con-
flScated, however, with 29,116 gallons
uncovered in raids last year and 2T,029
gallons the preceding year.
More than twice as many automo-
OuCo uoC0 III JAAC bdI4Ou VI
liquors were picked up by dry officers,
,461 machines falling into the hands
of officers, while only $50 were seized in
1929. -Four bicycles and two wagons
used by rum-runners also were taken
last year.
Arrests for intoxication, contained in
the Sheppard law apprehensions,
scared 1411 over 1929 figures The
Is, 286 arrests mace under the Shop
pard law, which invoices drunkenness,
petty larceny, disorderly conduct and
similar minor crimes, represents an IN
crease Of 1891. There was a decrease
Of Asst in arrests for misdemeanors.
More Felony Arrests.
The number of apprehensions for
felonieS was ass more than the num-
Der made in 1929, the increase result
ing mainly from highly successful work
by detectives In HOUSEKEEPING cases.
for which Its arrests were made, o
good many of the prisoners being linked
with more than one "iob."
The annual traf1c report of Inspector
Ernest w. Brown, assistant superfm-
tendent Of police, in charge of the
TRAFFIC Bureau, included with Capt.
Edwards figures, showed that 1881 ac-
cidentS occurred In the District last
year, with ~ deaths and 1878 causal-
Ties Seven thousand three hundred
and four cars were damaged In COLI
sions.
Two hundred and sixty-three assaults
With dangerous weapons were reported.
70 police in 1880, along With 246 rob-
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