davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star., 1938-01-23
FINE POLICE WORK
Record of Department Has Been Story of
Efficiency for Many Decades, With
Some Noted Cases.

June 2, 1875, at about 2:30 pm, and
three persons were ACKNOWLEDGMENT
B. Halleck, clerk in the Treasury
Department.: w. H. Ottman, a saloon
keeper at 1908 Pennsylvania avenue,
and Theodore w. Brown.
According to an account printed at
the time. the theft was detected when
the packages of new money remitted
to banks and others in return for
mutilated notes redeemed were being
checked off for delivery to the Adams
Express Co. The money was intended
for the National Park Bank of New
York City. Immediate and thorough
search for the package being made
without success, notice was at once
given to the Acting Secretary of the
Treasury, who placed the matter in
the hands of the Secret Service Divi-
sion of the Treasury Department for
investigation. which was Immediately
commenced and prosecuted. 1t is be-
lieved, with commendable activity.
The package in question, it ap-
peared, had been put up among the
Evening star., 1938-01-23

restaurant In the basement were de-
pleted Of a stock Of liquors and pro-
visions.
It is said that order was restored
by the crowd becoming fatigued In
following the many rumors as to the
whereabouts Of Snow. and this. to-
gether with heavy rainstorm, had
cooling effect, while Snow made his
escape.
Another riot which proved much
more serious occurred on June l, 1857,
when several persons were killed and
quite a number wounded.
This was political row. and arose
from the attempt of the Know
Nothing party to prevent the partici-
patton Of naturalized voters in the
election at this time to flll some Of the
city Offices.
JUST a year before, Silas B. Hill,
the Know Nothing candidate for
mayor, had lost out only by the narrow
margin Of l3 votes out Of total Of
5.84l, Dr. William B. Magruder being
elected through the coalition OF the
Democrats, Republicans and Free
Soilers. But this only made the Know
Nothings more determined to carry
the election this time, even If they had
to use force to do so. Accordingly,
and for this purpose, they brought
over from Baltimore a gang OF IA
election strikers. or Plug Uglies," from
a club of that name.
The polls were on the east side of
Seventh street, little south of Massa-
chusetts avenue. where was then To-
Gated the wood and coal yard of
Richard w. Burr. The Plug Uglies"
and toughs were armed with shoemak-
ers' avis, which they used with telling
effect by stabbing. from behind. those
who did not politically agree with them,
Mayor Magruder, finding it impos-
sible to keep the polls open to all
classes Of voters at the First precinct
of the Fourth ward. owing" it is said,
Ito the utter inability of the police
and magistry. deemed it proper to
apply to the President of the United
States for troops. His request was
referred to the Secretary Of the Navy,
who promptly placed ITO marines
under command. awaiting orders"
IN THE meantime the rioters had
obtained an old brass cannon
which they hauled to Seventh and K
streets NV. and soon the marines
came marching up Seventh to where
the riot was in progress. The order
was given to capture the cannon. and
a section under Maj. Tyler advanced
With fixed bayonets for the purpose.
This movement induced the abandon
ment OF the cannon and the retirement
of the party from it. They. however,
retaliated with volley Of pistol shots
and stones.
The marines formed a square around
the cannon, when one of their party
was shot in the jaw and aftervard
taken to DR.. Boyles Office. which was
near. Upon this wounding of the
marine, the order was given them to
fire, which they did. The first volley
was along K street toward Eighth
street. They then fired second vol
ley up Seventh street toward New
York avenue; then brought their guns
Evening star., 1938-01-23

