The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1893-02-09

the reputation OF being the terror u
Washers and dudes" said the inquisitor'
Officer Mahoney melted at once.
Il acknowledge the corn" lie said in
way that carried with it the unspoken
words. 'and Pm proud of it."
'Once the dudes troubled me. They were
the terror of my existence. / hate THAT
kind of an animal so badly that can !
keep quiet when Pm near enc. They dldn I
know that when | first went on this beat,
and that's the reason they gave me so much
trouble.
but it's different now. There isn't a
Market-street masher but knows me. lie
knows how / love his kind. and he has
learned to lay low accordingly.
They used 10 stand around on the street
corners and insult eyerv well-dreSsed woman
who passed them. They don't do that any
more; not on my beat.
DO vOu.know what | think OF masher:
Well. I'd rather eat out of the same dish
with yellow dog than sven have to see one
of them. Thieves and garroters are gentle
men compared TO Washers.
Yes, the city is full or them. Every
great city is. But they lay pretty low here.
can tell you, and every officer has very
strict instructions concerning them.
"0f course we can't prevent them from
walking the streets and ogling the women.
They're bound to do that; but we've broken
ny MOST Oh IuelT Sleet-COIUbI IouuCLNOuos
and they don't congregate any more ana
make the street absolutely impossible Tor
modest women like they did few years
ago"
YES; that's right" said Chief Crowley
10 THE CALL man. They call Mahoney
the terror Of Washers, and | guess he de-
serves it. He broke up gang or star
gszers that used to congregate at Fifth and
Market streets, run them in for Migrants
and annoyed them in similar ways I'LL they
had to keep on thu move all the time.
"And some of the Washers had Influence
enough TO get some one to make charges
against Mahoney before the Board of Pc
lice COMMISSIONERS. Well, the evidence was
heard in fun, and when it was all In the
Commissioners decided that Mahoney was
a pretty good man TO nave on the police
force. and he's there still. He's likely to
remain a while. too, ii he never does any
thing more contrary TO the rules that night
off the staT-gaZers and Washers and break
up their gatherings.
yes; there are lots OF that kind OF
animals left in the city. but we manage to
keep them pretty quiet think. At least L
have heard no complaints OF their doings Tor
some time now.
However. there is a gang on Kearny street
that we've got our eyes on. They are lay
ing pretty low now and had better stay that
wav. We're not going to have the women
Of this city insuted il w6 can help IL, and
the police think they can.
"IlOw do we. proceed against n masherf
Why, arrest him on the charge of vagTancy.
There ought TO be Law covering the case,
but since there is none we find the vagrancy
law pretty effcacious III most cases.
"DO you remember That fellow Miller we
drove Of kearny street, lie made a regular
business Of standing about ON the street
corners and at the cigaT-stRndS 10 insult
women as they passed.
I'VE convicted him of vagrancy. He APP
peaied to the higher courts and finally beat
us, but we worried him 50 much that he had
to get cut.
while the trial was going on we re-
ceiyea a letter from the San Jose police
cOngratulating us on having convicted him
and saying that he had been a similar
nuisance for long time in that city.
"Of course. if man has really got a home
to 60 TO and some friends TO come down and
swear for him we can't make the yagrancy
charge stick. but we can keep on arrestlng
him on appearances and he soon gets tired
Of spending an occasional night in the City
Prison.
There ought to be some kind of law
that would distinctly cover the ofense OF in
sultiDg women. There arc no greater nui-
sances in the city than those half-wltted
cattle VINO parade around in good clothes
and 10 nothing but ogle women.
And there's plenty Of them who do that.
1 Utf AulD Out SllbHEe5l At night Ume On
Market aud Kearny streets. but the profess
sional masher can usually be found at all
hours Of the day lie is decked out fit 10
kill-at least he thinks he is-and he haunts
the streets where the women go to do their
shopping. be takes in ali the matinees and
STANDS out in the lobby where he can see
every woman who enters the theater. The
trouble is that some of the foolish girls ars
ilattered by his glances of admiration, and
that makes 1t ali the harder to suppress
him.
They're only innocent girls who don't
really know what q professional masher is
like who ever take the slightest notice Of
hin, but it's just those kind mes after. And
the worst Of it is he catches them sometimes,
and they regret it all the rest of their lives.
The woman with the slightest knO edge
of the world turns up her nose ut the bare
sight of him. If every woman did that he d
soon find his occupation gone"