The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1873-03-25

ones 90 not wait 20 get into the cxamina-
their intervals, but weight themselves with sum-
clens Waser before going on the basance and sail
tnroueh trumpsanty. with the drawback only OF
p,tie Nscemf0rt. Having passed through the DOC
tors hands, tho applicant next finds himself among
the clerks, who enter his case upon the books ana
though in action q very common place appearing
enc, ana but too often Illustrates the tssumony
given BY the police 10 u u shs
mp charges are constantly being brought against
the men, that upon the very face Of them beaS the
s ss., o. ons nance ocsr ssow his sciencs
inso all IiHds Of straits to wrsee out Of sSese
IN the Department and secondly, to save the
money for their families the Commissioners would
q the as he ns
way influence hrs appointment; knows OF no money
give any with she like object Now. the men who
get appolnseS through paying for their privilege
INTO se o.
purpose, At Police Headquarters, they are in.
captain or sergeant, who also inducts them into
the mysteries OF drill. As soon as they are re-
ported accomplished in these details they are
assigned to precincts, and then they burst upon
the world, club in hand, fuilnedged pshcemen.
During the first few days OF apprenticeship the
pany the yros on their posts Of duty and when the
man Is supposed to be sensible OF the obligations
q bis position he is left t. his own , resources;
seemed to be making the best OF most trying
circumstances, the writer ventured to ask
chow long have yOu been on the force"
..Near eighteen months now" was the quick
reply.
mot much You wouldn't like it either II you
were out for hours In weather like this But
don't Intend to do this sort OF thing long, Pve got
get me detailed to the detective ONCE or one Of the
banks. This night work Is enough to kill o horse"
..You DON'T get night duty all the timer >, :.
What's the use of running round ward all your
NE working for other people fyou can't get some
t To 1S
pest to be SO long as this at it,,
"But there are good men in the Department who
have spent nan their lives as patrOlmen."
~ know there are, and II that's good enough for
them II amt for me. Pm going to make the most
OF IN s business M for
town used to see the thickcst.headed hunks
%sae RS s On. s.s ever aa
house one day, detailed for duty, and and, the he
came back he answered roll and went up stairs
with the rest Of the squad Pretty soon he came
down again in full uniform, with his stick in hand
Home, says he, to show tn Ould woman the
man like that The fool felt felt 80 s good at having
suit OF whole clothes on that he couldn't content
himself without going home to let his ould woman
"But there are not many men like that on the
force.n
room for couple OF nights and sleep there; IN bet
there are six men in my platoon that couldn't tell
yen the way from Union square to the City Hall to
on fellows red-hot out OF Castle Garden, but
they're pilin' on country iouts now that never
here 70 be made policemen. see fellow put on
myself and he never stopped till ne got down to
the Battery. A sergeant OF the First precinct met
him and asked him what he was doing down there.
'I'm on me BATE says ne. The sergeant sent
post The and sergeant e Of his had
given him up They thought some stray dog had
swallowed him. Mind you there are some good
bat they are mostly quiet, lazy;going fel:
Now me nise wa' anything e s
are the men who ought to 40 up but there amt,
you see, and they remain down. Light-waisted
with captains shield, while steady, careful men
are looking after thieves and settling disputes in
i've and
send In . report to the Department in passabe
English fer all the money they're worth, and two
men In this Department, and good many OF 'em
too who have been doing patrol duty for fifteen,
hsnor and credit to the city uniforms now on the
backs OF louis who sprung rom nothing In night,
and, mind you, who never did anything to deserve
the places they got unless to worry the 0fcers In
the discharge Of their duty or tsady to one OF the
Commissioners"
.Tnen you think the Commissioners are available
DO II You catch one Of lem on his hobby and see
how you'n thrive intend to shake this rig pretty
soon Just wait till the present little dinfculties
are cleared out Of the atmosphere and see me 20
for something tell you, though the lunkheads are
useful aas Te mostly crnng
stamps. You see that's virtue Of itself and very
useful In the Police Department. Collecting, divij-
ofin this business II . man wants to take a wife
and keep shanty to himself"
what kind Of a roundsman have You on the pla-
'Oh. he's a pretty decent fellow; minds his
business and knows how to treat the men. I've
age to get couple Of hours each during the night.
We pay for hall bedroom between rs down in
the next block. and slip IN there for snooze when
we get the chance. We have regular system OF
telegraph among ourselves, and any one OF us can
tell the exact location Of the roundsman or ser
geant at any time during the night"
"How IL 1t, then, that SO many Of you get
."@en, some fellows get careless and take too big
chances, and then, again, some o the rounds
are mean hounds and hide In doorwsys ana behind
boxes to catch aman."
"They don't often find You out do theyf'
mo, I only got 1t once since have been in the
department. I had Q narrow escape about week
ago. Il was my day on and had been drinking
heavy and sleepy. went on post at midnight, re-
Heved M man, tried my dOorA ~ quick as could
then made for the bedroom Ind went to sleep
There Is bakers wife on the rst door, 'front.' who
does my washing and she generally. keeps look
out for me, as she sets up most o. the night with
her husband. I'd been In bed about an hour and .
half when she came laundering at the door and
woke me up. She said the rounds was walkin 2
up and down outside rapping for me. You never
saw mans buds 60 on his back 80 quick. Bang
went through the rear window, dropped into the
yard climbed the fence, leaped into the next yard
dashed through the hallway Of O. tenement house
into the next street. then down the block
as fast az my legs could carry me, turned At the
end OF the street into my post and moved alsng up
towards the rounds whistlng to keep myself
company. Twas bitter cold night, and shivi
cred all over, for had carried away the founda-
tion OF my pants getting over the fence, but I
walked up TO the scratch smiling. by the time
got to that part Of the block the Sergeant had
come up and the rounds told him was in the
house. They had been knocking at the door until
they brought the bakers wife to the window, and
they were asking her II an ofilcer had not gone