Evening Star Newspaper, January 13, 1929, Page 63

REASONS ACTUATING “HIT-RUN" " DRIVER ARE G Officer Disposed to IVEN DISCUSSION Defend That Type Which First Runs Away Then Voluntaril BY R. J. ALLEN, Member Metropolitan Police Force. the most despised and gen- nned type of criminal ex- v is the so-called “hit-and- Tun” Newspapers, judges, law-enforcing of- ficers and the public generally never fail to excoriate this most despicable of criminals. Rarely is he ever shown the least leniency when apprehended, and rarer still does any one have a word or look of sympathy for him when he is caught and is forced to face the con- sequenceg,of his act Even the most hardened murderer or highwayman will often have some one to try to condone their acts—to plead that they were motivated by overpower- ing passion, or that wrongs they had suffered may have temporarily unhinged their min or that they and their loved ones were faced by dire poverty— but how rare is it for any one to seek an excuse for the hit-and-run driver. Judges very take the occasion while pronoun sentence to offer a few words of syn pathy or advice to f—————— | the prisoner before | the bar. He ally, nouncing sentence, tries to_soften tha blow. But what a difference there is when the convicted | hit-and-run driver | stands before him. Instead of words of | sympathy or ad- vice, there are now | words of hitter con- demnation. Very often we hear of instances where the judge bewailed the fact that under the law he could impose no severer sen-| tence on that particular hit-and-run | driver. | The very dictates of humanity and the promptings of sympathy, that so | few lack, would seem to make it almost | impossible for a on to rush off and | leave a perhaps mortally injured victim lying helpless, with maybe their only chance to recevor depending on medi- cal aid reaching them as quickly as| possible. We read almost daily of shocking cases concerning victims who were left to die after being struck by some motorist who failed to stop and make his identity known. Despite the inexorable manner in which they are hunted down and the severity of the punishment that is sure to be visited upon them when they have been convicted, nevertheless this type of crime seems to be increasing. ‘There are many reasons for this, how- ever, and the responsibility for some of these reasons, strange to say, rests with people other than the actual culprit. Some of the Reasons. The main purpose of this article, however, it not to point a moral so much as it is to chronicle some of the actual reasons actuating a person that might cause him to commit such an act. Also, I shall set down a few ac- tual instances with which I have come in contact personally. Undoubtedly two causes of the ma- {ority of hit-and-run cases are “boot- egging” and “joy riding.” The so-called practice of “running liquor” seems to consist of securing a fast car and attempting to elude any possible pursuit by fast driving, We read constantly of thrilling races staged between bootleggers and the po- lice. A particularly shocking example of this occurred a week or so ago. Two bootleggers, pursued by a motor cycle officer, struck and killed an unfortu- nate pedestrian and never stopped, but continued their mad flight until the pursuing officer shot their tires flat and 80 captured them. Incidentally, the courage and zeal of the officer in ques- tion is worthy of the highest commen- dation. It is men like him that make tradition. As the British would say, he “carried on.” Undoubtedly, bootleggers are the worst offender against the hit-and-run law because they usually have a load of expensive liquor which they are anxious to avoid having confiscated, which would be almost inevitable were they to stop. But the bootleggers have a close sec- ond, in this respect, in the joyriders. They, too, are anxious to avoid being stopped as they are almost sure to be found out if they encounter the police under any circumstances. As a rule, joyriders are inclined, by the fact that they are driving a car that does not belong to them, to be much more reckless. They are always a trifie weak mentally also, or they would never attempt such a rash act | as stealing an automobile just for a short joyride. When you have the com- | bination of natural recklessness and | weak mentality, coupled with the fact | that they do not have to exerci: regard for the car they are dri cause it belongs to some one else, and that some one else a stranger—why you | have one mighty dangerous ensemble. In practically all the cases where the license tag number of a hit-and-run driver is secured by some chance ob- | server, etc, it is found that the car has been previously reported stolen or else the tags are proved to be “dead.” Dead tags are ones which have either been stolen or were secured by giving @ ficticious name, address, ete. Bootleggers prac- tically all have