The daily morning journal and courier., 1896-01-03
DEFECTIVE WORK BY ROACH
THE STERLING YOUNG OFFICER MYDE 4 COMMENDABLE EFFORT.

THE STEREING YoUNG OFFICER Captured Three Vagrant Youths-Then Played Drunk and in Good Disguise Was Himself Locked Up to Learn the l Boys Story-Were Not Burglars as He l Supposed and Now the Policemen Ar | Quizzlng Him-The Lads Went to Sleep-- The Officers Vigil-- Officer Gates Nradea | Kick.
 l John B. Roach is a sterling young | patrolman who keeps pleasant peace in certain section of the Grand ave- nue precinct and thereby stands high | in the esteem of many citizens as well as in the minds of the police commits | sloners. Like many other local blue- coats he is ambitious and expects in few years that his good record will ] commend him for promotion. Just at present however, he is suffering the | occupation of an uncomfortable posi- 1 l ton which he would gladly evacuate | to escape the storming laughter of other members of the department Still the cause which led Roach into his predicament is worthy of commenda- | tion despite the jeers of his fellow pa | trolmen and he need not winch at their 1 thrusts.
 Very early last Monday morning the officer in question while walking vigi- lantly along State street in the vicinity of Cedar Hill espied with his eagle eye a triplet of youths He watched them
 for time and discovered that every
 store they came to they peeped into. l Of course such actions would lead al- most any person to believe that burg l lary was intended and so by a well
 managed series of flank movements he carried himself to the rear of the enemy 1 and made one a prisoner, The other
 two scampered off, but were quickly brought to halt by the explosion in 1 the air of a, revolver Just at the right time Officer John Flynn appeared
 and placed them under arrest. The en-
 tire party then left for the down town
 station.
 Officer Roach was firmly convinced | that the boys intended some mischief
 and so he asked permission of the ser | geant in charge to disguise himself l and enter the lookup for the purpose
 of acertaining what was in the wind. ! The boys had previously been sent be- 1 low Roach went out to the barn, don- ned overalls and jumper, took drink out of the watering trough and then staggered into the station apparently overwhelmed with liquor. He was
 hardly recognizable. His face was be-
 sinirched With axle grease and his hands were blacked over Patrolman
 Gates was in the game He was to take Roach down into the lookup, treat
 him little rough and thus deceive the
 boys as to the design of the new ar
 rival.
 So the two men started down stairs. At the entrance to the jug they ex- changed angry words in, order to make
 the farce complete and to attract the attention of the three suspected youths. 1 Parolman Gates had Roach by the col
 lar and as he pushed him through the door raised his foot with considerabl force against the sham prisoners per
 son. The kick made Roach winch and cooled his detective ardor some. But
 he recovered and muttering between
 his teeth fell prone upon his back in the midst of the boys After awhile he
 became confidential, but the boys were
 mute. All they indulged in was a shake
 of the head and occasionally faint
 smile at a joke. But the officer with the right sort of persstency kept at
 them and continued his jokes. After
 an hour or so Officer Gates appeared
 and said that if there was not more quiet he would lock every prisoner in
 a cell This queered the whole game.
 The boys became so alarmed they
 would not even smile and to the utter disgust of the officer they turned over
 on their little sides and soon were mak-
 ing more noise asleep than they did
 when awake Their snoring brought Roach to a vivid realization of the fact that his attempt to learn anything
 from the boys was futile. He was
 anxious then to get out. but he had been forgotten About o'clock in the morning the sergeant at the desk
 thought it strange that Roach did not
 report as usual and this brought to his
 mind the fact that the absent one was
 locked up. Then it was that he was re-
 leased. In the city court the next day
 it came out that the boys were from
 Providence. They had stolen ride on
 a freight car as far Cedar Hill and when arrested were looking for barn
 in which to spend the night. They are Michael Dwyer, Peter Craighton and
 Thomas Garder. They were sent to jail for vagrancy. This is the story which is being told at the expense of Officer Roach.