POLICE AND DRY AGENT FIGHT OVER CAR

Washington Times
December 26, 1922 Home Edition

Each Arrests the Other Theoretically, But Commissioner's Man Is Held.

A row is likely to be precipitated between the park police and the prohibition commissioner's office as of the arrest last night of Jonathan Paul, an internal revenue agent, on a charge of disorderly conduct.

According to a report made by Sergt. Henry T. Miskell, of the park force, who made the arrest, he was at Pennsylvania avenue and John Marshall place when he saw two machines collide. While he was noting the license numbers of one of the machines, which was being operated by a colored hacker, a man ran toward him and demanded that the car be searched on the ground that it contained liquor. Miskell said he had no warrant to search the machineand then he demanded to know who the stranger was. At first, the sergeant said, the man told him he was a policeman from the Second precinct, but later acknowledged that he was Paul and produced a badge. Following the refusal of the policeman to search the car, Paul climbed into the machine and began to remove the seats and search the tool box.

The colored hacker complained to the sergeant that the agent had no right to search his machine and Paul leaped out of the car and reiterated that he was a prohibition agent and informed the policeman that he was under arrest. The policeman replied that the agent was under arrest and told him he would have to go to the Sixth precinct. Both men gathered the names of witnesses and went to the station house. Paul was charged with being disorderly and he was required to furnish $5 collateral.

While the argument was in progress the colored hacker sneaked off in his car.

Paul said he saw colored fellows load liquor on the car on Rhode Island avenue and trailed them in a taxicab.