Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1890-09-12
HIS FIRST ARREST.
la LITTLE KINDNESS MEGHTIER
THAN AN OFFICERS CLUB.

THAN AN OrcAOHU
"I shall never forget the first ar
rest 1 made as Chief of Police OF
La Crosse" said Geo. w. Peck,
the father of the "Bad Boy
"There was character in town."
said he, known as Irish Mary. She
was in the workhouse about three
hundred and sixty days IN the
year. When she wonld serve out
her time, in the morning. tor IN
stance, she would be back before
night. She was the terror of the
force. it always took four men
and a dray to bring her in. There
was no such thing as walking her
to the station. They would throw
her on a dray and sit on her and
she yelled like a Comanche until
she was put behind the bars. After
| became chief wondered what L
could do to reform this woman. l
wanted the sight of bringing he to
the station on a dray stopped. 1t
was demorallziUg. Every man on
the force had had a tustle with her.
Every man on the force had a scar
where she had bitten, scratched or
hit him. l knew that | couldn't
reform her with the old force, and
no new man would join the force
unless 1t was agreed that he should
have nothing to do with Irish
Mary. l concluded | would try it
myself.
"She was serving out a ten days
term when tool charge. On the
last day OF her time l went to her
cell and said to her that 1 was
Chief of Police. She put her
hands or her hips. looked at
me and laughed. She evidently
thought l was a poor one. l then
told her that when she got out l
wanted her 10 come to the Office,
straight from the station. She did
and [ told Der l had some work for
her to do. 1t was done and paid
her literally. l gave her IS. The
| Job wasn't worth more than ST.
Then told her that l wanted her
to promise me that she would
spend this money In some saloon
near the City Hall, and that l
would come after her S elf. |
said to her : "Mary, when come
to arrest sou 1 an going to treat
you like lady, and l want you to
treat me like a gentleman. l don't
want you to bite, scratch or claw.
Now go, and make it near by so |
won't have to walk too far
"She gave me a strange look. /
think 1t was the first time any
official bad ever spoken to her
kindly. | thought once l could
detect tears IN her eyes, but guess
that was a fancy. l gave instruc.
tiOns to the force not to arrest
Irish Mary without my order. ]
raised t1e window in my Office aud
sat down to listen. Irish Mary
had yell on her when she got
started that was like the unearthly
whistle of the ting o. b. Green, of
Chicago. | hal told Mary not to
take more than three drinks and
then yell. Pretty soon we heard
her old, familiar yell. Every body
in town knew it. Word had been
passed aroand that the new Chief
of Police was going to arrest Mar,
and the people and the force were
hiding around IN the business
ceuter to see the performance.
"When | heard the yell start
ell. | found Mary in a saloon neal
by. She was making the ait
dangerous. 1 said, Mary, you
know what you promised me that
you would come with me and that
you wouldn't bite, claw or hit
Take my arm, am going to treat
you like a LADY, She took MY arm
and we walked TO the station -
Business was suspended for a few
minutes along that street. Several
times Mary acted as if she was
going to yell, but she put her hand
to her mouth each time and asked
my pardon. She asked where the
1ray Was aud told her that ladies
did not ride Oa drays. 'And Oi'm
a lady 2 she asked. I SAID 'Yes,
Mary, you are lady and have got
to be treated like lady, l was
saying all this to keep her quiet
She would look at me. shut her
sve aud say: 'O'm a lady, am 2
| said yes, And ye're a gintlemanTI
she repeated. And then she would
'ay, 'Well, if l ever tot I'd live too
see the lOike of this Oi'm a lady
and ye're a gintleman p
ave reached the station and
me of the patrolmen was crossing
no baI Marc COW him II rvoe