The New York herald., 1873-12-15
POOR LITTLE PARIAHS.
A Specimen Of the Causes That Produce Them-s
A Street Urchin dubbed to Insensi.
bility by a Policeman-Story
Of Three Little News0oys

"Go on, now or III club the whole head OF
o. you!n
There are, probably, not many persons who have
been resident few weeks in this metropolis who
have not heard this explanatory threat, and tho
chances that policeman in nine cases out Of
ten, is the individual who utters this very unofficial
and usually cowardy promise. Almost every citi.
zen who has ever been present where crowd
was assembled knows what it Is to be in the front
rank of that crowd and to be commanded by a
patrolman. with manner and words which are both
insulting, to "Stand backr and, because Of failure
to press back the crowd in the rear to be
rammed ana butted with the point OF q
locust baton until the result Is severe
pam and undeserved punishment. 1t Is
useless such cases to attempt to explain to the
energetic brute in UNIFORM for in the boorish ig-
which is the especial quality OF nine out Of
ten members of the force your explanation is at
construed resistance, the citizen is seized
by the collar the club is brought within smelling
distance, and the officer whose duty it Is to pre-
serve the peace is at once transformed into the
dsorderly rufian, He loses his temper, SO that ne
cannot pronounce the syllables OF the abuse he
utters inteligently or coherenty, and shreKs out.
What va talkin' back G'wan now, or rn make
you sick man, and, with his feet braced agains
the pavement ne pushes the citizen back as
word or expostulation by the unhappy CITIZEN leads
10 his summary arrest and as
THE iRASCIBLE. UNIFORMED ''THUGn
carries OF his prisoner, he usually avais himself OF
the opportunity TO INFORM the captive, "I've had
me eve on you this long time," with view to inn
pressing him with his own lar reaching detective
omnisclence. As he arraigns his prey before the
punctilious captain or sergeant at the desk OF the
station house (who has probably mlsspelled every
other word OF despatch Just telegraphed to head
disorderiy and resisted me- and When told him to
move on he SAID he'd blow the top o. me head on.n
Expostula ton is useless here also The cap
cient sort also, who would be afraid
it would njure his standing to confess that he did
cells with all the chronic .'bummersn and loafers
OF the precinct The writer has on many occasions
seen an officer club person who had not raised
finger OF resistance, and once young man
brutally beaten in City Hall place when he had
done nothing wrong, but had, in fact, been assailed
by two or three other young men. The officer
rushed around the corner in time to see and seize
the victim, While the guilty ones ran away, and as
the youth protested that he had been ill-used
the reporter being also witness OF the fact,
the square jawed oflicial rough dubbed the
young man until he cried out my God, don't Kill
me y The reporter attempted TO explain to the
furious rage, yelled, .Wnat the hell do YOU want?
go way Pm Inc, unless you want somel" The
porter didn't want any, but the officer would have
subsequently made TO get into the station house
aud explain there was futile, Tor substantially the
business IS an acknowledged feature OF the New
York cops and it seems useless to protest
A MERE CHILD Is THE VICTIM
OF this rufanism under the mask OF official guise.
On Friday night last James Mccormick, q lad OF
about Is or IA years OF age residing at No. 19 Bax
ter street, was shameessly beaten by officer
Monahan OF the Sixth precinct, and yesterday the
little fellows head had three strips OF healing
plaster on 1t to cover the wound inflicted. James
Patrick Manney, with him at he time. who saw
the entire TRANSACTION and the reporter conversed
with them on saturday. with the following result
aNow Jimmy, tell me all about the matter,
where you live. and who was with you, and tell me
what you had done. want you to tell me nothing
but what is true.n
Eyes, sir" said the lad, as he pulled OF his
mudder; deyre dead; AM | make me llvin' sellin'
evenin' papers, on Friday nght-last nighttime
and desc two boys-dey was wild me-was in Null
berry street, in front of a Hitaan dance house,
next to ue bakery, Park street, and de officer
IN de law a4 Wd his s t den he called a. me- 6a
tard an den he hit me In de head wild his club and
cut me right here, exhibiting the wound;
'Well what had you done that made the oflcer
run alter you ~
''Nawtin', sir. We was standn in front OF de
Hitalian dance house an dere was pane o. glass
broke an was frightened an run away. De
officer was across de street an when he heard de
nize of de glass Dreakin' he seen me run an he
GIVING THE ALARM
JOHNNY MCMAHON twho was busy, cap in hand,
eating peanut) sir, de officer was over do
street an he swung his club an gev de 'larm on
Jimmy on de head wild de club it knocked him
down cellar stairs an
"Bub you must nave done something. BOYS.
didn't you break that pane OF glass 20
ALL simultaneously NO, sir; no. sir; no, sir.
PATRICK MANNEY-I knew we had done nawthln'
sir, and when Jirumy run away l told him not to
run Me and johnny didn't run. The cop" didn't
take uz IN.
JIMAY-Anothcr officer heard de larm an put
out his club an stopped me, an when dis officer
kem up ne punched me in de jaw an den he called
me what told you and seq, "You gev' me good
deal O. trouble runnin alter you,n and den he hit
me wild de club.
what did you say when he hit your
JIMNY-Nawtinf. sir. I knocked
walt o little while an den
GOT Me SENSES BACK,
an ne took me TO de station house an was
all cut am sore AM, SIR never done nawtn; desc
boys was wild me an il did dey can say SO.
MCMAHON and MANNEY-No, SIR, none Oh US didn't
.sWeli, who broke the glass ~
JIMMY don'r know, sir. ] wasn't lookin' at de
was little nize inside de dance house, am tawt
somebody trowed tumDler or sometln'. hadn't
soa out yo T ve at No. ie Baxter street. do YOUR
VINO do you live witnr'
JTMMY-Wid de woman dat keeps de house.
don't live dere; pay 20 cents night Tor sleepin,
dere and when want sometin' to eat 90 to do
eatin' houses or buy sometin' in de street.
.'Do you know the name 0! that oficerf',
JIMMY don't, sir; but desc boys knows him.
PADDY ana JoHNNY--ils name Is Monahan; he
be's IN de Sixt precinct.
''Are you quite sure that Is his name?v
JoHNSY-Yes, SIR OATS his name.
John McManon resides with his parents at No. ~
Cherry street, and Patrick Manney lives with his
parents at NO. l22 DIVISION street. When Oflcers IN
treat lads as this lad was treated 1t ceases to be q
wonder why John Real killed Oficer Smedck, and
other similar tragedies. Even II Jimmy McCor.
mack had broken that pane OF glass, 1t seems very
difficult TO justify such treatment as he received.
much less would IL be justified by the trouble rpr-
ming alter him" which the oiicer had experienced.
No wonder that these poor street urchins feel aud
sometimes act IKE parlsns the hunted outcasts