New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1873-05-28
CENTRAL PARK IN DANGER
ALARMING RESULTS OF POLICE DEMoRAI-
IZATION.


PREVALENCE or RECKLESS DRIvING-NCREAsE Or
VANDALISM AND IMMORTALITY" moNGRxL.
wATcHMES-THE CHAINGASG" SYSTEM,
PREMIUM ON PRDEsrRTASIsn AND on NEGLECT
or POLICE DUTY-A REFORM DEMANDED.
To the Bditor Of THE Tribune
SIR: Is this great, patient, easy-going New-Yort
public aware that the noble pleasure ground which
forms the center and the pride OF the city is in in
minent danger of soon becoming break neck race
course by day. and by night open air brOthel with
occasional interludes of ravishment and highway
robbery L. this unheeding longsuffering publio
conscious that the Central Park police force which
was composed till lately of picked, trained
and experienced men, sufficient in number
for the work required, and which should
have received the wisest and most liberal manage
ment, has, on the contrary. been cut down and
patched up recognized and disorganized till pro-
lection to tho peaceable is fast approaching mini
mum, and immunity to recklessness, vandalism, and
immortality Is rapidly reaching maximum DOes
this same public, in word. realize that our great
Park which should be at all times safe for
and children as their firesdes and nurseries Ia
yisibly growing day by day, more dangerous 10 life
and limb, and more revoltingy and indecently cor
rupti This is strong language but not whit
stronger than the emergency demands. These New
they get mad, and mean TO show, with your leave.
that Just now, at the coming in Of new Park Com
mission, there is fit opportunity as well az ample
occasion for judicious outbreak Of popular anger
II certainly requires no argument 10 show the
need of the most faithful and efficient policing in
public resort like Central Park with its S62 Of
area its As miles Of walks, rides, and drives it
multitude of flowers trees statues, arches. and oth9
objects susceptible of destruction OF d9facemspti
Its score of gates open to the most lawless unless
their conduct at entering is plainly disorderly il
constant risks from reckless horsemen, and its Op
portunities, after nightfall, for gross indacency
and open violence. The gates Of such park should
be faithfully watched day and night and not only
those of disorderly conduct, but every one reoos
nized as being of disOrderly character, ought 70
be vigorously excluded. Professional pickpockeA,
ostentatious prostitutes, and drivers known to care
more for their horses heels than their neighbour
necks, should find no admittance. But is any such
ri0or exercised at Central Parkf 1t seems not
Nothing hinders the ilcher Of watches from plying
his craft on the Mall. Anonyma begins TO crowd
our wives and daughters off tho drives in the after
noon. Our children are at the mercy OF reckless
wheels, and we ourselves, taking an evening stroll.
are liable to be shocked by worse than Pompeiiaa
shamelessneSs or to be knocked down and robbed
without redress in plain sight Of the gashghts OF
Fifth-ave.
And vet the Park Police are not directly To
blame or at least it Is not their fault If they arc
terribly demoralized. The wise economy which dis
charged the sinecurists employed at one time to
watch the downtown squares appears to have degen
Grated into the penny-wise, poundfoolish policy Of
cutting of a considerable number Of the Central
Park keepers and seeking to make good the loss BY
instituting a class of mongel" of1eiaIs-bM
sweepers half keepers-who may be seen any car
going aimlessly about, clad in q stone-colored uni
form of hat, trousers and short belted blouse-rio
turesque perhaps, but of small practical dement, 70
the public. This half-and-haf method Of policing
might. at its best produce some tolerable resnlt%
though proposition to discharge 600 Of our regular
patrolmen and in their stead invest 1000 street
sweepers with brown jackets and power to order
idlers to move on. would hardly find much popular
favor. But the same genius which invented this
nondescript corps of watchmen has gone step fur.
Their broken up the old order Of beats and tours Of
duty, which dozen years experience had approved.
and tied up the remainder of the original corps Of
park-keepers 10 chain gang" system, so ardu0us
ineffective and generally abOminable that venture
to say no sensible man can find single redeemins
feature in it.
Frequent visitors to the Park since Msy I, when
the new system went into effect, have been sur
prsed repeatedly to notice the keepers standing
together in pairs at the entrances and to find within
no small difficulty in discovering any Of the familiar
gray-cOated officers courteousy ready in former
years to render information or assistance. Vandsi
youngsters noting the state of things seize thu
chance to steal and trample down the flowers, "a
stone people riding on the lake, and Otherwsek
crafty their lawless instincts. / myself saw, II
broad daylight, pebble thrown near the head Of
a young man sitting in one of the Park boats thas
he only escaped painful injury by dcdging and YET
the little rascal who flung it was not even censured
much less punished. Libertines roam about insult
ing unescorted ladies with practical impunity,
and break-neck horsemen rush along utterly
needless of quieter drivers or passing 20
destrians. Ladies of my acquaintance complain
bitterly of the former evil; and as to tho
other, this very week an equestrian of average
courage. finding policeman after long search, sp
pealed to him for protection, saying was trotIns
quietly along above here, where the ride and On"
run together, when three light wagons suddenly
came down upon me abreast at such rate that
was Just able to get out of the way in time 70 save
my neck. If this sort of thing can't be stopped
shall have to give up coming TO the Park" III
another case carriage wheel was knocked COM
petely off by racing built cart, driven so fast InA
it was out of sight before the victims could iden
the offender. OF the horrible indecencies peTPs
trated after nghtfall especially in the lower part
the Park the most cautiously written record woulo
defile your columns. And, what is worst OF all
there Is every reason to suppose that not only
the abandoned of both sexesl participate
these orgies but that many servant maid and snop
girl comes in virtuous and goes away ruined for
is notorious that the Park is now more than e'@'
favore aud fruitful resort Tor the pmp and sednceh
Nor is this all. Since May two cases Of attempts
highway robbery are reported. young man Oelns
L. a..Aal