St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-08-09
THEY GUARD US ALL.
Unjust Attacks Upon the Po-
lice Force Of the Sanity
City.
The Small Number Of Men
and the Territory They
Cover.
Brilliant Record Of Chief
Clark in His Twenty
Years Service.
The Police Pension System
and Other Interesting De-
tails OF the Force.

Lord Justice Stephen, of the court Of
queens bench of England, who is gen
orally accepted as being the greatest
criminal Judge of the nineteenth cen
tury, once remarked in the course of
trial at the famous old Bailey. that it
was the easiest thing in the world for
man to accuse another of almost any
crime in the calendar, but that it was
an impossibiity for the accused to re-
flute the charges made against him so
that he would occupy the same position
in the estimation Of others as he pos
sessed before the accusations were
made.
The wise Mosaic lawgiver laid special
stress upon the command that man
should not bear false witness against
his neighbor, and all nations, whether
civilized or not, have their code of laws
Furnishing with severity the man who IS
convicted Of perjury. In the fierce de-
nunciatiOnS from the
PuIpIts of st Paul
during the past few weeks in the
wild and unsupported harrangueS Of
the self-elected leaders of law and
morality. the police force of the city Of
ST. Paul has received its share OF
denuncation. \ more baSeleSs charge
than that made against the guardians of
the people of ST. Paul it would be i'm
possible for the widest dreamer to in
vent. To those who do not know, one
would think that the wielderS of the
locust in the city are the abbetOrs Of
laWleSsneSs and evil, and that crime
and criminals and gamblers, thieves
and cutthrOats are in league, according
10 the good gentlemen, to create reign
nf terror in St. Paul, and that the police
force calmly stand by, and in the Ian
guage of the popular song, wink the
other eve"
As a matter of fact st. Paul to-day
possesses a police force of which 1t
should be proud. An indignant citizen
a few days ago sat down, and in letter
to an evening paper proved, according
to his story, that the police were use
less because q few incendiary fires
had occurred in the Fifth ward
last Tuesday evening. Had he
taken the trouble to make few in
quirieS he would have found that the
blame lies really with the Ramsey eoun-
ty delegation, who ignored the advice
of Chief Clark to increase the force by
fifty patrolmen. 1t will be learned with
surprise by many citizens that the entire
force of the police department is only
$50 men, including all branches of the
service. An area of 55.44 square miles
Has TO BE Guarded
by this small body Of men. and it will
be seen at a glance that 1t is not the
fault of the police officers if they cannot
properly protect every portion of the
city. In the Fifth ward, where incen-
diary fires have occurred, only three pO-
lice officers are detailed from Seven
corners to Fort Smelling. 1t is no mat
ter of surprise. therefore, that eYil-mi nd
ed persons, knowing that few police are
around, should select a certain district
for the scene of their operations. Yet
this small body Of men, who in all winds
and weather faithfully perform their
duties, are
Held Upt to SeOrn
and ridicule by men who do not even
take the trouble to make a few inquiries
before making absurd charges. To
guard the valuable business blocks of
the city with their store of wealth. to
watch over the thousands of lives
nightly disposed in the multitude of
residences TO keep strict watch over
the life and property Of each person in
the city, is the duty Of the police force,
and that this duty is faithfully per-
formed is evident from the fact that but
few rObberies occur in the city. If the
police force was derelict in its duty, the
result would be that thousands of dol
lars worth of property would annually
be stolen, and assaults innumerabIe
would occur on the streets.
In the face OF all the accusations made,
st. Paul to-day is one of the most orderly
cities its size. and more so than many
smaller cities. The UtOpian idea of the
city governmental are utterly impossible,
for in city of this size a certain amount
Of crime must exist.
To-day there is not a single gambling
house in St. Paul. and the writer, who,
in the course of his duties as a news
gatherer, isiin various parts of the city
during the night until dawn. does not
know of a single saloon which is not as
a rule conducted upon an orderly plan.
Criminals from abroad generally give
st. Paul a wide berth, for they know
the reputation of Chief Clark and his
men and if they venture in the city
they are
Put Under Arrest,
and on a charge Of vagrancy warned to
get out as quickly as possible. Chief
John Clark is not an official who looks
for n0tOriety: on the contrary, that bic,
bUrly, good natured officer is most mod
est, and for that reason the GLOBE is
unable to present its readers with his
portrait. The chief was born in New
York state on June 10, 1S43. and came
West with his parents when he was
eleven years old. At the time of the
Sioux outbreak in 1862 he was engaged
in SteambOating, but joined the YOlun-
olrr- md
der MAJ. Cullen. Judge Egan was
second lieutenant in his regi-
ment, and the present chief of
police went through many thrilling
and dangerous events during those fear
full times when the redskins were Oh the
warpath. After the cessation of HOSTILE
ties he went back to his steamer, and
was mate of the MankatO when she
sank in the river. The chief has been
on the force for twenty years, and by
sheer diligence and attention 10 duty
has reached his present position. He
was appointed a patrOlman in 1871 by
Mayor Lee, the present postmaster
sergeant in 1873 by Mayor Max6eld
captain in 1878 by Mayor Dawson. and
succeeded Chief Weber in 1882, being
is over six feet in height and strong il
proportion, and
Woe BetTde the RufIfan
who should attempt to misbehave wher
John Clark is around. He never carrie:
a cane or stick, and will jump into {
crowd and tackle half a dozen men
The chief was one of the party which
set ont from st. Paul to hunt down the
Younger and James gang of murderer:
in 1876, after the tragedy at Mortified
W. W. Erwin. The Tall Pine of MIN
nesota," was in charge of the searcl
party, and for thirteen days the trai
was followed on horseback. until be
yOnd the regions of civilization the clu'
was lost. The chief has an honorable rec
ord and by his energy and regart
for discipline has brought the police de
partment into perfect condition. To
guard the city. this force is divided a