notice was received from the super
intendent Of police Of the City Of
Washington that resident Of this
city had been reported as being in
possession of and as having passed
under suspicious circumstances
number Of $500 notes at Saratoga,
N. Y.
A. c. Richards was then major and
superintendent of police, and he sent
to New York Detective George O.
Miller to unravel what up to then had
proven a mystery to the best sleuths
in the employment of the Government.
and soon The Star made this interest,"
ing announcement OF this famous
robbery:
The announcement in The Star of
Saturday that our Washington de-
tectives had arrested Theodore. w.
Brown and Benjamin B. Halleck on
the charge Of being connected with
larceny Of the package Of $47,09765
from the cash room of the United
States Treasury on June % last caused
some excitement in the community,
particularly among those connected
with the Treasury Among the latter
class the announcement was particu-
larly pleasant to those who had
charge of the money at the time of
the robbery or whose business called
them to the cash room that day. as
since then they have been more or less
1lnder clp,,l af e,,cpicio,,
"As soon as Judge Wylie had dis
missed the writ of habeas corpus and
remanded Brown to the custody of
Maj. Richards on Saturday as stated
in The Star, he was accompanied back
to police headquarters by the officers.
1T appears that after Browns arrest
and detention at police headquarters
by Detective Miller on Thursday he
was not locked up, but was allowed
to sit about the Office and was under
surveillance. On Friday afternoon
W. H. Ottman, who keeps a restau-
rant on Pennsylvania avenue, just
about Twelfth street, called at head
quarters and had short conference
with Brown, which was interrupted
after short time by a policeman de-
tailed to watch him. In short time
after this interview Mr.. Newman of
the firm of Moore g. Newman called
and had consultation with Brown,
the result of which was the applica-
ton for the writ of habeas corpus. It
is thought about headquarters that
this action was not thought of by
Brown. but was suggested by Ottman
alone"
A CCORDING to Halleck's confess
sion, the package of money was
taken from the Treasury Building by
Ottman. having been transferred to
him in one Of the comfort rooms by
Halleck himself. After the arrest of
the suspects all of Ottman's property
was attached, which was stated to be
sufficient to cover the Government
loss
Just how the trial. or trials, of the
suspects terminated the writer does
not know, but Detective Miller came
in for much praise. the New York
Herald saying editorially: An ex-
ample of what may be achieved by in
telligent detectives has been furnished
by the recovery of the funds stolen
from the Treasury and the arrest of
Evening star., 1938-01-23

to bear upon Massachusetts, avenue.
and after firing another volley down
that street, poured another, the fourth,
down Seventh toward I street
Needless to say this ended the riot,
but unfortunately it left on the ground
four or five persons mortally wounded
and quite number less seriously hurt.
Mr.. Allison, who kept the grocery
store on the corner of Seventh and
K streets, or who was clerk there,
was shot dead Thomas Willis was
shot in the back and died. A colored
man named Reddington was shot dead.
An old man was found dead near
Hyatts' store on Seventh street A
colored man named Neale was killed.
Mr.. Bowling, a baggage master of the
Baltimore e. Ohio Railroad; EbeneZer
Hughes and an unknown man were
mortally wounded.
Those less seriously wounded in
Evening star., 1938-01-23

cluded Gus F. Klopfer, George D.
Spencer, man named Cassidy,
George McElfresh and Mathew EN-
cry. who was afterward a mayor Of
this city: Col Williams, Col Deems,
Charles Spencer and three men named
Biddleman, McGlue and Adams Col
Wilson of Texas was shot in the shoul-
Ger, an unknown man was shot in
the stomach and r. B. Owens had a
badly shattered wrist
Our last big riot occurred in July.
1882. when police attempted to eject
bonus marchers from their billets in
this city.
SOMETIMES it is a very easy thing
to arouse public opinion, which fire.
quently operates to an unjustifable
end. as it did with the Washington
detective force back in 1882, and which
was the indirect cause of the separa-
tion of Detective Miller from the force
only few years after he had made
such fine record in the Treasury
robbery case, before mentioned.
Evening star., 1938-01-23

OF the customary tourist routines, the
last-named place will require q change
OF costume. for it is at sea level on
the same parallel Of latitude as Manila
IN the Philippines, and it is apt to be
tropical in temperature, even in De-
cember, the same being true of the
desert region which must be crossed
by motor in reaching it.
These changes, within the usual
range of tourist travel, are part of
Mexicos charm. The philosophical
visitor will find in them ample COM
pensation for whatever inconvenience
may be suffered in preparation.
Language difficulties? Yes, there
are some, but they are not very grave
English is spoken-after a fashion
by enough of the people to permit
adequate communication, and it is
surprising how quickly the tourist,
even with only q few days Of expert
ence, can acquire enough "pidgin"
Spanish to effect practical commune
cation. Furthermore, several small
phrase books" have been published
to facilitate the visitors discourse
with tradesmen, guides and drivers.
In commercial transactions, of course,
money talks more effectively than
the tongue, and II one Is willing to
risk the loss of q few centavos in
minor transaction. or even n peso
or two in some of the larger deals,
there Is consolation in translating
these units into their respective Eng
lish- American equivalents, the centavo
being worth approximately three
tenths Of a cent and the peso. roughly,
20 or 80 cents, according to close or
liberal figuring in exchange.
do not recommend q complete
and unresisting surrender to the de-
mands Of . Mexican salesman. be
he or she clerk IN . large CONNER
cial establishment or the sole pro-
peie4oe al q sidewalk Ghop q. { q
Evening star., 1938-01-23

