The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-02-04
MAPPING OUT HIS WORK.
CHIEF OF POLICE M'DERNOTT
PREPARING TO ABATE
NUISANCEs.

Trnmps to Be Trimmed out, the Mar
ket basement Gang to BE Broken
Up and the Petty Thieves Run
Down-The Police Wagon to he
COvered-A Quiet Sunday with
Few Arrests-The Bar-ROoms VIII
Police Given Further Instructions
on the Subject.
The police had a quiet day of It yes
terday. Few arrests were made. and
these we're unimportant cases. NO ar
rests for violation Of Sunday laws were
made. Chief McDermott gave the men
their instructions again yesterday morn
ing in regard to enforcing the Sunday
ordinances. The men were told that each
man would be held responsible for the
conduct of things on his beat, and that
if he could not secure the enforcement
of the law somebody would be found
who could. At the police barracks last
night it was reported that everything
had been found closed tight around the
city.
Chief McDermott has his eye out for
nuisances. The tramps are one nuisance
which he proposes to diminish TO as
great an extent as possible He met
gang of about twenty-five tramps at the
corner of Broughton and Drayton streets
yesterday morning and questioned them
as to what they were doing in the city,
and whether they were looking for work.
The chief was not in uniform, and the
tramps probably had no idea who he
was. They professed no particular anx-
iety to work Chief McDermott warned
them to get out of town at once and no.
titled them that if he found them here
tomorrow he would arrest them and pre-
fer charges against them as Migrants
The chief estimates from what he has
seen himself and from information which
he has received that there are several
hundred of these wayfarers in and around
the city who depend upon what they can
beg and steal for their support. He pro-
poses to thin them out. Several were
arrested yesterday and last night and
locked up on the charge of vagrancy.
Another nuisance which the chief is de-
| termined to break up is the market gang
of thieves, which have been the cause Of
complaint for so long a time. He has
given orders to the detectives to pick UP
everyone of them as fast as charges can
be obtained against them The colored
restaurant keepers in the market base
ment will be warned that if any instance
occurs Of harboring thieves or receiving
stolen goods by them their licenses will
be Withdrawn.
The detectives have also been instructed
to break up the gangs of half-grown ne
gro boys who make a business of petty
pilfering. This will be good news to the
storekeepers throughout the city, espec-
] oil he a rataf1 NVbO have
been the chief sufferers at the hands of
the petty thieves.
AS Chief McDermott was coming down
Bull street the other day he noticed a
crowd of two or three hundred people
/ gathered at the corner of Bull and BrOugh-
/ ton streets A policeman had arrested a
plain drunk and had sent in call from
/ the Gamewell box at that corner for the
/ police wagon. The wagon was out on an
/ other call to the southern part of the city,
1 and the officer had been waiting for it for
| some time. The usual curious crowd had
gathered around to md out what the ar
/ rest was for and wait for the appearance
| of the red wagon. The chief instructed
the officer to take the man to the bar
racks, as the distance was short, and he
would probably be able to deliver his
/ prisoner there and return to his post be-
/ fore the arrival of the wagon.
Il shall instruct the police not to use
] THIS DO& hereafter except III eases VI 6lliSi-
gency," said the chief, in talking with a
/ Morning News reporter. There are other
/ boxes nearby which can be used just as
well or the officer can take his prisoner
| to the barracks. 1t is only a short walk.
/ 1t does not look we'll to have crowd gath
/ cred around a prisoner and blocking the
/ streets on the principal business corner
/ of the city / shall recommend that the
/ police wagon be covered. 1t will not make
/ a show then for everybody when prisoners
/ are being taken through the streets"
If the new chief is successful in the va
/ rious reforms which he has undertaken
/ he will deserve the appreciation of the
community.