New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1872-09-15
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She Rrresp pY Forrester anG she SRthap
EHurdere


The Sew York Herald of the ninth IN
slant contains chapter of Rev York police
experience worthy of the golden days OF
Tidocq or. Coco-Eacour and their .suregs,
Tho heroes are Phil Farley and Radford,
two New York detectives, and the account
narrates their following OH the track of one
Billy Forester gwith a dozen aliases,
whom they charge with being the Nathan
murderer. We reproduced this romance in
our Saturdays paper. Our readers will
remember the account Of how these gentle
men came TO New Orleans to treat with
| John Connors, q slrewd, rather unscrupu'
| fous ex-hacl driver, who had, of late years,
kept an esta blishment of undoubted cbaro
acter on Girod street, for the surrender to
them of the man they wanted; how Farley
| came here, disguised as an old Irish woman,
| and put up at the st. Charles Hotel, while
Radtord assumed the garb of a Methodist
preacher, and all of this in order that the
New Orleans police should not know of
their presence here or its object; how they
then kept " Badger and his men " unaware
of their mission, and how they opened ne
gotiations with Mr.. Connors, and how their
negotiations finally failed " because some
of Mr., Badgers men got wind of their pres
enCe in the city and had communicated the
intelligence to.Forrester, who consequently
kept out of town while they were here.''
This whole account looks somewhat I'M
mense, and indicates a strategy and skill
which ought to have been crowned with
success.
But now let us look at the other side of
the story. Notwithstanding the implied
fling in the columns of the Herald at the in
tegrity of the New Orleans LoIice force, we
are bound to do them the justice to say that
scarcely any great crime has been commit
ted here for the last three years-since Col
onel Badger took command of the force
that has not been followed by the arrest
and imprisonment Of the culprit. To be
sure, convictions have not always followed;
but the police have no control over courts,
juries, or prosecuting officers. The SCOOTER
robbery, on the morning of January /, 1871
may be cited as a case where the police
were at fault; but it is not so. A portion of
the gang who did the deed-Cumming and
Williams-were arrested and were commit
ted to the Parish Prison, but while the police
were closely in the trail of the others, they
managed to effect their release, on straw |
bonds, and while the police fancied the |
birds were Gagged the doors were opened, |
and when their fight was discovered they |
were miles away.
The police force of this city was in that |
state Of discipline that every movement of |
Farley and Radford was known from the |
moment they landed in the town And the |
police got this information through their |
.cross" sources Every gambler in town |
and every thief IN town knew of their pres
ence here in twenty-four hours. We doubt
very much if Farley ever claimed to have
put in lady like appearance, at the st. I
Charles, or Radford petsonated a clergy
man in any respect, or even that they tried
to keep their visit and mission a secret.
Certain it is that the police Of New Or
leans We're as anxious to catch Forester as
they were, for he had committed crime in
this very city, and they knew it. Perhaps
the morality Of some Of the detectives was
not invulnerable--grant it, even though
we know they will compare favorablY with
any the town has had since the war-yet
there was more inducement in the thou
sands Of dollars reward for Forresters ap-
prehension than there could possibly be il