The Washington times., 1894-10-21

As part Of the good government Of any
city or town. the police force is department.
oftne highest importance. No other channel
Of municipal control exists in which rests so
much responsibility, because It is the police
man whose duly it is to first subdue the in
cipient outbreaks Of Iawiessness 50 dangerous
TO tho peace of any community.
1t Is often unhappily the case that the per-
sonnel Of the police force is entirely inhu-
enced by politics, the officers changing with
the fortunes Of the politicians. But here in
Washington there is no politics. and the police
force Is IeaiOUsiy watched, with the view OF
making tne department AS competent and eff
cient as possible. The result is that the Ma
tion2l Capital has to-day a body OF policemen
as honest. courageous, and able to perform
their peculiar and onerous duties as well Is
that of any other city in this country.
some unobserving people are apt to say
that policeman has a very easy time Of il.
Nothing could be farther IRON the truth. The
manifold tasks OF the blUe-cOated guardian Cf
the common peace are not obvious 70 the
casual loOker-On, and they are often obliged
TO face boldly the most dangerous situations.
And then the trials an officer is exposed to
every day are very irritating, but the men
must preserve a uniformly courteous manner.
although sometimes the provocatiOn is so
great that they cannot help losing their tenn
per.
To begin az the beginning. one who desires
70 become a policeman must be certain Of MS
physical condition and sure OF his nerve and
backbone. Without the latter a patrOiman
would be worthless. There are several other
peculiar qualifications that go to make up q
good policeman that viii be explained later
on. When man applies to the Commission
ers OF the District, VINO are. Of course, a. the
head Of the force, he must submit 10 tedious
and exacting examination into his record.
The application blank, which be must I'll out,
asks numberless searching questions, which
must be satisfactorily aud completely an
swered. or course only natives Of this coUn-
try or naturaliZed citizens are eligible.
SOME OF THE QUERIES
Here is q sample Of these queries: "In what
kind OF school were you educated-common
school. high school, business college, acad-
eny, or college" That's full enough in re-
gard to the education. surely. Then the
family OF the applicant must De enumerated,
whether ever convicted or indicted for anv
crime. or addicted 10 the use OF intoxicating
liquors, morphine. or opium. Also must he
have been a resident Of the District for two
years.
As the standard of temperance is not very
high in this world, II always psrplexes the
would-be policeman as 70 the answer he shall
or drinks Of that kind. Then there are inter
rogations as to the diseases which the pros
pective officer had suffered from or still is
afflicted with
Another significant query is this: 'sHavs
you ever paid or promised 20 pay any money,
or other consideration, 10 any person, directly
or Indirectly, Tor any recommendation, ser
vice. or influence given or promised toward
procuring your appointment
After thar three resp onsible citizens must
sign the paper also, adding reply to a ques-
ton whether they had ever known the appli-
cant to use profane, coarse, or vulgar Ian
guage. The last part Of the first step is a
certificate from the board Of surgeons, who
examine the man 10 find our if he Is sound OF
limb. aDle-bodied. OF a robust constitution,
and physically qualified to sustain the usual
la0ors and exposures Of patrolman.
SHORT MEN NEEDN'T APPLY.
No man under FIVE feet eight inches can
hope to twirl a club, and he must also be be-
tween twenty-five and thirty-fve years Of
age Many call for position on the force,
but few are chosen because OF these rigid
physical rules.
Then If the anxious applicant should be so
fortunate as TO run this gauntlet he must
wait for q vacancy and the pleasure OF the
Commissioners to appoint him. Securing
this coveted action he is at once instructed
pany that would be demoralizIng, and passed
over to Major ". G.. Moore, the chief Of the
force, to be assigned to a precinct.
There are nine OF the subdivisions, cover
ing each part of the city completely. BY a
peculiar reversal Of the order Of things q
patrOlman is placed in the first class, and then
anxiously strives TO be promoted TO the sec
ond class. The salary in the former class 10
$500 a year, and IN the next grade 81, ,0S0 per
annum The next rank is that Of a sergeant,
who draws 81, ,140. and the lieutenant, whose
stipend Is Just S1 500.
It's a nice thing 70 be Lieutenant, because
then one has every night with his family. not
TO mention the sweetness Of authority. but a
sergeant or a patrOlman is only able to spend
one night in every four at his home.
There is a complicated system BY which ths
policemen spend alternately a watch on the
beat, in the statiOn-house. and then have a
few hours liberty. At any time an officer is
liable to be beaten up pretty badly by toughs,
and has to plunge into numberless danger
Gus situations, but always with q smiling
face.
good patrolman ought to know the char
acter and business of everybody on his beat,
and large majority of Wsshingtons pohce-
men possess this valuable information. While
on good terms with everybody, it is a fatal
thing to be caught gessiping.
A RIGOROUS SYSTEM.
Police stations are unusually dingy places,
and there is not much sunshine in a patrol-
mans life. There are several bugbears that
hang over him all the time-a trial board and
the seventies of q strict discipline. Every
man must report once an hour through the
telephone attached to each patrol box. and
must also be able to stand the inspection Of
the street sergeant.
Often the citizens are prone to prefer
charges against the patrolmen- The court
which hears the evidence to support thess
accusations is composed OF Capt. Austin and
Lieuts. Swindells and Heffner. The result Of
these trials as returned by the board are final,
with very rare exceptions.
There is a name that's never spoken by y
policeman without glancing over his should
ers with peculiar expression. 1t is that OF
Lieut.. Pearson, who performs the very IN
pleasant and thankless duties OF night in
spector. And he is indefatigable. The in
spector has a way OF suddenly turning up ab
times when least wanted or expected, and the
night officers live In constant dread Of this Of
fetal. What Inspector Pearson says always
goes, too.
Frequently a policeman has to lose sleep
in order to appear at one of the two police
courts, presided over by Judges Miller and
KiTnball, and wait his call to testify against
a prisoner whom he has arrested Sometimes
he waits several hours; sometimes whole
morning.
Taken all in all, familiar expressioni 10
.uH of truth, and its in the words OF the song.
IA policeman's lot is not happy one
At the Circus.
The keeper was walking along by the sle-