St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1877-11-02
Our New York Letter.
POLICE MARKSMANsHIP-A STEER CHASE
1000 HUMPTY DUMPTIEs-THE BAT
TIE OF THE BOOKS.

10 the Editor OF the CdtedOntGn:
The pride which we all feel in Amer
can craftsmanship as displayed at
Creedmoor and elsewhere is not height
ened by contemplating the perform
ances of ''the best police in the world"
Now the average New York ''peeler"
sprang originally from the boys of the
Emerald Isle and before leaving his
native land was well indoctrinated with
the wOrld-famous maxim of DOnny-
brook Fair, namely, "wherever you see
a head, hit it, Nor do our municipal
records tend to show that time or dis
lance operate to weaken the hold of the
noble precept upon the mind of the
average peeler. On the contrary he has
gone on for years clubbing unOffensive
men, women and children with vigOr
and an industry which has probably
won for the force the proud epithet
which have named above. Unfortu-
nately however our DonnybrOok guardi
ans have lately undertaken to extend
the application of their national motto,
by using the revolvers with whicha too
confiding Police department has en-
dowed them, upon heads which persist
in remaining out of clubbing distance.
This undertaking, if l may be allowed
somewhat complicated joke, proves
profitable only to the undertaken.
defy the world to produce single in
stance in which New, York policeman
ever hit what he aimed at. He is one
of the finest shooters, to use Western
phrase, that can be found between the
oceans. No game seems unworthy of
his powder, flying burglar, mad
dog, stray cat and small boy, equally
attract his fire and the more crowded
the street the better he seems to enjoy
his random practice. In fact let one of
these active blue coats hear of a street
fight and nine chances to one he will
unlimber his seven shooter and COM
mence to deliver rapid and Calling
fire at nothing in particular, while he is
asking the nearest bystander which way
to go to arrive at the scene of action,
and funeral is quite apt to follow.
Aud if such is not the result of an
episode of last Thursday it will not be
the officers fault. On that day, steer
got loose uptown and policeman evil
IDENTIFY thinking that the sound of a
pistol would be the best thing to quiet
the nerves of the excited animal, ran at
it and began blazing away after the lazy
and unconstrained manner of his kind.
The steer was evidently from the west
or he would have known better than to
run or even feel concerned SO long as
the officer continued to aim at him.
The time to leave would have been
when the "cop" commenced to lombard
something else. But the steer, being
stranger in the city, turned tail and ran
down the street already crowded by the
disturbance, blue coat following and
keeping up fusilade which it is won
der did not depOpulate the vicinity.
One shot would glance from the pave
ment, the next go crashing through an
upper window, while the following two
or three would rake the sidewalks fore
and aft. How it happened that greater
damage was not done, no one can ex-
plain but after using all this ammuni
ton, the uniformed sportsman bagged
one small boy, who was shot in the
face. The steer ran on unhurt, and was
finally killed with sledge-hammer.
Think of playing a single part upward
of two Thousand times within the period
of few years. Think of the sameness,
| Al, De
going through the same words and ac-
lions over and over again, week after
week and month after month, as do Mr..
Jefferson, Mr.. Sothern and Mr.. Owens !;
and then imagine how much worse it
becomes when grimaces take the place
of words, and uncouth antics of meas
ured movement and gesture! But Geo.
L. Fox whom death has just relieved
from the sad condition into which over
work and money troubles had forced
him, had repeated his "Humpty Dump
ty" at least that often, and really SEEM
ed to enjoy, and take pride in, his
ridiculous business.
1t has been reported ever since Fox
left the stage that his partial insanity
was caused by the poisonous influence
of the metallic powder which he used
in whitening his face for this part. 1t
is now believed that work and worry
were entirely responsible for the disas-
ter. He made money fast and easily !;
his receipts from "Humpty Dumpty,"
averaging $4,000 a year. But like
most actors he was no business man and
he spent or lost everything and died
poor and in debt. Mr.. Fox was some
thing over fifty-two years old at the
time of his death. A benefit was ten
dered him short time since but was
refused
The Edwin Adams benefit movement
still goes on. On Thursday special
train conveyed Sothern, Lolita and a
number of artists to Philadelphia for a
matinee performance for this object,
and brought them back to New York
in time for the regular evening per-
Torrance here. This train made the
fastest time on record between these
points, going the ninety miles in ninety
nine minutes. / wonder what Ben
Franklin's ghost would have thought of
mundane progress if it could have tina
terializedn and made the old two days
journey in an hour and half, in the
aristocratic society of Lord Qundrearg.
The battle of the dictionaries, which
periodically prevails, runs high at the