The evening world. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1887-1931, 1893-11-29
y Man or Woman 9 20 Word Avt for 10 Cen

!
times several blocks amid the iccrs of
! the onlookers?
These scenes have been Witnessed by
nearly everybody. They can be seen al
most any day in the week-an investiga-
ton of the records Of the Police Depart
ment will show it, or the record of the
, Police Courts. In fact. they have become
50 common that newspapers have ceased
to publish anything of such occurrences
unless they are surrounded by unusually
dramatic incidents.
| That the effect of such scenes upon the
youth Of the city is debasing in the ex-
IRENE must at once he apparent, but
there are other features to the present
obnoxious system that demand its rele-
| CATION to the rear.
scores of innocent men, it is well
known, have been arrested even during
the present year. They have been taken
| from their offices, or from their own
doors. on horse-cars or on the sidewalks
and marched by policeman through
the streets to the station-house or to
the court Many have been forced to
parade thus in their own neighborhood,
among their acquaintance, who natur-
ally conclude that a stain of some sort
rests upon their characters. 1t is i'm
material that they have been "honor-
ably discharged" They have been seen
under arrest, and while that intelligence
flies like fire among flax, few take the
trouble TO inquire about the disposition
of the case.
What simple remedy for all these
evils Is proper patrol wagon
| cal Thny, lit,
| officer could at once telephone his pre-
cinct station and in a minute or so the
wagon would arrive and convey the pris-
oner to station or courthouse.
Under the laws of the State every cit
izen is a policeman, and in fact is guilty
of a misdemeanor IL he does not act as
such in cases of emergency. 1t is safe
to say that not even the hardest crimi-
nal Is willing to stand idly by and see
a murder committed. Under the pres
ent condition, however, If he is fearful
OF his own life, he can do nothing.
II there was a signal station on every
corner, as there ought to be, a telephone.
| or something which every one could use
not a telephone of which a policeman
| alone holds the key, to tell his superiors
that he Is alive and in good health-but
| something which every citizen could
| handle how easy 1t would all be.
| 1t might be argued that false alarms
| would be turned in. That argument has
been made before and proved fallacious.
Mail boxes are now on nSrly every
| block, and on top of each box mail mat
ter is piled high every day. Row often
is any of it stolen d?
There are lots of fire boxes in the city
at present by which any one can send
in an alarm. Yet the number of false
alarms sent in is Insignificant beside
the good which is accomplished.
Two days ago an incident occurred
which, however trivial in itself, dem
onstrated the absolute necessity of a
| signal system as well as the patrol
wagons. The foreman of the New York
Central Railroads grain elevator, Six
tieth street and North River, was at
tackled by some discharged employees.
He drew a pistol and fired at the men,
and later some arrests were made.
There was every indication there of
riot. Twenty-one men had been dis
charged, and all were inclined to be
ugly. The excitement lasted over an hour,
or long enough for the elevator to have
| been fired and many lives lost.
The nearest police station was at Sixty
eighth street and Tenth avenue, so that
a good half-hour would he los, In send
ing messenger there and coming back
with the reserves on foot Fortunately
there was a telephone in the elevator
building, and word was sent to Police
Headquarters. Captain Doherty was
sent IN on a run to take charge of the
| police forces and su--ress the riot"
| Word was also sent to the station-house
and Capt Smith with half dozen men
hurried to the scene
order had been restored. however by
that time, and policeman, stationed
nearly two blocks away, had made the
arrests. What would have happened,
however, had the men really broken out
in riot, and without IA signal system or
patrol wagon, at hand, it is disagree
able even to conjecture.
Six years have been wasted in some
manner in dealing with this pressing
uenI There is "a demand for an inn