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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 Department, He Scoffs at Alleged 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 adherence 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, [1913] 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 women. 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 authority

(Continued on Page 4, Col. 5)

PAGE 4, COLUMN 5

(Continued From Page 1.)

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 Phagan 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 [1913]. 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.

Tuesday, 2nd September 1913: Atlanta Free From Crime Wave, Judge Tells Grand Jury, The Atlanta Journal
atlanta-journal-september-02-1913-atlanta-free-from-crime-wave--judge-tells-grand-jury

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