The morning times., 1895-12-01

fish the body of a murdered man or women
out OF the canal was an event SO common
that it evoked very little comment. a
large number of arrests were nude and
the suspects sent to Jail, but very Few
executions are recorded. and the expla-
nation OF this as given by veteran police
man. is that men were SO much In request
in the army that II man suspected OF
murder and lockedtup in jail would agree
to join the army somehow or other his
release would be effected.
Fires were also frequent III the camp set
tlemeut, but the place SO teemed win
people at all hours of the day and night
that the flames never got fair chance
ut wipiDg out the place.
In those days. what is now the First
precinct was The Fifth, and the dividing
line between the Fourth and the Fifth was
Tenth street. Up to 1864 the police sta
ton of the Firth was where Diapers saw
mill now stands. but In that year the Cen
tral guard house was esta biisbed on Lou
isiana avenue, between Ninth and Tenth
streets, and was used as headquarters for
both tue Fourth aud Fifth precincts. Pre-
ciucts, under the old condition OF affairs,
We're governed not by heutenants, as now,
bat by sergeants. Some of those who Were
sergeants of the Fifth in the palmy days
OF Murder Eay'' were DoWney, Aleck,
Tate and bushrod Reed. All these men
are dead.
SOME oLD-TIMERS.
In 1862, two Of the roundsnen, as pri-
Yates on the force were then called, We're
August Voss and Bill House. Mr.. Voss Is
now desk sergeant at new M. 4, when
Sergt. Espey Is not TN duty, and IS one
of the best friends tn the press III the
department. No reporter wastes any time
around the stati,n when NE. Voss says
fpara'g unfhipU 10 rfpRr
that deadly beat, Bill House, Is mes
senger in the Surgeon Generals Offi,e.
Some uf the nien in that precinct were
Jack Shackelford, present janitor OF Ode
Fellows Hall; Jue Mattingly, now OF the
detective corps, and Tom Britt, still on
the force and doing duty In the Seventh
precinct. George SynInnds is unaccounted
for. but as the police say he has been kiieo
three or four times, they believe him to be
alive. Patrick Doyle, whn met his fate
at the hands of the Shea gang, was in that
precinct. RoundsnIen Sullivan, John Frank
lin, George Walker and a number of other
are dead, while the whereabo uf George
Parker has never been learned since he dis
appeared Il number of years ago.
In 1861 the men were not uniformed. but
were armed with. the long, harpoon-like
spears, which had been the property If the
Auxiliary Guards OF Washington. In ls6.
the men were furnished with locust clubs
about the size of u lea ague baseball bat, ana
were authorized Ia carry pistols, which
they had to provide themselves.
{ Mr.. Vo.s told The Times u number of
stories about the murders which were com
niitted there during his service on the
Murder Bay" beat. or course 1t is not
thought that all the murders were dis
covered, for despite the wide acceptance OF
the proverb, "nIurder will out" probably
hundreds of murders were committed there
which did not out. Early one spring morn
ing, Voss and House saw body lying in
one of the byways OF the settlement ana the
earth around 1t was soaked in blood.
1t was n soldier OF q nsylvania regi-
nient. His throat was cut and deep slashes
had been cut across his abdomen and brea st.
The knife had been plunged into his face
with such strength that 1t had gone through
the bone and had not been withdrawn. A
trail OF blood lead ava Y from the corpse nj
the men followedIt. Each step wasstained
with red. The trail lead TO a little sha ut =
on the edge OF the canal and following it
through the door the men came upon n
negro woman. who. .ast they entered, rolled on
her side, gasped and died. She had been
horribly cut about the face, neck and
breast.
rrcrVynac or-r THE raN.y