Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1894-08-03


The people whose business compcls them
to seek information from the police SER
geant behind the desk may wonder why it
Is that he habitually bears an aspect OF set
tied, changeless melancholy, why his
words are few and short, and why he car
ries the manner Of IA man who has lost all
faith in humanity. 1t is easily explained
The police sergeant sees nothing but the
night side Of life. BY virtue of his Office
he must receive all criminal charges made
in his precinct, consign the offender TO the
cells and enter the record in the blotter
that lies on the desk in front of him. In
all cases where the police of precinct
make an arrest he is the court of first re-
sort. Before his eye pass all grades of of
tenders, from the murderer who shall ulti-
mately expiate his crime in the electric
chair to the wretched shaking, whisky
soaked heap Of rags found lying dead
drunk" on the sidewalk. On his judg-
ment frequently depends the fate of the
culprit brought before him, for in most
petty offenses the sergeant is invested with
the power Of dismissing the complaint or
OBTAINING the prisoner for examination by
the magistrate. The police sergeant must
thus exercise the incest Judgment and tact
and the firmest decision in dealing with
the hundred varied cases that come before
him In the course of day. Oftener he has
to exercise the quality of mercy. Hourly
appeals are made to his pity, and If he be
n kind hearted mainland he generally Is a
kind hearted man-his task becomes all
the harder.
What is called the might tour, " or, in
other words, the period Of desk duty be-
tween and II o'clock at night, is gener-
ally the most trying time for the sergeant
in busy up town precinct. 1t Is then
that the station gets the bulk of the days
business. That tall, portly, sunburnt, mid
die aged man seated at q desk behind the
prisoners rail is the sergeant. While the
captain, his superior officer, Is securing
the precinct, he is in command OF the sta
ton This particular sergeant has bald
head moist eye, a heavy black mustache
and voice husky with the wind, rain and
snow of many winters An old, white,
crooked scar across the forehead tells OF
saber cut received at Antietam lie Is
picturesque sight as he sits there bathed in
the light Of the shaded lamps, calmly rul-
ing his books with a preoccupied air, as II
no bowling fury of woman were shrek
ing for somebody's blood In the cells be-
low. He only looks up when the door is
IL.
desk the ragged, torn, blear eyed, bag
gard remains of something which had once
been a man. Immediately the air becomes
imprcgnated with the odor of stale gin and
onions The creature has not spoken a
woodworking but a sound which might
be n sob, or q sigh, or whine has broken
from him, but the sergeant knows why he
| is there 'Phewp' he exclaims, with a
Whit of disgust. $50 back. To "go
back" means TO go to the Migrants lodg'
| ing room in the rear Of the police station,
where wanderers are sheltered for the
night. who would think TO look at him
now" says tho sergeant, THAT that thing
| was once prominent criminal lawyer In
| the old Tweed days. remember him when
| was patrolman. What settled him.
| Why, poker without the limit first, and
| then old rye afterward
| Almost before the words have left his
| mouth there is heard outside wild scat
| tering of feet, hum of voices, the two
| doors are thrown wide open, and there en-
| ter two patrolmen, dragging across the
| floor at q smart trot the inanimate form OF
| a man They make no stop ut the desk
| but run past into the patrolmen's sitting
| room and there stop. The whole process
| sion has passed by like swiftly moving
| panorama, and il is in kind of dull sur
prise that one follows the sergeant into the
sitting room TO take n look at the new Wis
| ittr Dead drunk against lamppost
Is che patrolmans verdict on the uncon
scious figure. He Is middle aged, Is dressed
| in clothes of the best make and has the re
| sponsible gray head and the responsible
| side whiskers of banker or stockbroker
His heavy gold watch and his pocketbooi
containing an ample supply OF bills arr
taken from him. Too many of this sort, ,
says the sergeant in answer to remark
Then to the patrolman he says, Put hi
coat under his head and let him lie Their
until he is able TO give us his name,
\ colorcd party next claims the ser
gcant's attention. Two colored womel
living in the same house have waged bit
ter feud for about two weeks Tonigh
one Of the combatants has received tn
contents of n bowl of water thrown from
a second floor window, and she at once sus
poets the other Their husbands have beef
drawn into the fight, and here all fou
stand in line demanding the punishment
the law each one on the other. Clear on
of here, " says the sergeant when he ha
listened TO the tale, land learn to liy
peaceably. or I'll hold the whole crowd a
common nuisances. Later he adds; i
Is the only thing to do with them. If
took the charge, it's ten TO one they
square matters up before morning.
Next comes woman with baby in he
arms. She has been in the streets homo
less and pennilcss. Her husband is dead
Failure in trade has deprived her OF work
and she has been turned from her lodging
The woman and baby arc taken by tin
matron and will be cared for until The
can be seen by the magistrate in the morn
ing. Out OF his own pocket the scrgcan
provides the price Of supper for the two
The baby is too young 20 be separated froI
the mother and cannot therefore be take
TO police headquarters. New York Tril
une.
Loud Dressing,