Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-08-12
How Narcotics Police
Trapped 'Limpinq Man

Annex. The building had 10
exits. So, it was arranged that
Detectives Panetta and Holcomb
would simply spot her in the
room where she worked and trail
her from there. They were told
she worked in Room 1882.
Call jeanette on Phone
The two detectives ran up to
the second floor. Then, they
stopped short. They had come
upon a great open space. They
could see room numbers of pillars
but no partitions. The place was
full of women. Messengers sour
ried about. Women were tipping
and women were running to files.
OF all these women, which one
was jeanette Ward?
Then othey remembered the
telephone extension Clarabelle
had given them. jeanette, she
assured them, always answered
when she called. While Detec-
tive Holcomb dialed the extern
sion, Detective Panetta strolled
through the vast room until he
spotted the number 1882 on a
pillar.
Besides 1882, young colored
woman in a red-striped blouse
answered the phone. Now at least
they knew what their quarry
looked like.
Newspaper Hides Transmitter
At 4::25 pm, the woman in
the red-striped blouse started out.
AS they ducked behind a pole,
Detective Holcomb mumbled in
to a pocket transmitter hidden
in a newspaper. The men in the
wired Federal narcotics car got
the word. They were ready to
move.
Mrs. Ward was quitting early,
but not early enough. Suddenly,
all the doors burst open. 1t was
quitting time. Detectives Panetta
and Holcomb, trailing at al
cautious distance, were swamped
in the crowd.
They could see the red-striped
blouse far ahead of them. They
tried to dodge off the sidewalk
to get ahead of the crowd. Moth
ing doing. A guard pushed them
back.
They saw her get on a bus. In
a final squirt, Detective Holcomb,
still clutching the pocket trans
mitter in his newspaper. swung
aboard the same bus.
Finally Catch Up With Bus
Detective Panetta waited anx-
iously to be picked up so the bus
could be trailed. But it was a
one-way street and the car
carrying the agents was headed
the wrong way. Police or no. the
car had to make a complete
circle. The other car was hope
lessly tangled in home-bound
traffic.
They finally caught up with
the bus. No. 270, at Wisconsin and
F streets and fell in behind it.
In the back of the bus, Detec-
tive Holcomb was mumbling into
his newspaper. A woman passen-
ger turned around and stared.
Lot of pretty girls on this
bus" Detective Holcomb MUIR
Now the woman just thought 4
he was fresh. The men in the
wired car laughed. Then they 1
The word had come-at
Connecticut and K streets.
She's getting off"
She started Strolling leisurely
up Connecticut avenue. Then
she crossed the avenue. The de-
.ectiveS waited Is minutes while
she bought pair of shoes in an
shop. Then she crossed
pack and entered a fancy grocery.
Big Bag of Groceries
Pvt. Didone drove up. He had
eXtricated himself from
the traffic jam and chose Con-
necticut avenue on a bunch. He
was dispatched to Missouri ave-
nue. in case they lost their
en- route.
The woman emerged from the
grocery carrying a big brown
bag and turned into NJ street. I
Pvt. Longo crossed Eighteenth
street with her. but on the north
side of the street.
Detective Panetta started adj (
miring the shirt display in
mems store at Eighteenth and
NJ streets. The big plate glass
window clearly reflected the red
striped blouse on the other side
of the street.
Detective Holcomb and a Fed |
eral agent were parked at a gas
station at Nineteenth and M
streets NV.
Police Plot Next Move
All the detectives saw her enter
1926 M street NV. The time (
was $50 pm. They saw her
come out five minutes later, still
carrying her load of groceries. I
They saw her hail a cab. They
headed for Missouri avenue.
Pvt. Didone reported she had
entered the house at 6:l4 pm.
All the men now gathered at
Fourth and Longfellow streets.
They lounged on the lawn as if
they were taking their ease after
a long, hard day at the Office.
Actually, they were plotting
their next move. But the de-
cision was taken away from
them. At 6:27 pm. Mrs. Ward
emerged from the house. This
was out of the routine. OBJ
the limping man had
been tipped off that Clarabelle
had been arrested. He was get
ting his wife and the heroin out
of the house.
Purse Yields HerOin
They let the woman get
block away from the house.
Then, they seized her and took
her into the Office Of the Ken
nedY Theatnr- Wthere they kne,u