ter of climate depends upon the loca-
ton visited. In the course of trip
to Mexico one is apt to cover fairly
wide range of territory. and this, of
course, means variety of climatic
conditions. The capital itself, 7,434
feet above sea level. has a moderate
range of temperature, from 35 to 80
degrees Fahrenheit, rarely falling be-
low go or rising above 80. The hottest
months are April and May. The only
problem during the season Of largest
the autumn, winter and
early spring, is that of adjusting to
the comparatively slight daily change,
from midday, when light overcoat
is a burden, to the evening. when it
may be necessary for comfort. On
the seacoast the days are pretty warm.
even in winter, but the nights are
moderate and pleasant.
The fact that Mexico has several
perpetually snow-capped mountains,
such as Orizaba. rising to 18,200 feet;
Popocatepetl, 1882 feet. and 1xtacci-
huatl, 1888 feet-the last named
being known as the Sleeping Lady,
seems to have created the impression
that the high lands Of the interior
are on the frigid side. But these peaks
rise 80 high above the general terrain
that they do not represent the con-
ditions which affect those who observe
them. Later I will supply a key to
the puzzle Of the seemingly unpro-
nounceable names of "Popo" and the
Lady"
THUS tourist Mexico" offers the
= attraction of a generally agreeable
climate the year around. If one
should drive from Mexico City to
Taxco-which Is q hill town Of such
surprising and unique beauty and
charm that no one who goes to Mexico
should miss it-and then On to
Acapulco On thA Pacific Coast. ona
Evening star., 1938-01-23
People of This Country Respond to Lure of
Scenic Beauty, Relics of Ancient Days and
Quaint Customs of Old Race.

landing only in circumstances which
left the worst yet to come in the reach
ing OF the places in Mexico where lay
the treasures Of travel, the palaces, the
monuments Of the long-ago past cul-
ture, the true native life of the people.
NOW, in consequence of a highly in
telligent enterprise on the part
OF the Mexican government, the ways
have been opened to travellers. Roads
have been built that are the equal Of
some of the best in this country-not
so many as the spread of the field OF
tourist interest demands. but an en-
couraging beginning on program that
will pay dividends in rich and speedy
returns upon the investment. Steam
ship services have increased, hotel ac-
commodations have been improved and
rail and boat schedules have been rea-
sonably adjusted to give the traveller
by sea a fair return Of "sightseeing"
upon his investment of time and funds.
And finally there is an air service for
those who are really In a hurry and
who have the price to make the trip
by the swiftest means.
I have no figures at hand as to this
tide of travel. by train, by motor, by
sea and by air, but I am told that it
is greater than ever before and is
steadily increasing. Mexico is being
effectively advertised by returning
tourists and thus each season makes
a new record. Just what constitutes
a season for this kind Of travel seems
to be a moot question. Inasmuch as
Mexico City is the mecca of practi-
cally all who 60 across the Texas
border by train or motor or plane or
who 60 by ship to Vera Cruz or to
Acapulco, and as that capital is 80
situated, approximately . mile and .
half above the sea. As to have q COM
fortably clement climate at all times,
Mexico may be said to have . year.
around appeal to the visitor. There
is q very brief rainy season, In early
summer. while in winter the tempera-
ture is never so low as to make travel
or subsistence uncomfortable. provided
one is equipped with the usual garb
Of spring in the home land.
A S FOR the heat, that depends upon
the latitude and the altitude, par
ticularly the latter. For Mexico, 1t
is to be borne in mind. extends over
18 degrees of latitude, as far as from
the tip Of Florida to Portland, Me-,
or about 4,l50 miles, and rises from
sea level to the height of q mile and
q half, not counting the mountain
peaks, the greatest Of which Is Orizaba.
the second tallest mass In North
America. And turthe91nors, this mat
Evening star., 1938-01-23
Miniature Range
Continued From Page C-4.)

