, 1873-08-21

SHOOTING POLICEMEN,
Within tho past day or two, four policemen
havo boon shot ut, while engaged In tho da-
charge Of their duties, by dosporadoes, who wore
other engaged in burglarious operations or woro
found under suspicious oiroumatancoB, which
warranted tho police in stopping them and call
ing them to account. Ofloor O'Noill was shot
in tho shoulder by burglar, who had escaped
from ono Of tho preventive police, and who had
boon caught coming out Of store in which
ho bud collected together largo quantity OF
plundor for removal. Fortunately, the wound
was only 1oah ono. Officer Jacobs surprised
threo burglars at work In saloon and billiard
hAll in the North Division. Without waiting for
help, although near his police station, ho spraug
in among them and attempted to arrost them.
Ono Of the gang, who was hard pressed, turned
and shot tho officer In the mock inflioting fatal
wound and tho whole gang escaped. Tho third
caao Was thnt Of Officer Cudmoro, who, while
trying to arrost ono Of throo roughB, was
shot, BY another Of tho crowd, through tho
thigh, inaicting aoyero wound. Tho fourth
case is that OF Officer Clancy. . new man on tho
force, who, night before last, ospicd threo sus-
picious characters going into an alley on Mich
igan avenue, uoar. Twenty y-socond street. He
called ont to thom to halt, when ono of them in-
Rtantly turned round and fred at tho officer, tho
ball fortunately going through his hat instcad Of
through his head, as had boon designed. Tho
gang then made good tAoir escape
Thia mattor Of shooting policemen 10
beginning to wear serious aspect
md II somo method of checking it
ID not adopted. it must seriously affect tho ef-
hciency Of tho forco, md more or loHs domoralizo
tho mon. In many Of the police districts, whore
few mon have to patrol large area, md arc
necessarily ut long distances from each other,
tho odds against them arc fearful. Tho polico-
mon have to trnyol alone. Tho desperadoes
travel in squads and arc always vol armod.
Professional burglars and thieves know
tho bcata of policemen, and have thus
evory advantage in their favor. It
is impossible for ono policeman to
handle ono Of these gangs, especially If thoy
arc armol. They know thoir power well enough,
ind the chances Of escape, and they are exoreis-
ing tAie powor with the utmost boldncss. shooting
policemen not only as tho Inst 1noans Of escape
from arrost, but ovon when they arc stopped or
questioned, and when they could effect their
escape without resort to tho pistol. Thoro arc
two ways In which this alarming condition Of
things may bo romcdioa. Ono is by re-
tort in kind. Policemen do not uso their
pistols enough. Tho shooting Of these four
officers, without any attempt on their part to
reply In the Same manner, and the escape Of tho
despcradocs, will encourage all others Of the
samo class to do likewise, and ne may expect to
hear Of q continuance Of the practice until two
or three Of tue scoundro1s get their dosorts with
cold load. There Is nothing 60 demoralizing to
these brutal towards as tho death OF tHo or three
OF their number, and tho knowledge that po.
ucoman can shoot aa we'll as they. At tho
same tino, this involves delicate question, rs It
would bo very unwise to give policemen whole
sale discretion In shooting, from the fact that
m any Of them have but very little discretion Of
thoir own. Another way to regulate tho matter
would bo to have tho patrolmon travel in pairs
instead Of alone. Thoae desporadoos ara eo"-
ards at best. aud would seldom have tno tomori"
ty to attack two policeman. Arrests also
would DO made absolutely certain. There
would also DO tho consolation that, II ono Of
tho policeman Was disabled by q shot, the acoun-
drol himself would got ahot by tue formors
companion. To this mothol also thoro la tho
objection OF tho scarcity Of policemen, and tho
fact that still larger area would be loft un-
guarded than is now tho case. Ono or tho other
of these methods, however, must engage the
attention Of tho authorltios, and 1t Ia possible
that they may be able to mako them practicable.
Ono thing ia certuin-if these scoundrels find
out that they can shoot at policemen with impu-
nifty and thus ofroot their escape, the whole forco
will soon DO domoralizod, and the ontirc commu-
nifty will be left exposed to tho depredations OF
these gangs Of scoundrcls.