The sun., 1896-10-08
ACTOR POLICEMAN QUITS.
"DIzEYO CONWAY TIRES OF BLUE
COAT DISCIPLINE.

Fiues of Twenty Days. Pay for Not saiut-
Tag HE Captain and OF Ten Days' for
gmoking on Pest Tee Much for Him
He Was Maek's Former Partner.
Mr.. "Dizzy" Conway, the actor-polceman,
has quit the force. and, from Old slip to Morri-
sania. there IL genuine grief among tho blue
ooats. There was only one Dizzy In the depart
ment and although he had been an actor. he
made good policeman. He couldn't stand
what he called the "knuckling down." and tho
result was that he was being constantly hauled
up at Police Headquarters for slight breaches
Of discipline. Two fines in one month, one Of
twenty days pay. tho other Of ten days pay, the
former for failing to salute Acting Capt Groo.
tho latter for smoking q cigar In hall on his
post were too much for him, so he decided TO
quit.
1t was in June OF 1904 that Dizzy, then the
senior member of the firm of Conway and
Mack, song and dance artists, decided to aban-
don tho footlights and don the blue and brass.
Dizzy, whose real name. by the way, is Thomas
w. Conway, was decided loss to the variety
stage and to his partner, who was unable to fol-
low him into the police ranks. owing to q lack
in height Of about six inches and shortness In
weight of about twenty pounds. So Mack took
up with another song and dance man while
Dizzy donned the blue uniform.
1t dion't take Conway long to become popular
with his fellow policemen A real actor doing
police duty was an interesting person In him
self and when the actor continues his act in the
section room, in sleeping quarters. and on his
boat he is bound to become very much liked.
That's what Conway did. He could sing we'll,
dance every imaginable sort OF a step, play
half dozen Instruments. and also recite In ad-
diton. he was full to the brim Of variety stage
humor had little ability as ventriloqulst
and could whistle an imitation OF any kind of
bird. Any and all of these things he was will
ing to do at any time for the edification of his
fellow policemen. and many a weary hour In
the section room has been wiled away by him.
the force but down in the Church street sta
ton they nicknamed him Dizzy" and tho
might have got along all right II he had learned
to respect his superiors. Unfortunately he
were ali on his black list II he happened to be
smoking when roundsman came along, he
would keep on with his cigar. instead Of con-
ceainE II until the roundsman passed by. II ho
was dancing a jig on a corner on some cold win
ter night the approach of the roundsman didn't
do anything toward restoring his official dig
nifty. He had hard work learning 10 salute his
superior officers; but he finally advanced far
peror happened IN be some one who wasn't on
When Sergeant Groo was elevated to the post
of acting Captain, Conway, who disliked him
any way, positively declined to salute him. He
would look the other way when lie saw him
coming. in order to get out OF recognizing him
with rs little trouble possible The result
was that charges wero preferred against him.
and fine OF twenty days pay followed his
trial Conway regarded this as rank injustice.
and would have quit right then. but his fellow
bluecoats induced him to stay, telling MIN that
II he would be more polite he would get along
all right
Then came the smoking on beat charge and
n ten days fine, and Dizzy concluded TO get out
for good He drew the remnants of his salary
on Oct l, ard then going back to the Mulberry
street station, went into Capt. Thonpsons
office and. laying bis shield. fire key, and man.
ual on the desk. said:
these things up to Mr.. Roosevelt with my COM
pliments. I'm tired of working night and day
for no Day. and I'm going to quit I'm off for
Chicago" and with that Conway went out of
the station house.
While Conway was at the Church street sta
tion he trained mongrel dog to chase push
cart peddlers away from the curb. When he
dog after the man he wanted. and the dog would
clutch the victim by the leg of the trousers and
hold him until Conway came up and took him
In custody. Conway once set the dog on
roundsman he didn't like. and then ran around
the corner in an opposite direction The dog
held on for O whole block. and then tho rounds
mans club became too much for him.
1t WAS q favorite trick of Conway to initiate
birds in the middle Of the night when the police
men were asleep. and he worked his ventrilo-
Quism for many a good joke. too. The down.
town policemen used to take him TO the uptown
stations to amuse the policemen there, and so
whilo lie had been only in two or three stations,
he was known and liked by coppers all over the
city.
What Dizzy is going to DO in Chicago no one
knows. but It is said that he is going back TO
the variety stage.