The San Francisco call., 1896-03-02

one burly fellow who was in the capacity
of a leader. They rushed in to get Quinn
Chief Crowley let 60 the prisoner and
turned on the leader. Bang! Bang! went
his right and left fists and the leader and
his first assistant lay prone on the ground.
By this time Captain Lees was doing some
good work, too. He had knocked down
one man anu rushed his prisoner into the
jail.
The Goldenson and sandlot riots are
very modern in comparison to the ones
mentioned. but they only added laurels to
Chief Crowley's wreath as capable gen.
eral.
Captain l. W. Lees, who is 10 replace
Chief Crowley is the Oldest police officer
in the United States If not in the world.
He is better known than any other man to
the the H foreign police departments, and as an
authority in criminal matters, he stands
pre-eminent.
Less was plain patrolman forty-four
wears ago in this City. His courage and
astuteness were such that he soon went to
the front. OF course he had some set
backs, but he overcame them always with
great credit to himself
There is one pleasant incident the old
timers relate about him. 1t was in 1861,
York Fourteenth Regiment was stationed
out here. These soldiers were generally
regarded as the riff-raff Of the Federal army,
and it is conceded that the "Bloody Four
teenth," as they were called had earned
the title.
Hampton North was City Marshal in
those days, position equal to that of
Chief of Police. He took umbrage at some
real or imaginary thing that Lees had
done and punished him by a detail out
near the Presidio. That was where the
soldiers held out, and it was almost worth
any mans life to go into that neighhor-
hood. Lees was undaunted, however, and
he steered straight to the soldiers resort,
shady saloon where they spent their
time and money. 'Hamp" North, as he
was called, was not bad man at heart,
and he thought he too had better follow
out in Lees wake, with the dual idea that
he would see if his patrolman did his duty
and also help him IN doing it.
Both officers reached there about the
same time, and, as usual, there was fight
in progress.
There were sixteen men In the battle,
and Lees and North realized their inability
to prevent the melee. All they had was
their revolvers, and they did not feel like
shooting the soldiers down, SO they retired
for consultation.
North didn't know what to do, but Lees
did. He jumped out and tore two pickets
off the fence. One he gave to North and
the other he took and started into the sa-
loon.
"Stop that fghting!" he shouted, cor
we'll take every mothers son of you to
jail"
The situation appeared so preposterous
that the soldiers closed in on the two
officers and the fun began. Lees and North
laid out nine soldiers and the others fed
for their lives. The picture of those two
policemen marching in nine badly bat
tered Government soldiers and locking
them up in the old calaboose was q sight
to behold.
When it was all over North turned to
Lees, put out his hand. ard said:
"Shake, I'll never mistrust you again."
It was shortly after that that Lees had
an encounter with desperate individual
he placed under arrest in front of the old
Pennsylvania engine-house. He was shot
three times, the bullets penetrating the
chest and running along the ribs to the
back.
His battles and shooting scrapes with
criminals since those old times have been
so numerous that it would take volumes
to relate them. Suffice it to say that not
only Lees has shown himself to be a