dead tags. Some even have two or three sets in their cars so they can change at will and so frus- trate pursuit, de- tection, ete. When the citizen who is neither| bootlegger, joyrider | or crook, succumbs | { to temptation and | leaves the scene of an accident, he is | almost sure to re- | turn and give him- self up. He is apt | to be found out, anyway. Few Premeditated Cases. From what I have been able to learn | from talking to various prisoners charg- ed with this crime, and from vietim witnesses, etc., I h: come to the con clusion that there are very few cases | of premeditated hit and run; by this | I mean to say that there are very few otherwise honest people who have made | up their minds in advance that in the | event they were to have an accident | or strike pedestrian—that they would attempt to escape without mak- ing their identity known if possible. Most of them are ove n by panic or cowardice at the very moment of impact, and_ their attempts to escape | are actuated by instinct rather than | calm reasoning. It that on second thoug! return and give themselves up to the proper authorities within a short time afterward, and in many of these in- stances, ey never w i have been found had chosen to remain silent There are a great many who will not agree with me when I say that I am inclined to give this type of person just as much credit as the one who stopped immediately. Persons who have the courage and fundamental honesty, upon mature re- flection, to admit to themselves that they were wrong and then to have’ the courage of their convictions, and the will power, to suffer the ignominy and disgrace with attendant publicity— should be respected: because mentally, structurally and fundamentally, they while p f ! reached for his pen indeed, a fact | t most of them | h' Returns. |are sound and honest, To my mind, people who reason thus might well form | the best element of a community. Besides, how do we know that the people who stop immediately, either by necessity or their own free will—would |return and offer to bear the conse- quences if once they were well away and felt that they were reasonably safe | | from detection. Of course, a large part of them no doubt would, but it is |equally safe to assume that some | wouldn’t. Yes, I am convinced that | any one with conscience enough to | force him to want to atone for any wrong, is an asset to society. | Probably the best example of this | that ever came to my personal atten- | tion concerned a young man who | walked into a ppecinct station house one night about two years ago and caimly stated that he wished to sur- | render himself in answer to a hit-and- run “lookout” that had been broadcast | earlier in the day for a person answer- ing his description. He stated he was | the person wanted. There are probably no more blase | and sophisticated people on earth than | station clerks. This particular clerk | in question calmly and methodically and _started to 1 “book” this young man, quite as if it was a most ordinary occurrence. I happened to be on duty (reserve duty) in the station house on this par- ticular occasion, and I watched the aforementioned incident. all eyes and ears. It was about the first case of its kind I had ever witnessed. Disappointed Expectancy. ‘There was one thing about it all that impressed me perhaps more than any other, and that was the air of disap- pointed expectancy the young fellow seemed to display. He seemed to resent the very ordinary and matter of fact manner with which he was being treat- ed. He was a typical young fellow, about 25 or 27, well dressed and, I afterward learned, from a. very good family. There was more than a touch of the dramatic_in the manner in which he conducted himself while in the station house. He, no doubt, had allowed his offense to prey on his mind until he imagined he was a veritable desperado. His manner seemed to say that he ex- pected the various policemen lounging around the station houge to gather ex- citedly around and poifit and stare at him, saying meanwhile, “Look! There he.is. That's the one we have all been looking for. How calm and cool he is. Won't it be terrible on his people,” etc. No. doubt be expected the reporters to burst in fhost any moment with pad and .pencil, as forerunners of the screaming headlines that would follow every detail of the case for days. The station clerk very quickly fin- ished booking him and then he was led back to the cell room in the usual rou- tine manner. 