Reed, George, Superintendent.

Hertfordshire Mercury, 3rd May 1913.

A report from the Hitchin section of the Hertfordshire Mercury newspaper on the 3rd May 1913 shows how successful police work could be:

‘Supt Reed is to be heartily congratulated upon clearing up a number of mysterious occurrences in the Hitchin district during the past eight months.

• Readers will recall the case of a gentleman who posed as a very wealthy and great traveller, and took rooms at the Sun Hotel, Hitchin, where he entertained lavishly and finally invited two friends of the proprietor to accompany him on a visit to France at his expense. Prior to leaving he induced the manager to cash a cheque, which was ultimately dishonoured, and after a day in France he bade his friends ‘good-bye’ and disappeared. Supt Reed succeeded in tracing the man, who is now in Reading prison.
• There was a mysterious burglary at the Railway Hotel, when a quantity of Mr Batterson’s jewellery disappeared. Supt. Reed also traced the perpetrator, and he is now in Aylesbury gaol. A gold watch belonging to Mr Batterson has been recovered.
• Lastly, Supt Reed has succeeded in capturing a man who is said to be wanted in all parts of the county for thefts of overcoats. Barley, Buntingford, Bishop’s Stortford, Hertford, Stevenage and Hitchin have all suffered, and on Wednesday no fewer than fourteen overcoats were stolen in various parts of Hitchin. Walsworth Road Baptist Chapel was also broken into, and the cupboards and alms boxes were broken open and rifled. Supt Reed got on the man’s track and eventually located him in a lodging house in Queen Street, where he was arrested. The felon was brought before a Magistrate on Thursday and remanded until next Tuesday.’

A good set of results for Supt Reed indeed!