The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-07-01
A STORY FOR POLICEMEN.
How Big Steve" of Chicago, Won a
Soft Place on the Force.


This is a story of Officer Rowan :;
Steve" the dignifed; steve" the
portly; he Of the "chophouse beat" In a
time so far back that the memory of man
runneth not to the contrary, and of which
there is no record in the annals of the po-
lice department, steve did not make
living by posing as the handsOmest man
on the force. In fact, once upon a time,
so at least the legends of the police go,
Officer Rowan was nothing but a see)nd-
class patrolman and travelled 'out on the
prairie Ed Laughlin says that this
was in the days of the Indian uprisings,
and that it was Big Steve,N and not
BLACK Partridge" that did his best to
save the early settlers of Chicago from
massacre. Even though this be true,
Officer Rowan has the best of it. Black
Partridge has nothing but fame and a
monument Steve has service stripes on
his sleeve and the ''chOphouse beat"
once upon time Steve was a Lad in Ire
lands This was so long ago that Steve
has almost forgotten the date. He re-
members coming to America in sailing
ship Whether it was in the Mayfower
or in one of Columbus fleet, or in the open
boat used by Left Erickson he is not Ger
tain He is inclined TO think it was with
the Icelandic explorer. for he has dim
recollection of carrying mortar for use in
building the ruined tower at Newport.
However this may be, it is certain that
Steve got to America and to Chicago 1t
was in the days Just after the war. Look
ing about for an occupation Mr.. Rowan
naturally turned to the police department.
Cpon investigation however, he decided
to wait for a time The "chophouse
beat had not been esta blished and the
policemans life was not happy one. But
while waiting for the reformation of the
force Steve must live So he applied
to his natural ally, the alderman. Did
the alderman know something that Steve
could do to keep him alive until the police
force was in proper shape to receive him}
OF course he did.
In those days the city water mains
crossed the river from the south TO the
west side at Sixteenth street. The river
banks were higher then and the river
was not so deep. in consequence the
water mains prOtruded from the bank
above the river level. Then they ran
along the bed of the river and rising
above the surface on the opposite side
were again imbedded in the soil In
winter the river freezing around these
was apt to cause them to freeze and thus
deprive the west side Of water. To pre-
vent this the city kept man at Sixteenth
street whose sole duty it was to chop the
ice away from the pipes II was this
100 that the alderman secured Tor steve.
All one winter Steve lived in
hut by the river bank At stated inter
walls armed with an AK, he would emerge
from his lair and attack the film Of ice
about the water pipes. December passed
and Steve was cutting ice. January and
February rolled by and he was still at his
post March gave way to April, but
steve did not Finch. Even when May
had gone and the torrid days of June and
July were upou him, Rowan stood at his
post ak in hand, as bravely as did uora-
titus in the days Of old. With Jealous eye
be watched those water pipes To be
sure, it was too hot in the daytime for
them 10 freeze. With the thermometer
at 30 in the shade people would have be
cone suspicious had they seen ice in the
river. But when others slept Steve was on
duty How did he know but that some viii
lain with malice in his heart and some