The record-union., 1897-07-06

aim Of all was TO avoid work and live
by thievery For policemen they had
a special and bitter hatred. It was the
hight of their ambition to kill or MAIN
one
Hardly a year before I came on the
beat, said the Sergeant, "a policeman
had been killed there by a nigger boot
black with a cobblestone picked up
from the pavement. During my time
there were continuous assaults made
upon us. / escaped without a scratch
from numerous tight places. But one
of the men on the beat, named Tom
Kearny, was knocked down, and before
he could be rescued was so full of cuts
and bruises that you couldn't lay your
finger upon a sound part of his body
He recovered, but l have often seen
MIN moaning and groaning, with his
hands up to his head. almost insane
with pain. In the end he fell off
car and got killed, it is believed, III
paroxy SIN of pain caused by these
periodical headaches Another police
| man was hanged upon meat hook
and cut down by his fellows only just
in time u save his life
"Ycu say you have cen in many tight
places. What were a few of your ex-
periences?
SERGEANT RYAN'S EXPERIENCES.
"WeIl, 1 remember once 1 arrested
drunken negress called Big Liz for
stealing shawl from one of her COM
panions. She was a giantess, weighing
223 pounds, all bone and muscle. She
resisted arrest, and in the struggle got
my thumb between her teeth. If 1t
hadn't been for a sharp rap which hit
her on the side of the neck she'd have
bitten it off She fell to the ground,
and as she lay there she made a saw
age lunge with her teeth at my legs.
1t was only with the aid of a fellow
policeman that I was able to get her to
the station-house. Another woman
whom 1 once arrested was living with
q negro named John Zule. Hearing her
shrieks, he rushed out with an open
razor in his hand. Again and again I
raped my night stick over his head,
but again and again he returned to
the attack Meanwhile / held on to the
woman until assistance came. A bar
rel of ashes was once hurled at me
from a roof top, and one day a huge
stone came crashing down on the pave
ment beside me- 1 remember how mad
I got at this. It>was one of my early
I'days on the beat I pulled out my
pistol and looked up. I think if I had
caught sight of a head I would have
fired. But not a soul was to be seen
at either door or window
ST tell you. it didn't do to show the
white feather in those days. If you
manifested the least fear you were
gone. 1 don't know what some of the
oiT1 OOliop111Qu now travelling
around on their shape would have done
in places like Niggers' alley. L remem
Iiber the orders our Captain used to give
when some tough work was wanted.
"'Catch EN- and bring 'em in here
he would say, and if you can't bring
'em in whole bring 'em in in parts
'You can imagine that the beat
around the Arch was no cinch when 1
tell you that my record during the
nine years 1 was on it was two ar
rests for murder, eighty for felonies
and any number of others for minor
offenses. Assault and batteries and
robberies were of the commonest occur
renee The wenches were as bad as
the men. 1 have known four niger
women to pull a merchant into the
Arch and knock him down and rob
and hurl flatirons or brickbats at po-
licemen. One of them killed a police
man with a hairpin, and was let off on
the plea of insanity after a years con-
ffnement. Besides assaulting and rob
bing wayfarers the men and women
were continually having rows among
themselves, and these not infrequently
ended in murders or attempted muir
ders
"This sort of thing had been going
on for many years before my time
During the draft riots in 1863 the
neighborhood of the Arch and the
Arch itself were scenes of continuous
riot and bloodshed:"
But of recent years the Arch has
quieted down, has it not?'
'Oh, yes. Ever since the Italians
took possession there's been no fur
/ ther trouble. These Italians are not
the same class as some that infest
Mulberry street. They are good, quiet
peasants, / believe, while on the east
side many are brigands and cut
throats. They began f1ocking into the
neighborhood shortly after the Church
of St Anthony was built here. But
it was not until about fifteen years
ago that the more hardy penetrated in
to the alley itself. Little by little they
formed a colony, and at last they
practically drove out the negroes. They
were better tenants, and therefore bet
ter liked by the landlords. The ne
groes. moreover, died off rapidly
through the effects of their evil habits,
or were arrested and sent to Jail The
few negroes now left are old and brok-
en- down. without care or ambition in
life"
THE OLDEST INHABITANT.
I left the Police Station and went
back to the alley to see if l could find
anv of the negroes of whom the ser
geant had spoken. ! did not succeed
in this but [ did dnd person who
claimed to be the oldest inhabitant.
He had never actually lived in the al
lev. but he had lived in the neighbor-
hood.
Man and boy" he said, 81 have liv-
ed here nigh on to fifty years. How
old would you take me to be?"
II don't know, but you don't look it,
T hazarded. lie seemed to accept this
as compliment which called for an
other in return.
REPORTERS are supposed to be intelli-
gent rnen?'' he asked with a wink. Both
his eyes had a trick of winking at
YOU at alternate intervals. This may