electrical current system. Seven miles
Of wiring runs through the plane to
carry this current where needed. For
merly such current was carried by a
direct system employing voltage
battery for generation.
For the crew of II men who operate
the plane there are complete living
and sleeping quarters in time of war.
A Htchenette built into the fuselage
body contains a hotplate, percolator,
soup heater and dry-ice box. The
working and living quarters are thor
oughly soundproofed, heated and ven-
tllated.
MODERN devices for safety and ef-
flciency of operation are provided
In this new flying fortress" There is
an elaborate two-way radio system by
means of which the pilot can talk to
the ground or to another plane in the
air, or hear messages from the ground
er other planes. There is an auto
matte pilot which comes on the Job
when the human pilot grows tired and
wishes to relax from wearisome driv-
ing.
Defensive armament consists Of six
mclosed machine gun emplacements
from which deadly fire can be poured
as the destroyer sweeps through the
sky This armament consists of a
nose turret, a top turret and four
streamlined "blisters," one on each
side and two on the bottom of the
fuselage.
This mammoth fighter can carry
5000 pounds of bombs. These bombs
can be divided any way as to weight.
There can be three 2,0O0-pound bombs,
six l,000-pounders or one pound
er-or any multiple of six.
For communication throughout the
plane there is a complete telephone
system. At any moment any member
of the crew can talk to any other
member through this interphone sys-
tenn.
Evening star., 1938-01-23
Editors note. This is the
first OF a series OF four
stories on Me1icO to be run
weekly IN The Sunday Star.
By Gideon 4. Lyon.
GREAT many Americans

A GREAT many Americans
N meaning middle North Amer
~ leans, or people of the United
4 a States-are going to Mexico
nowadays. They are going by sea, by
train, by air and by motor, going in
thousands, more and more each sea-
son. They are lured by tales told by
preceding travellers, tales of scenic
beauty, of fascinating relics of very
ancient civilization, or quaint customs
to be observed and of unique souvenirs
to be acquired. The American-again
middle North American-dispositio to
go places is thus expressing itself in
these increasing numbers who are Wis
iting the land of Montezuma, whose
name, by the way, seems to be spelled
"Moctezuma," now at least, If not in
his own time-if it was then spelled
at all.
Il have just been to Mexico. drawn
there by preceding travellers tales of
interesting things to see, and have
found it deserving of its repute as a
place worth visiting. Indeed, SO much
that is worth while is to be seen there
that the time at my disposal did not
permit me to exhaust all the store of
attractions by a large percentage
There remain furthur lures for that
tomorrow" that the tourist always
contemplates when he finds q place OF
interest which he cannot fully cover
In his first adventure, eSpeciallv In
''manana land"
Somehow or other Mexico, although
geographically close. has always until
q very short time ago seemed q remote
land. There 1t has been. just beyond
the Texas border, with its great stretch
of territory. almost exactly a quarter
as large as the Continental United
States-an area very nearly equal tt
the combination of Texas. New Mex.
leo, Arizona, Colorado, Utah, Okla
homa, Kansas and Nebraska-to b,
reached by stepping over an imaginar!
boundary line or across bridge. Blu
once over the line or the river, thu
traveller met with difficulties.
Roads were poor-indeed, very bad
There were perils from undisciplinet
folks always ready to prey upon trav.
elers. Food was scant and unsuited t<
northern tastes and digestions. Sci
accommodations were not altogether
satisfactory, and even when Q comfort
able ship was to b found. II shectet
Evening star., 1938-01-23
AVEL TO MEXICO STEADILY INCREASES
Train, Motor, Sea and Air Routes Selected
by Those Who Recognize Year.Around
Appeal of Great Native Charm.

