Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-10-05
\ BRAVE OFFICER ,
Story Of Sergeant Kenney's Eventful and
Startling Career.
Saving Brother omcers Seems to he q
Of an Arctic Expedition. ss

Sergeant John NJ. kenney, who shot ana
killed Elwood Reid. the negro burglar In
defense Of the life OF brother Officer at an,
early hour Sunday morning. as heretofore
published in The Star. has made for himseles
brilliant record during the ten years he
has served as a guardian OF the peace in
this city. oficer Skinner. whose life was
saved Sunday morning, is not the only
member Of the force who probably owes hisi
life to the brave sergeant Sergeant Ken
ney is a man now only thirty-two years
old. but he has endured more hardships and
taken more desperate chances than almost3
any other man In this city. He was bcrnt
In Gloucester. Mass. but when quite you7gl
he came to this city. that he considerx
himself a full pledged washingtonian-c
During his early life considerable Of his1
time was spent in the army and navy. he1
being particularly fond OF the sea. Fears
was an unknown quantity to him. and
when in 1852 volunteers to visit the arctio-
regions In search of the Greedy party werei
called for he was among the first TO respondZ
he mad just reached his majority, and al>-
though he was married shortly after the
following New Years day he left home and
wife three weeks later and started on the
Proteus from st. Johns. This trip was a.
particularly dangerous one in many red
spects. but the stalwart young man bravedt
the icebergs and gales and landed safely ael
home In the following October. AS is Well
known, the Proteus was crushed I'm the icet
July q. and following that, Kenney, whof
was the senior non-commissoned officer acts
ing as sergeant endured the hardships with
his comrades, living on ice foes and in the
open boats for many days. When the ship
went down Greedy was only $50 miles
away: and he afterward lived on some OF
the stores left by the party OF which Ken.
ney was member. Following the sinking
OF the Proteus the party saved what storeas
they could and retreated to Upernavick. thes
haFs SA 49,
ship went down Greedy and hts men were
In Lady Franklin bay and had there been /
no mishap he would have been reached the4
next day. but the sinking Of the ship frus-
trated all plans and caused the members OF II
the Proteus' crew to look to themselves.
A Perflous Trip. A
The party passed over the route Of DIN.
Kane's party. so that any one who has ever
read Of that expedition may well imagine
the hardships endured by the man who has ]
saved the lives Of two members OF the POI
lice force. From Upernavick across Mel--
Vile bay. a distance OF 800 miles, the mem- I.
bers Of the party were obliged TO go IN open
boats. and they were IN these waters thir-i
ty-one days without a stitch of dry cloth,
ing, and with but short rations Soma
hard tack and tea was all they had When
| the Proteus went down the crew managed
to save half barrel of alcohol besides.i
som some e, other stores and an old paint can
stove the alcohol served fuel ana each
day on the per1lous voyage some tea was
made once day. One IN every three or-
| four days the commanding officer risked
making a pot of the beverage twice In
twenty-four hours. and some days the
hard tack was only dealt out once. A se-
for large ice foe all hands would have
gone down. This immense cake Of ice wasi
drifting to the south, a God-send for the
party. and their boat being made fast to
cd ham frn~. fk,
the same time carried them along although
| little out OF their course. On the second
| day OF September. after a voyage of thirty
| one days. the Yantic was sighted and the
members OF the party were picked up and
cared for.
Saved His Life.
Early In October John Kenney reached
1 Washington, and soon afterward he was an
pointed to a position on the police force.
Being a man of strength and nerve he was
put on what is known as the Division
beat" which was then considered the hard
est place in the city to do duty. For nearly
| two years he did duty there and figured In
| never injured to any great extent He was
| doing duty with Officer Dunnigan, who 10
now a sergeant. and one night he saved
| that officers life by relieving a prisoner OF
his revolver just he was about TO send a
| bullet into the body Of the officer. George
| McCauley, the burglar. was the prisoner. le
|
made, but just about the time McCauley
| was arrested a cloud hid the moon from
view and caused a darkness which gave the
burglar little the better of the officer. Hss
drew the weapon from his pocket and had
pressed IL against the officers side when
the moon appeared between the broken
clouds and shed its light upon the little
| party. The glistening barrel of the bur-
| glars weapon was seen by Officer Kenney,
and he grasped II just I'm time to prevent its
| use.
1
family. His father and grandfather were
| noted for their bravery, having eng aged In
one war or another. and; like the ma lie men,
bers Of the families on both sides OF the
officers parents. they did not die natural
deaths. Sergeant Kenney's father was
drowned and his grandfather was murdered
| Other male members were either drowned
or killed In some manner other than dying
| natural deaths.
The weapon used by the sergeant when
he killed the burglar was not a regulation
police pistol but q <4-csliber Colts army
pistol II was the property OF Lieut. Col
Thomas English Of the second infantry,
and when he died his son. Lieut.. William
English fell heir to IL. Upon his death his
mother made II present TO Sergeant Ken
ney. She had Travelled over the western
country In the days when such weapons
were necessary and she vol understood its
uses. In giving IL to the officer she assured
| him that In the hour OF trouble ft would
never fail him, and Sunday morning was
the FIRST time he had had occasion 20 use it
In the protection OF life.
Narrow Escape.
During the officers early days on the DO
lice force he came near losing his life. hav-
ing been attacked by a prisoner with a dirk
knife. He wore badge SO at that time and
the shield saved his life. The weapons
blade struck the shield. and instead OF 60
ing in the direction of his heart Il took Q
downward course and only damaged his
coat. When President Harrison was elected
the officer was detailed at the White House.
where he had a desperate struggle with an
. intoxicated man.
, Last July he was made sergeant and was
| mounted. He was made night sergeant In
| the eighth precinct. which position he now
, fills. His brother, William Kenney, Is also
a member of the police force. and about .
, year ago at a big fire he saved the lives
: | OF three women and one child
Another Dangerous CrossfnG.
To the Editor Of The Evening Star:
Being a resident of the northeast. 1 have
frequently noticed. when on my way home.
, that the crossing of the Baltimore ana Ohio
railroad at q street is left unprotected after
, nighfall, at which time the gatemaa takes
his depa-ture But about $50 last evening.