Chief Askew's Diary: July 18, 1930

Gas truck thieves are sentenced; news stories tell of a gun accident and an attack rat

Two of the white men who had attempted to steal supplies from the gas company truck were sentenced after pleading guilty to theft. They would each serve six months on the Coweta County chain gang. The two ratted out a third man, who was driving their car. Chief Askew wrote that this man “caught air when he heard what they got.” I don’t know what this means. Any suggestions, readers?

At this time the Atlanta Journal and Atlanta Constitution were two separate newspapers and bitter rivals. The Journal, which was the afternoon newspaper, claimed it “Covered Dixie Like the Dew,” while the slightly older and more staid Constitution called itself “The Standard Southern Newspaper.”

I found two news stories that appeared in each newspaper and was taken by the difference in the coverage. Paid subscribers can read on about a boy who accidentally shot his mother and a policeman who got into a fight with a rat.