Evening star., 1946-12-17
Friends and Merchants on Beat Pay Tribute
TO Slain Policemen, Raise Fund for Family
Many RecolI Stories
OF Pvt. Toylor's Help
Kindness to Others

OF Pvt. Iuylors Help.
Kindness to Others
Seventeenth street NV. looks gay
enough. The merchants and restau-
rants across from the State Depart
ment and all the way UP to K street
have garlanded their windows for
Christmas. But the street is In
mourning. It was the beat of Pvt
Richard Taylor Of the Metropolitan
Police Department.
Pvt. Taylor, Red" to his fellow
officers, was the hearty, 6-foot-4
220-pound patrolman who was shot
and killed on his beat Friday night
by 14-year-old Townsend Annes.
And as friends along his beat
and throughout the city, including
the 1900 members of the police
force, were saddened at his tragic
death, contributions for Mr.. Tay-
lor's family were beginning to grow
The police reported that 500 al
ready had been donated.
A coroner's jury yesterday held
Annes responsible for the death OF
Policeman Taylor and shortly after
ward Juvenile Court Judge Fay l.
Bentley ordered the youth commit
ted to Gallinger Hospital for PSYCHE
atric examinations.
When asked about Pvt. Taylor. the
merchants along his beat pictured
man who tried to cheer everybody
on his daily rounds, who always
seemed to have a funny story that
was both new and good, who would
act gruf and talk with nails in his
voice in imitation Of the despotic
cop-but only in fooling. At Harry
Bakers magic shop facing Farragut
Square, he bought trick pencil and
went out in glee to try 1t on friends
Vendor Loses Friend.
John Van SAINT, who is nearly
blind and who sells shoelaces In
front of $40 Seventeenth street
started to weep when Pvt. Taylor
was mentioned.
"You don't know what 1t means
to lose a friend like that" he said
"I1l tell you what kind of mar
he was. was sitting here one
day and my suspender button came
of. He asked me what was wrong
He looked for 1t around here fol
q long time then he says, Never
mind. I'm going over to the dime
store anyway. I'll get you set Of
them And sure enough he's back
in an hour with the buttons for me. ;
Charles Kohen, who has a stamp
and coin store opposite the Court
of Claims. knew him best. Sitting
in his two-by-four shop, he talked
about his friend.
Treated Youngsters.
"I became acquainted with him
in very peculiar way" he said
l"I used to see him taking kids
into the drug store at the corner
of the avenue on hot days and
buying them ice cream. He hated
the hot weather. He was a big
man and he used to perspire freely
I guess he thought the kids were
uncomfortable, too.
when you see a man who Is
good to kids it gets you here" said
Mr.. Kohen humping his heart.
I'll tell you the kind Of a man he
was. Only last summer he stops In
| the shop with a one-arIned soldier
just out of Walter Reed, The SOL
fdied had asked him the road to Bos-
lton-said he wanted to walk because
The had only $i.10. He had been dis
charged the day before, got little
drunk and was rolled In the park
Dick brought him into the shop Sc
he could talk to the boy.
Borows Money to Aid Soldier.
Son. he said, you can't walk to
Boston He turns to me Charlie,
he says, Tn broke. Lend me $10.'
I asked him to let me in on half OF
it. He wouldn't hear It. The boy
spoke of paying him back. Dick says
I owe you more than that" and he
points to the boys empty sleeve
For that he says"
Mr.. Kohen told of another loan,
$5-for an old lady up the street in
some difficulty. And about the
Christmas baskets be and fellow
merchants got up-at Pvt. Taylor,s
suggestion-for some poor families
along the beat.
Similar stories were told by Ray
mond, the newsboy at Seventeenth
and I streets; by Abe Rosenbloom
who runs the Farragut Valet Shop;
Roy Craver Of the Ben Franklin
Liquor Shop at Seventeenth and K
streets, and others.
Mr.. Kohen sent check for $50 to
The Star to apply to the fund for
the widow and children Of the po-
hceman.
Pvt. Taylor was buried yesterday
afternoon at Summerduck, Va,
near Warrentown, in the home
country where he had been hoping
to retire.
The Taylor family faces a diff
ficult future financially. The pay
ment from the police benefit associ-
alton to which Pvt. Taylor con-
tributed throughout his "a years on
the force will be only about $4,000.
The pension to the family will be
$40 month. Mrs. Taylor has been
working in a department store for
three years to help pay medical bills
She will have to stay on the job now
Funds Being Raised.
Richard Taylor, IA. the same age
as the boy who killed his father
had major operation in March.
Mrs. Taylor has encountered medi-
cal expenses in the last few years
Maj. Callahan and The Star are
accepting contributions and the
businessmen of Seventeenth street
are organizing a committee to raise
fund
The Star will receive and acknowl-
edge cash and checks mailed or
brought to The Cashier, Evening
Star Newspaper Co., before turning
the contributions over to Inspector
Clement P. Cox, treasurer of the