2 My curiosity was excited by this time, however, and I determined to have a talk with the prisoner. I accordingly secured the necessary permission and ‘went back to see what I could learn. I found him very eager to talk. I guess he was more afraid of being left alone or else totally ignored than he was of anything else. T inquired first if he didn't want a lawyer or bondsman. “Oh!” he replied, “never mind, thank you. I attended to all that myself early this afternoon. The fact is,” he said, “I expected my bondsman to have been here already and waiting for me.” “Did I under- stand you to say you had already re- tained a lawyer?” I asked him. “Sure,” he replied, “I did that the very first thing after I decided to give myself up —and that darn lawyer stuck me a hundred bucks for a retainer fee. I hated to pay it,” he continued, “but they say this lawyer I have is the best there is in this kind of case. I've heard he knows all the right people at court, so I guess he’s worth the hundred bucks.” Here, T decided, was no helpless young fellow, nor did he appear to me to be in need of any sympathy. He seemed to be more like a general seated in his tent, calmly and methodically planning his battle. Small Need of Sympathy. “Say,” he broke in on my reflections, “they don't give you much of a deal around here do they?” “How do you mean?” I asked him. “Why,” he said, “didn’t you notice how that clerk acted out there? He didn't pay any more, attention to me than if I were offering to put up collateral for overtime parking or something.” “You don't want to let that fool you,” I sootned, “because they were all very much excited when you came in, but they have schooled themselves to never show emotion under any circumstances. ‘Why,” I assured him, “were a murderer to walk in right now and shot one of them—the others would disarm and arrest him in the most reserved fashion. A good policeman never shows emotion,” I told him. Just then, however, to my great cha- zrin, a terrible emotion broke out among policemen .stationed up front. There were cries and the sound of running feet, and scuffing. “My goodness!” zasped the prisoner, turning pale, “what has happened?” “Oh,” 1 explained, “that is only the waiter from the restau- rant next door arriving with some hot coffee’ for the policergen on reserve duty.” “Why,” I asked him, “did you leave without stopping when you struck that child today?” “Well,” he said, “that is the very question I have been ask- ing myself all day. I have never ap- proved of such things,” he continued, “and have always despised people who could act so rotten. T guess the main reason I gave myself up was because I didn’t want to have to consider myself as belonging to that class.” “The accident really wasn’t my fault,” he said, “I was coming down C avenue when it happened, and I was really traveling at a very moderate pace. In fact, I don't believe I was going much more than 15 miles an hour, and just as I reached the corner of M street, | this kid darted in front of me. Well, I slammed on the brakes and slid all four wheels, but it didn’t do much good. You see T was already too close to him. When I hit him he rolled a short way in front of me, and alittle to one side. I was never so scared in all my life,” he continued, “I just couldn't seem to get my mind focused properly after that. My first thought was to get out and see how bad the kid was hurt, but when T opened the door to step out, I noticed there was no one around and that there wasn't a car in sight. Once I got the idea to run it seemed almost to over- power me. I jumped back in the car and was tearing away from there aimost before T realized what I was doing. I would never have done it.” he declared, “if T had stooped to think, because I had hardly gotten well away when I was desperately " sorry. I conld scarcely keep from rushing back.” Here he hesi- tated and choked up a bit. and con- tinned, “T know you will think I am a | rotter. but T sure felt awful bad about how that little fellow looked iust after | T hit him. T got a glimpse of his face | as he lav there. and he looked so white and kind of pitifvl. He was just about the size of my kid brother at home. T | was never so glad to hear anything in my life as T was to learn that he isn't | hurt so bad and that he will be up | and around again in a few weeks. I have never been arrested before in my life,” he declared, “and I am certainly gong to let this be a lesson to me.” | merce. Obey the traffic laws. The man who makes them probably owns & car and has studied the req ents, THE GUEST WHO PERSISTS IN TELLING HOLD-UP STORIES WHEN THE CAR IS5 STALLED AT MIDNJGHT. VNN CONPELLE AUTO REEINENENS Windshield Marked Beginning of Feminine Influence on Designs. ‘The automobile of today would be an excellent racing car, probably little more, had it not been for the un- deniable influence of the woman in motor car design not only in more recent years but in the early days of the industry, according to Thomas E. Sarrard, an automobile salesman. Feminine America, in fact, has been responsible, either directly or indirectly, for practically every improvement and refinement in the comfort and appear- ance of the automobile since the time when even the finest car frightened horses as it roared its way down the road. Morever, it