The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1897-10-06
SAVED TWENTY-HtNE LIVES.
= New To::s Policeman Promoted for Sig.
nal Csuanrrv

In TIE October Century Glera IS an
article bg TIE Hon Theodore Rose
veil. entitled Toe Roll of Honor OF
toe New York Police N speaking
O. promotions for eallantry. Mr..
Roosevelt says:
Anoag The fist rrcmo.;o7s we
made were two wHicl illustrated the
attitude of the beard tcTeGd cases ct
this kind. and WDicn s Incidentally =
illustrated exactly What We mean by
taxing the force ou! of politics :
that is, by administering it on princl
pies OF decency, and appointing and
promoting mea on their merits, with
out regard % their political backing.
The frs case was that Of "a old fel
low. 2 veteran of the civil war. who
was al oae time a roUndsman. | hap.
pened 10 note, one day that he had
sa7et a w0n1aa rom drowning, aGd
had hin summoned that might look
iQto The matter. The old fellow
brought up his record before 1oe, and
showed not q llGtle nervousness and
agitation, for It appeared that be had
grown grsy IN the service, had per
formed feat after feat OF heroisp, but
mad no political backing of any ac-
count. He was a Grand Army man,
but not one of the political" type,
and so he had not received any atten.
ton from the former police boards;
and nov, at last, he thought there
was a chance for hin.
He had been twenty-five years on
the force, and during that time had
saved some twenty FIVE persons from
death by drowning, varying the per
torrance once or twice by saving per
sons from burning buildings. Twic:
Congress had passed laws especially
to empower the then Secretary Of the
Treasury, John Sherman, to give him
metal fer Distinguished galIantry in
saving life. The Life Saving Society
had also given him its medal, and sc
had the police department. Oa exam
ming into his record carefully We
found that it was wholly free IRON
complaints Of any infractiou CT duty
/ and tnat he was sober and trIStwor
thy. We felt that he was entitled tc
his promotion, and he got it. We dio
not knew MS politics, nor did We car;
ABOUT them. It is very unlikely thai
the woman whom be last saved, as hs
iswam out towards her, felt any spec
ial interest as to whether he had yo:ec
/: Tor Cleveland or HacriSOa, nor de
/ We. !ie had risked his life freely
Iagain and again in the perfornauc
of his duty; ne mad conducted hlms7l
so as to De credit TO the department.
and a credit to the city; ana we fel
that he was entitled to his remard.
| l! is worth while mecl.ocing tha
!he kept on saving life after he wa
promoted TO a sergeantcy. Oa Oc.o
Der 81, 1895, ne again saved a ma!
from drowning. 1t was at night, 70
body else was in the neigaoorhood
land the ship from which ne jonoe'
vas in absolute darkness, and ne va
iaoout ten mgnutas Ia Lne water, wnlct
was very cold rhe captain OF th
3pGeeyncs, Ia reqor.Ias Ea7 case, sad
"cne s2rg gzaaG WAS of the oulkhe4t
land lnco tae water alter MS mA!
quicker tnau il takss to say JAG!
&joluson." rnere Was no way Il
wnicl the board could reward n
sfor snts, eSc7ps oy C>ttlns ain LaaE O
vas an nooor 10 cne department; TO
d had o=ea giv9a al toe q 9dAts, al
I! o.rs ID rQ- m-d4.s, LaA5 ne c2Atd D
g.T.u !. Va, gne tw5a.g-1In.n pr
s1l w1os= life he nal saved dIrc:
MS TIVE lgy Gnae3 ye2cs' service 10 "a
Sdepactment, aai h was 55 years Ole
f: Wa4H h saved hin.