Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1949-11-01
Halloween Mischief
And Property Damage
Reported Below 1913

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sight today, with a smaller num-
Der of false fire alarms recorded
few disturbances and little prop
erty damage reported last night
in the District.
Police officials attributed this
largely to their own foresight in
canceling all leaves and plentifully
posting men at places that might
have tempted pranksters.
But the youngsters themselves,
according to@police, were out in
lesser numbers than last year.
Fer the most part they confined
their celebration to putting soap
on windows, masks on faces, pins
in doorbells. rocks through street
lights and easily removed obstruc-
tons in streets.
Dynamite Exploded.
Mischief of more serious ma
ture here and in nearby areas
included an explosion of five
sticks of dynamite at Edmonston,
Md; the breaking into a house
on the East West highway and
rolling a sewer pipe down Foxhall
road at Nebraska avenue.
Firemen answered 46 false
alarms between Z am. yesterday
and l am. today. That was six
fewer than a year age. but about
the same as in 1947. Those
alarms, however, were more than
twice as numerous as false alarms
on an ordinary day. -
Police said they arrested five
boys, IA and Is years old, for
breaking into a house on the
East-West highway. Nothing was
taken and there was no damage,
police reported.
Members of the North Wash
mgton Council of Citizens Asso-
Citations were proud of the almost
complete fire alarm prevention
record in their area. They guard
ed most of the fire boxes, Karl
K. Cover. secretary-elect, said.
The only false alarm was turned
in from a box in front of the
home of the council president,
BENJAMIN Striner, 1900 Orchid
street NV, Mr.. Cover added.
The youthful culprits were cap
tured and warned by police.
Findings Summarized.
While commenting on the quiet
or than usual Halloween, No. 8
precinct station summarized its
findings as follows:
Boys rolled a sewer pipe down
Foxhall road at Nebraska avenue,
tore up a mans fence. sounded
five false alarms, tossed brick
through a window. threw two
pumpkins on a doctors porch,
which squashed, and stretched
ropes across Connecticut avenue
at Livingston street NV, thus
stopping traffic at 10 pm"
The dynamite explosion in the
$500 block of Emerson street.
Edminston, Md. knocked a baby
out of a crib in a nearby house,
police said. The blast that shat
tered window panes in a dozen
houses was heard within 2-mile
radius.
Police Arrest Three.
Police arrested Hanson D. Pow
ers, jr., and Lawrence Hudson,
both 10. of Riverdale, and another
boy who is IT. The youths have
been charged with malicious use,
Of dynamite, and were told they
were fortunate to have escaped
without injury in the explosion,
police said.
The five sticks of dynamite were
buried in only Is inches of ground
and set off with dynamite caps.
More than a dozen pieces of fire
apparatus rushed to the scene.
Other Maryland communities
had little vandalism and no ap-
preciable property damage. Most
OF the credit for that was given
to parades that gave children a
chance to blow of excess steam
In harmless ways. Hagerstown's
traditional mummer's parade drew
an estimated throng of 10000 on
lockers. Gov. Lane took part in
the festivities. In Baltimore more
than 100000 lined downtown
streets for the city's first official
Mardi Gras parade.
Streets Blocked.
Fairfax County police said boys
put three fodder shocks into
the streets in and around Jeffer-
son Village-keeping police busy
until 3 pm. clearing the streets.
More than 20 cars in the same
vicinity had all the air let out of
the tires.
In Falls Church boys rolled wa.
ter pipes 16 feet long and l foot
IN diameter into Shreve street,
blocking it for a time. A life-size
dummy was found in the road on
Little Falls street, where 1t ap-
parently had been thrown to scare.
some one.
Montgomery County police at
Bethesda said they received IS
calls from persons complaining of
vandalism. Twenty five involved
turning on fire hydrants, they
said. .A
Most of the callers said street
lights had been broken and rocks
thrown through windows of homes.
Automobile Damaged.
In Arlington police said a con-
vertible car owned by H. A. Groth.
1902 North Vermont street, had
two holes punched in. the canvas
top and red paint smeared over
the body.
Other Halloween damage in the
county included a smashed plate
glass window in a chain grocery
at Washington boulevard and
Clarendon Circle.
A railroad baggage wagon from