is none the less startling to attribute to Milady's de- mands and requirements the remark- able ease of handling and flexibility of present day automobiles, Early in the history of the auto- mobile industry, when cumbersome chain drives, uncomfortable ‘“bucket” seats and the like made the motor car an unwieldy affair, feminine in- fluence manifested itself. Probably the first improvement that can be attri- buted directly to the woman was the windshield, an invention which was unquestionably the result of the fash- jon of the period. Women of that long-haired era doubtless were dis- gusted with the “horseless buggy ride” that left them with their carefully coiled and high-piled coiffures wind- blown and torn. Came, therefore, the automobile windshieled. Countless other inventions followed to satisfy the dictates of the feminine sex. There were improvements made in regard to comfort and improve- ments made in regard to sight- liness, for women demanded cars that were comfortable as well as attractive and finely appointed. They paid scant attention to mechanical improvements and what was under the hood matter- ed little as long as the hood was good- looking. The closed car most assuredly was built so that the woman passenger could travel in comfort no matter what the weather. The first closed cars were two-door affairs and it was not until Milady again asserted herself that four doors were included for her added convenience. Auto Production Hits Peak. ‘The automotive and construction in- dustries continued throughout 1928 to be the back-log of America’s prosperity, according to the Department of Com- Automobile production was larger than in any earlier year and contracts for future construction showed a_ substantial growth. The activity of these industries has resulted in a greatly increased demand for mang related products, such as steel, cement, rubber tires and refined petroleum. SPEED AND SAFETY AUTO SHOW MOTIF (Continued From Sixth Page) that there is a steady drift away from the French and Italian influence in bodies to the Teutonic, which is essen- tially heavy and solid, This meets the demand for comfort in speed, but whether it will be at variance with | the rules of stream lining for combat- ing wind resistance at high speed is an_open question. With speed, however, goes the desire and ability to travel greater distances, | Seats are wider in accordance, and | deeper, with arm rests in many models both in front and rear seats. One line of high-grade cars offers a seat cushion that 's a sclentific work of art, in- volving air and down. “Soft, top” springs -combined with spring control devices that aim to avoid preloading provide what is known as the “floating ride.” There is a pro- nounced _tendency to control spring compression as well as spring rebound, Many Lesser Trends. Many lesser trends engaged the at- | tention of students of the American | automobile, and there were five foreign | cars at the palace to stimulate further | discussion. One of the foreign jobs | carried a seven-horsepower engine | small enough to fit into a night bag, | while the trick hood of an English ma- | chine revealed a twin six Knight sleeve- valve power plant. | Just one of the detailed improvements few noticed was the squeakless brakes on one of the new straight efghts. But | America was interested in going—not stopping! | Nor does interest center entirely in| desire to know how fast the new jobs will go. Many wisely ask: “How long‘ will they go fast?” And the answer to | this lies. in the hundred. and one de- tailed improvements, which most peo- ple saw at the show in a casual way but will learn to value when they come to sign on the dotted line. (Copyright, 1938 by the Russell Service.) advocated by Oliver Metzerott of Hyattsville, former member of the Maryland legislature, Prince Georg County, as a “constructive suggestion” for the solution of the road problem of rural Maryland. ‘This amount, Mr. Metzerott suggested, should be used for the creation and maintenance, either in the roads com- mission or the University of Maryland, of a research bureau to build from five ROAD STUDY FUND URGED IN MARYLAND | Special Dispatch to The Star. BALTIMORE, January 12.