Evening star., 1946-02-21

COL. EDWARD J. KELLY
ton, Brig. Gen. John w. oehman
and Charles H. Bates.
Col. Kelly's death removed from
the Washington scene a man whose
service in the Police Department
from rookie" patrolman to super
intenoent-covered a span of four
decades.
Col. Kelly had received 81 sep
arate concentrations, but per-
haps none expressed a more pithy
esteem of Col. Kelly than District
Commissioner J. Russell Young's re-
mark: "A real, honest-to-goodness
policeman"
For Col. Kelly was born to his
job. His father, the late 1t. John
Kelly, was on the force here for
many years and when merely lad
of elementary school age the future
chief used to play around his
fathers station-old No. 6-absorb-
ing the lore of his future profess
sion. His boyhood ambition was to
wear the big blue coat and brass
buttons of his father.
Job After Pearl HarbOr.
Col. Kelly's career spanned the
rise of Washington from a sprawl
ing, overgrown town to a world me-
tropolis, and one of his most
strenuous latter-age jobs was to in
sure the safety of the Capital from
sabotage after Pearl Harbor made it
the military planning center of the
world. In cooperation with Army
and Navy officers and the FBI he
arranged for protection of the White
House and other public buildings as
well as bridges, communications and
service centers and other likely tar
gets of enemy destruction.
The future superintendent of po-
lice was born here December 9,
1888, and was educated at ST. AL
oysius School and Gonzaga College.
In 1906 he realized his ambition
to become a law-enforcement off,
Ger. In very true sense, he started
at the bottom. His first assignment
was that of pounding the pavements
in the old Swampoodle district
Friends of those years recall that
he was adored by the mothers of
that section because of his "pally"
relations with their small sons.
Promoted to Bicycle Man.
Four years later the rookie" re-
ceived his first promotion-to that
of bicycle man in the uptown dis
trict and later in the same year to
the Detective Bureau, where he
spent many years A clerkShip there
first gave him an insight into crime
detection methods and the Inner
workings" of the Police Department
The steps in his steady rise since
that time, in terms of his record,
may be set down succinctly: 1918,
acting sergeant; 1915, a detective
specializing in homicide cases; 1928,
acting lieutenant in charge of crimi-
nal Identification; 1929, permanent
lieutenant; 1881, captain; 1895, in
spector and member of the Fire and
Police Retiring Board: August, l94l,
acting major and assistant superin-
tendent; September, 1941 tupon the
retirement of Maj. Ernest w.
Brown, major and superintendent.
In 1945, by act of Congress, his
rank was raised to that of colonel.
Solved Dramatic Crimes.
Police personnel records show
that Col. Kelly solved or aided in
the solution of a number of dra-
matte crimes-as his 81 commenda-
tions would indicate.
| Back in 1910 he received one Of
his earliest concentrations for
clearing up three burglaries and
arresting a hold-up man-achieve-
ments which led to his appointment
to the Detective Bureau.
Other important cases on which
Col. Kelly worked successfully dur
ing his long years as detective
include the Mamie Solomon mur-
der, the Staying of three Chinese
in the Chinese Education Mission
here in 1925, the arrest of John
Eklund, the "sniper" who terror
lied Washington for months, the
arrest of Richard Granville Brooks
for the shooting of Carl Crawford
IN 1880 and the recovery of $4,000
in major theft.
Temporary Cloud in 1929.
In 1929 cloud hung temporarily
over Col. Kelly's career. A young
woman Virginia Mcpherson, was
found strangled to death in a North
west apartment house. Despite
months of effort, the Detective
Bureau failed to solve the crime and
widespread criticism of the Police
Department was aroused in Con-
gress.
Col. Kelly was ordered before the
Police Trial Board and was tried
on blanket charges of ineficiency,
conduct unbecoming an officer and
conduct prejudicial to the good of
the Metropolitan Police Depart
!nent. However, he came out with
flying colors. In its findings, the
Trial Board report said that the
officer should have been commended
for the efficient manner in which
he had handled the Mcpherson case
instead of having been summoned
for trial
When a bill to raise the super
intendent's rank from that of ma
jor to colonel was before Congress
in March, 1945, a temporary furry
was raised by Representative Taber,
Republican, of New York over a
newspaper picture showing the Of
f1cer posed with Joseph D. Medley,
who was charged with the murder