The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-07-11

street corners made darkness visible;"
pumps and wells furnished the cltys wa
ter supply; there were no paved streets
and the public squares were COW pas
lures. However, it was just like other ci-
ties Of those times. The Captain of the
Watch rode or walked the town. He was
a personal terror to evil doors but to 9TH
ers he was a genial gentleman, whose
courage was recognized, and who was
known to every one as man of high au-
thority.
Among the duties of the Night Watch
was to arrest negro slaves who were out
after "bell-ring' without a ticket. BELL
ring" was at o'clock in winter and 10
o'clock in summer. Any slave found on
the streets without a ticket from his or
her owner or employer after those hours
was taken to the Guard House, where
the cases were disposed of, either by fine
of whipping the next day.
The Guard House, or Police Station, was
at the northeast corner of Whitaker md
President streets, opposite the new Gov
eminent building. The Night Watch
wore no gorgeous unform-doubtless the
older the clothes were, the better for the
duties Of the office. The insignia of the
captain was not shoulder straps, but a
cow-hide when mounted and a heavy
stick when walking. At one time the
Night Watch wore helmets, something
the front piece. The musket as a weapon
OF the Night Watch disappeared some
years before the system gave way to more
modern policemen.
The police department as now organ
lied is the result Of one OF those advanced
or reform movements in politics which
appear to seize communities every decade
or two and revolutionize things.
The regular police force was organized
In 1853, as a mounted force under Capt
Joseph Bryan, whose title was Captain
of police" In order to accommodate the
new force and its horses, the city secured
from the United States government the
use OF the eastern. or Drayton street por-
ton OF the Oglethorpe barracks the site
of which was where the kitchen and en-
CINE house Of the De Soto now stand
This was the police headquarters until the
confederate army officers during the war
turned the police out in order to use the
entire barracks for military purposes
From the occupancy Of the United States
barracks by the police came the present
custom In this and other southern cities
OF calling the police station, or headquar-
ters, police barracks. 1t was under Capt
Bryan that the Savannah police force first
began to assume the semi-military charac-
ter II has since maintained. Capt. Bryan
was an old navy officer and a born COM
mander. A story Is told that one night
while he was at the theater, some one told
him OF a then prominent politician hav-
ing made an insulting remark about the
police and Capt. Bryan hunted the Offend
er out and slapped his face.
Capt. Bryan was a grandson OF Jonathan
Bryan. the revolutionary patriot, who aid
ed In the capture OF the powder from a
British vessel of Tybee. which was after
wards sent TO Boston and used In the de-
Tense OF Bunker Hill.
The successor Of Capt. Bryan was Cant
Lyde I, Goodwin, who resigned during the
war. The chief Of police during the latter
years OF the war. and when sherman's
army captured the city. was Can't. Alex
ander +. Bennett IL Is related OF him
that he was IN his Office attending to his
regular routine Of duties. not Knowing
that his men had been captured by the ad-
vancing federal soldiers under Sherman
as they passed through the streets. when
a yankee officer entered the barracks and
took him IN charge. Capt Bennett was
one OF those men who had such great con-
hdence In the c0nfederucy that he ala not
believe sherman's army could take sa-
vannah.
CAPT Bennett was succeeded By Cant.
pilsbury Of the United States army. who
organized a military police. This force
was superseded In 1850 by the present po-
lice department. with the gallant and
lamentcd Gen. Robert H. Anderson %
chief.