—Appropri- ation of at least $100,000 each year from the State road funds for research to discover a low-cost road material is road annually. “The road problem of rural Mary- land wil never be solved,” Mr. Met- zerott said, “until we are able to pro- duce a satisfactory and reasonably per- manent road surface for use on the less important roadways at a cost of $5,000 per mile or less. to ten miles of experimental low-cost | GAS PRICE-FIXING DENIED TO STATE Supreme Court Rules Ten- nessee Cannot Set Cost of Motor Fuel. The right of a State to regulate the sales price of gasoline, a question of vital interest to the motorist of the country, was denied this week by the | United States Supreme Court, according to the legal department of the Ameri- can Motorists’ Association. The decision settles finally the question of a State's ;authorlty, under its police power, to fix | gasoline prices. The question of a State's power to regulate gasoline prices came before the court in a Tennessee case, and involved'| directly the constitutionality of a statute enacted by the Legislature of that State setting up a compulsory li- censing system for gasoline sales agen- cles and compelling such agencies to dis- pense gasoline at prices determined by State officials. Failure to comply with the statute was made punishable by revocation of the license and by fine or imprisonment. Contending that the statute was un- constitutional because it violated ‘he due process of law clause of the four- teenth amendment of the Federal Con- stitution, the oil companies obtained an injunction from a Federal court enjoin- ing the enforcement of the price-fixing law. The State appealed. Upholding the contention of the oil companies, the Supreme Court declared that despite the fact that gasoline is necessary and indispensable in carrying on commercial and other activities in the State, the commodity is not “affect- ed with a public interest” and, there- fore, belongs to that general class of commodities which are not properly the subjects of statutory price-fixing. Auto Exports Show Increase. Another ‘substantial gain in the sale of American automobiles and trucks abroad is shown in a bulletin on “Our World Trade,” just issued by the for- eign commerce department of the Chamber of Commerce of the United States. Shipments abroad of passenger cars and trucks totaled 384,000 in the first nine months of the year, the report points out. This represents a gain of 27 per cent over 1927, and 92 per eent above the average for the corresponding period in the five previous years. Announcing our appointment as sales and service headquarters for . . . 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AndthenewChandlerRoyal Eight-85,in beauty,luxuryand performance on a par with AR PRODLETN FORWEEKSLOW Manufacturers Are Making Deliveries of New Models to Dealers. Passenger car production has appar- ently reached its low point for the year during the past week, and operations on the part of nearly all manufacturers will be resumed on an increasingly heavy scale beginning January 7 and continuing throughout the balance of the month, according to B. H. Cram, president of Cram’s Automotive Re- ports, Inc. January schedules will be probably closely adhered to, with the resuit that there is every reason to expect total passenger car output for this month will establish a new record for Janu- ary. Sales are firm and show but little change from the favorable condition which existed during the past month. Manufacturers are making deliveries to dealers in an increasing volume on new models, which will shortly be displayed in all sections of the country. Interest in the automotive market has been considerably stimulated by the New York show, and this is expected to result in an influx of orders for im- mediate delivery, thereby maintaining retail sales for the month at a high seasonal level. The interruption made by the holi- days and suspended activities for in- ventory have cut down commercial out- put to a low level. In spite of this con- dition, however, output is seasonally high, and will probably show but little variation from that of December. Sales are holding up well, but because prob- ably fewer new models are to be an- nounced by this branch of the industry than in the passenger car division the same sales stimulation will be lacking and deliveries are not expected to in- crease quite so rapidly. ‘Tire manufacturers reduced output considerably last week to allow the tak- ing of inventory. Schedules will not be stepped up again for approximately a week or 10 days. Crude rubber prices are unchanged, id the consumption increase noted in 1928 is expected to continue during 1929. Manufacturers’ requirements will be heavy and a stable market is anticipated. Mail-order houses recently announced price reduc- tions from 17 to 7 per cent, and this action is expected to bring some revi- sion in prices on the part of the regu- lar tire manufacturers. Consumer sales may be classified as fair at the present time, with a continued seasonal decline in the trend. most cars in the $2500-$3000 class, costs but $1795 for the course are stand ment, lerowners are es to come in an service. 5-passenger Sedan. “One Shot” Chassis Lubrication and Westinghouse Brakes, of ard equip- You are invited to see these cars at our salesroom. Chand- cially urged become ac- ?auainted with our splendid cilities for rendering them MOTT MOTORS, Incorporated Decatur 4341-42-43 - 1518-20 14th St. N.W DISTRIBUTORS UPM O FOR ANDLE All prices f.0.b. factory; equipment not standard, extra