Tuesday, 2nd September 1913: Atlanta Free From Crime Wave, Judge Tells Grand Jury, The Atlanta Journal

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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.