feet square sheltered from the sun
by a rickety stretch of cloth. AS a
matter Of fact, the seller expects
bargaining. 1t would probably be a
grievous disappointment for him or
her if the buyer gave the price asked
without question or demur. for that
would imply that more might Just as
easily have been demanded and OBJ
tanned.
SIDEWALK opportunities are fire.
quent and urgent, even at times
to the point of annoyance, though
in that respect the Mexican is not
as enterprising as vendors in other
countries Wares of all kinds are
for sale everywhere in the downtown
streets of the capital. offered to view
in baskets. in trays and in the hand.
While many of these street merchants
are mute and undemonstrative, stand
ing or sitting in stolid patience along
the curbs or at the building walls with
their pitiful supplies spread before
them in shoulder strap borne trays or
laid out on the stone fiaggings, there
are many afoot, slowly moving along
against the tide Of travel, sometimes
calling their wares In soft and not
unmusical tones, again crying them
in sharp staccato that crackles like
popcorn. Unappetizing things to eat
are displayed, toys for the children
are dangled from strings. serapes are
draped temptingly over arms or shoul-
ders. all lure for the passing throngs,
putting the usually narrow walks to
their utmost test Of capacity, while
the wheeled traffic dashes past within
. few inches.
Words of negation mean nothing
q . rule to these merchants Of the
pave. Tho surest way to indicate .
total lack Of interest Is the gesture Of
waving the foreflnger briskly to and
fro . few inches before the nose
the nose Of the tourist, not the vender
That seems to be the universal apd
unequivocal denial. recognized at
once and without demur.
One Of the leading items Of this
sidewalk trade is the lottery ticket:
It would almost seem that fully halt
OF the population Of Mexico City Is
trying to sell to the other half These
chances to make q fortune in hurry
at q small outlay. Yet I did not see
q single person buy such . ticket
OF course, many Of them are bought
tholsandx weekly. doubtless tens of
thousands, but I was never witness
to such q transaction, though I spent
many hours in the streets. On nearly
every block In the downtown section
will be seen from one to half dozen
ahop4 IA the front windows a. which
Evening star., 1938-01-23

these tickets are displayed with
posters giving the figures of possible
large returns upon the small invest
ment OF . few pesos. or even q few
centavos, and in almost every case
these lures will be under the study
OF groups of people. gazing at the
numbers, and it would seem. seeking
some magical inspiration in a par
ticular combination. Many OF them
pay premiums for the weekly pur-
chase Of favored numbers.
THE lottery is a material source Of
government income. In some
cases the returns are devoted to par
ticular uses, such IS the support Of
beneficial or charitable works. But
the purpose Of the benefaction SEEM
ingly has no influence in the propor-
ton OF sales. The peon hopes to win
enough to buy q burro. The city
dweller may want . motor car. Or
perhaps the buyers are merely yield
ing to the old. old lure Of q chance
to get pocketful Of pesos at the cost
OF Few centavoS.
Speaking of pesos and centavos,
while the Mexican currency Is per-
fectly easy to understand, being on
decimal basis, it is by no means
easy to carry The usual unit Of
circulation Is the silver peso. which is
about the size of our metal dollar.
There IS no one-peso note, the small
est denomination being a five. When
the customer buys something for so
centavos and tenders . five-peso note,
he gathers q fistful of coins which.
when pocketed, gives him in nautical
terms q decided list to starboard. With
all that metal on his person, he feels
quite rich. But after two or three
more investments in tho fascinating
wares that tempt him at every fourth
or nth shop window he suddenly
finds himself with an empty pocket.
The peso-worth at correct exchange.
as I have noted. something less than
80 cents-does not 60 very far in the
land of manana, which means buying
today and-or-regretting tomorrow.
Having thus broadly indicated some
of the reasons for going to Mexico, I
will in later installment tell what
the tourist sees on the way between
the eastern coast and the capital.
which was my own route. Only. I
will tell it in reverse, for I was too
much occupied by the scenery In the
course Of my day-long train ride from
Vera Cruz to the capital to make any
notes Of the remarkable physical and
human panorama that was spread
forth In the course Of that fascinating,
thrilling ridA
Evening star., 1938-01-23

earliest of those intended for remit
tance on that day. and after having
been sealed and addressed was placed
with other packages prepared for de-
livery, and was not missed until de-
livery was being made to the express
company, as above stated. in the room
Immediately below the cash room of
this office. The package consisted
mainly of $500 legal tender notes, viz:
Ninety-four of $500 each and notes
and currency of smaller denominations
to make up the amount of S47,O97 65.
The $500 notes, although clean and
apparently such as had not been used,
were, in fact, notes that had been out
and returned to the ONCE, but had not
been destroyed for the reason that
they were in good condition and we're
used because at that time there was a
scarcity of new notes of the large de-
nominations. They did not. there
fore, run in regular sequence of num-
bers as would have been the case
had the package been made up of notes
1loiu VI iSlAldl pdCkdSeS.
IT WAS not believed that any per-
son not employed in the room where
this money was put up could have OBJ
tanned access to the place where these
packages were kept during the day,
and therefore that the theft must
have been committed by an employe
in the room. and probably by one of
several whose duties were in i'm
mediate connection with these pack
ages, and possibly by one who knew
the fact that the notes in this pack
age were not in regular order Of num-
bers. and therefore could not be so
readily traced. But no clue as to the
guilty party was obtained by this
Office until early in August, when