Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1894-11-27
WHERE ARE THE POLICEMEN
THAT is, WHAT THERE Is LEFT OF
THEM.
Six Men TnIsc Care OF Fort worth
with One Mounted omcer to Help
Them--A Policeman TO the square
Mile I'm PopuIous Districts.

Fort Worth mas some able-boded
policemen and they are able TO 80 a
long distance on short notice. They
are good walkers but they are in dan
ger OF spelling their constitutions.
There is no danger Of any Of them
getting outside OF the corporation on
a frolic, but being alone a great deal
OF the time they are apt to grow lone
some and II is possible that one OF
them may disappear some of these
fine nights by falling into the hands
OF an able-bodied burglar.
Think Of II.
The six patrolmen who watch over
the lives and property at Fort worth's
citizens while they are sleeping have
to cover territory OF more than a
mile square to each man.
or course they cannot actually get
or the principal streets long at a
time. but they are liable TO be called
TO such long distances that 1t would
make policeman in Dallas. for in
stance. tired TO think about 1t.
over there they have forty-two.
Fort Worth with much more valuable
real estate TO be covered has less than
onc-ha,f that number. The Fort
Worth police force is MS follows: Chief
Maddox and Assistant Chief Matkin.
'ourteen patrolmen. the driver OF the
patrol wagon, the turnkey and the po-
lice clerk. Thus It Is seen that with
the chief and assistant chief occupied
with variety OF business and three
OF the police engaged In special duty
ohly fourteen men are left available
Tor active duty on the beats. OF these
fourteen- tYla s.1s.s II s..ils.-- ~ uute as
iTounted officers, leaving twelve pa
trolmen. who are divided into n day
and u night force each ON duty twelvo
hours. The difficulties Of each OF these
Twelve men may be better masined
than described. II will not do to say
that the day man has an caster time
thnn his brother who helps the ghosts
walk around In the night time, for II
one secs sights In the gas light the
other has several thousand very live
~ people to take care OF and keep In
u good humor
Ana the two mounted menl
II you think they don't have more
fun than anybody else In town Won
ought to see Sch. Maddox pulling nut
for Glcnwood Heights or some other
point two miles away. about midnight.
He Keeps his horse hltched In front OF
the city Hall and whenever anybody
says burglars" through the telephone
he starts for that part OF town Be-
fore he gets there the burglar will
have ample time To open every drawer
IN the house. swear the family to go
crecy. eat lunch II he feels like 1t,
and leisurely make his escape while
the officer Is riding wildly around
among the short lanes and sunhowers
In the suburbs. II viii be Bob Nose
ley'a turn soon. Therefore, Mr.. Mad
doN N becoming good natured again
and Is willin. TO talk about It now.
He was too much overcome with
emotion when he first went on that
night beat TO say anything about 1t.
The truth Is that the suburbs of Fort
Worth are left practically without po-
lice protection, BY the time the officers
cover the long beats In the central
portion Of the city they have done
about all that they can do
People In the suburbs are in danger
OF being carried on into captivity or
something equally as bad, and as long
as they miss only chickens and such
like they should keep quiet for fear the
robbers may find where they are at
Everything IN the center of the city
may not be perfectly safe from n burg
lars standpoint. but It Is almost So
The city Is divided In Il general way
Into three beats. Beat No / extends
from the new court house TO Eighth
street. The second beat eNtendR from
Eighth street to Fourteenth. The third
beat extends from Fourteenth street
10 Front street. or the Union depot.
Then each OF these beats extends eli
Their way to the corporate limits, maxi
Ing of each a long strip OF territory
about a quarter OF n mile across by
two or three miles long.
one man walks alone ut either end
OF these long beats. IL some vengeful
cuss wants to take a shot nobody would
probably ever ind II out. IL the officer
should encounter a crowd of toughs II
might take him the better part OF an
hour to call assistance. There ls every
inducement In the world for him 10
stand In with the constituency OF tough
people on his beat, for II they don't
help HIM who else VIII?
Everybody who Ii at ais spIteful
helps make hard times for the police
man when he Is in trouble, which seems
TO him to be about eight days in the
week.
o ii t~