Tuesday, 2nd September 1913: Atlanta Free From Crime Wave, Judge Tells Grand Jury, The Atlanta Journal
The Atlanta Journal,
Tuesday, 2nd September 1913,
PAGE 1, COLUMN 2.
Charge of Red Crime
Wave
Is Injustice to Law-
Abiding
Community, Declares
Judge
John Pendleton
BEAVERS ISN'T
WORRYING
AND NEITHER IS
LANFORD
While Police Chief
Deplores
Lack of Equipment
in De-
partment, He Scoffs
at Al-
leged Crimson
Blots
In a strong charge to the new grand jury, Judge J. T.
Pendleton Tuesday defended Atlanta against the charge of
excessive criminality, declaring that statements to the effect that
a red crime wave is seeping over the city to be an injustice to a
community which is, in the main, law-abiding.
There is, of course, crime in all cosmopolitan cities, said
Judge Pendleton, but Atlanta is as free from it as any city of its
size in the United States. The citizenship in the main is law-
abiding, and the happiness and prosperity of the city depend
upon continued adherences to the laws.
In this connection Judge Pendleton stressed the need of
establishing the idea that certain punishment will follow every
crime.
No man would commit a crime, said the judge, if he could
visualize the punishment that is to follow; but criminals have no
imagination and do not foresee the penalty that must be paid. It is
the duty of the jury to see that the certainty of punishment shall
become fixed in the mind of the public in order that it may act as
a deterring influence.
Judge Pendleton touched also on gambling, the use of liquors
and pistol carrying, emphatically declaring in regard to the last
that any man who carries a concealed weapon is coward.
In referring to gambling, the judge said that as far as he
knew there were no notorious or open gambling places in the city,
but that the jury's duty is to stop any and all gambling.
There may be some excuse for some places, said the
judge, but there is absolutely none for gambling.
BEAVERS NOT WORRIED.
Chief of Police James L. Beavers is not alarmed over the so-
called wave of crime which is sweeping Atlanta. Conditions are
no more aggravated than they have been on many previous
occasions, he said Tuesday morning. The city is no more lawless,
no worse than on numerous other periods in police history, he
declared.
He pointed out the fact that with the exception of several
recent homicides, virtually all the offenses have been of a minor
nature.
There were 639 arrests in the two weeks from August 19 to
September 2, inclusive. This record is duplicated in several places
on the police docket of recent years. And Chief Beavers adds that
the increase in population of the city would of necessity bring a
corresponding increase in crime. Records in the recorder's court
show that one man has been bound over to the higher courts for
murder. Other alleged slayers have not yet been arraigned,
however.
Three hundred and seventy-three of the offenders of the
past two weeks have been negroes. Of the remainder, 236 were
white men and 30 white wom-en. A majority of the women were
charged with simple misconduct and a large portion of the white
male offenders were arrested on misdemeanor charges. Only 62
persons have been bound over to higher courts on felonies during
the past two weeks. Six of these were for burglary, five for
robbery, three for attempted robbery, three for cutting or
shooting, twenty-six for larceny, eight for operating disorderly
houses, and the rest were for vagrancy, receiving stolen goods,
carrying concealed weapons and other similar offenses.
BEAVERS DEPLORES EQUIPMENT.
Chief of Detectives Lanford is au-
(Continued on Page 4, Col. 5)
PAGE 4, COLUMN 5
(Continued From Page 1.)
thority for the statement that a vast majority of the perpetrators
of crimes of real magnitude have been taken into custody. He
declares that with few exceptions the only offenders at large now
are those who committed small depredations.
While declaring his department was able to cope pretty
successfully with the situation, Chief Beavers said he feels keenly
the need of more men and better equipment.
Only one patrol wagon was in running order yesterday, he
said. The others were all in the repair shop. Saturday night we
had to call upon a laundry company for the use of one of its
delivery wagons and had to press horses into service to bring
prisoners to the station house. We need more than anything else
up-to-date equipment and more men.
There has been but one burglary of importance in the past
few weeks, said Chief of Detectives Lanford. That was the
robbery of the Russel home in Ansley Park. We recovered all of
the jewelry stolen from there and a man has been over for the
robbery. The value of goods involved in other criminal
transactions brought to the attention of this department recently
have been very small.
PAGE 3, COLUMN 3
ECHO OF FRANK
TRIAL
IN
RECORDER'S COURT
There was an echo of the Frank trial in recorder's court
Tuesday morning, G. H. Hargett, of 115 Conley street, was fined
$5.75 for waxing hot in an argument on the famous case. Mrs.
Estella Effel, of 98 Conley street, caused his arrest. She was the
opponent in the debate. In the course of the discussion Hargett
became so excited that he resorted to profanity, it was testified
Wednesday morning.
PAGE 5, COLUMN 1
LOST FACTORY GIRL
FOUND AT
HOSPITAL
Mother Feared Another
Pha-
gan Case Until
Officers
Found Miss Griffin
While city detectives Monday night and Tuesday morning
searched the city for Miss Clara Bell Griffin, aged twenty-three, of
265 North Ashby street, she lay in the Grady hospital recovering
from an illness which had suddenly attacked her.
Her whereabouts was discovered shortly before noon after
members of her family and the police had begun a systematic
search of the city. Miss Griffin was an employee of the National
Pencil factory and the coincidence led to the beginning of another
investigation of the building. City Detective John Black late
Tuesday morning, together with Louis A. Griffin, a brother, were
ready to start a tour of the factory when attaches of the Grady
hospital, who had heard of the disappearance, telephoned that
she was in that institution.
Although her mother and brothers were greatly agitated over
her absence, the girl considered their hunt a joke when Louis
Griffin talked to her at the hospital early Tuesday afternoon.
It was nothing, she laughed. I just didn't want to worry
mother, so I didn't tell her I was sick.
Miss Griffin, who is the daughter of Mrs. Alice Griffin, left her
home at 6:20 o'clock Monday morning, telling her family that she
was going to work as usual. She had been employed in the pencil
factory since July 10. When she did not reappear in the evening,
as usual, her brother went to the pencil factory. He was told that
it had been closed all day. Monday being a holiday. He
immediately notified the police. A preliminary search was made
by plain clothes men Monday night. This was continued by the
detectives Tuesday morning.
Mrs. Griffin was deeply perturbed over her daughter's
absence. She feared a repetition of the Mary Phagan murder.
When told that her daughter had been found in the hospital
pictured an attempt at suicide, recalling the death of her sister by
this means last fall. She was soon reassured that her daughter's
illness was not serious, however.
At the hospital the girl told her brother that she had worked
at the pencil factory until 10 o'clock Monday morning and then
feeling faint had gone to the hospital on a street car. This is in
contravention to the statement of Manager N. V. Darley, of the
factory, who declared that the plant had been closed all of
Monday.
PAGE 7, COLUMN 5
JIM CONLEY
LIKELY TO
BE INDICTED
FRIDAY
New Grand Jury
Organized,
Nineteen True
Bills on
First Day
Solicitor Hugh M. Dorsey stated Tuesday morning that in all
probability Jim Conley, the negro on whose evidence the state
mainly rested its case in the trial of Leo M. Frank, will be indicted
Friday at the next meeting of the grand jury. The charge, said the
solicitor, will be accessory after the crime.
The new grand jury met Tuesday morning, organized and
transacted routine business.
Nineteen true bills were returned, most of them being
against negroes.