The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-06-18
GRIT MR.. FIELDS IS DYING
.,ooKIrS POLICEMAN, FRIEND
4 ~ 600 SCHOOL CHILDREN.

or S,OVU
,.o,,n,, Fatally, white saving Ms
na".,,. pet. from BeinE Trnmpied On ~ q
III ...v,, Horse = sorrow In Six Schools
~ v,.,ds il dying. II the ordinary citizen
NJ" trov who Mr.. Fields Is, hundreds OF
ove' children Of Brooklyn can toll him. But
EnO yi.,dsi ia diving and tho hearts OF the children
NJ Law him are filled with sorrow. Instead
.omping through the Fairgrounds at recess
7" riov the children in the public schools In
\ y. inner portion of Brooklyn gathered In
~.,rs and talked In whispers about Mr.. r1elds,
y. ,oliccmnn. They told each other how KIND
s.r,,: that ho was bravcr than any other police
and that he was their best friend. Thoy
y" J, ended their little stories by saying,
pn", Mr. Fields Is dying" They told how he
~ hocn injured whilo saving the lives Of tho
usTdrsn coming from the Gates avenue school;
.S., he had been on duty at his old post on tho
na,dsay crosswalk at the corner OF Gates
i.Srue. that he stopped a runaway horse that
s,.h.d toward a crowd of children crossing the
.,root on Tuesday morning, and that he was
,,,mplcd down by the runaway horse and so
h,b,y injured that they took him away In an
smbulance to st. Mary's Hospital.
Tho policeman referred to is William A..
v.lds, attached to the Ralph avenue station.
u, was detailed for special duty at the Broad
,,r asoskwalk at Oates avenue. Here he has
>,ons duty since tho day electricity was intro
Iuced as a propclling power on the broadway
,nrtacc railroad. He was stationed there to
nrtect children on their way to school. There
A., six schools in the neighborhood. three OF
vhich are public institutions. In tho six
,bools there are about 5000 children, each one
A whom Policeman Fields knew. They I'D.
I,.ssed him on their way to and from school with
" n INi.1l, ~ avl ha Naprara ralltnp
them by namo. When he was detailed to cross
iii duty he was so careful of tho children that
!. carricd many Of them in his arms from ono
n IA NJ the street to the other. This was q nov
an, for the children. They liked it. 1t grew on
,hsm and also on the policeman until 1t got to
Ne habit with both.
"Nr. Fields, give us q jump is what the
children would say. And n crowd Of them would
,tand in line, waiting for their turn for a " jump"
Policeman Fields appeared to have great con.
tol over pupils OF the six schools. They told
him their troubles and he advised them. He
,ettled their school disputes, examined their
rspor, cards. and stopped daily to explain their
poblems in mathematics. At the holiday
time he purchased knick-knacks and toys,
y and each OF my children as he called
them, received a present from him. Tho
last week In June of each rear it was
his custom TO distribute roses to his little
friends. who were preparing for their vacation
days. On rainy days. when Broadway. at the
corner Of Gates avenue, was flooded. Policeman
Fields constructed bridges across the puddles,
borrowing boards and wooden boxes from n
nelghboring grocer for the occasion. Part OF the
S women ar and Children in and out Of the trolley
cars. Holding umbrellas and even babies while
mothers took up their skirts and prepared for a
thovelted the snow from the crosswalks, 30 that
the children might not Get their feet Wet .
,s aS!ds Of f's saving ns the i lives Of over zoo Children.
On May 3. in an article published in THE SCN
about the good.natured policeman, there Sp-
business man in the upper part Of Brooklyn.
Mr.. Driscoll said:
Policeman Fields has a wonderful record as
aHte saver. Since he has been on duty, at this
:utef. He has had bruises all over his body, re-
as, while saving the lives OF the children who
have occasion to pass this crossing three or four
ASrN reporter was informed last night at st.
chance Of Policeman Fields's recovery. 1t was
eae of his legs had sustained a compound
t4cture. and that his left ankle was crushed.
Policeman Fields received his injury while on
fore noon on Tuesday. The younger children,
vba'are released from school a few minutes
earlier than the Older ones, were crossing Broad
familiar cry, Hello. Mr.. Fields" when a run
Up Gates avenue. Those Of the Children eaS Who
saw the horse coming fled terror-stricken into
the neighboring stores and doorways OF houses;
OF children %swarming. rushing. and push.
ing each other in an effort to get across
Policeman Poi Fields. who saw the horse coming.
shouted 10 several citizens to drag the children
on the sidewalk, and then he ran to catch the
horse. He managed 10 grasp, the reins close to
the BIT. and a minute later the crowd saw him
ifl and saw him trampled on by tho rnnaway.
Bgt he never let go Of the horse. The pro.
q Gates avenue and Broadway just about
that time ran into the street. and grasped the
further. several citizens ran to the policeman's
Nc; He was pnconscious; They picked him up
ana carried him TO the Then an am;
IN bringing the injured man back to conscious
ts:s: The older children by this time came in
While two Of Fields's brother officers were
SS sss S6 nm Io INTO the patrol wagon ne raised his
eGt gathcred. Then. apparently forgetting his
iuasrinss. he said to the ambulance surgeon:
here before all the children get out of school. I
eSn want any OF my little pets to see me In this
When the ambulance departed the weeping
eaAdreh went to their homes. They told their
parents that Mr.. Fields was dying" and that
sEbat they have been saying ever since. At
zach session in all of the six schools the teachers
alye made reports on the policeman's condition.
nceiVlIg news from the hospital twice each
IA!. The pastors Of several churches represent.
Ing vaTiolIs denominations have signifcd their
Intentions o! having services of PRAYER on Sun.
gI next for his recovery. At the school OF Our
lay Of GOOD Counsel on Madison street. yester.
~! ne sisters OF the order Of st. Joseph asked
ne Ghlidren to offer up special prayers for Mr..
IN the public schools the teachers eulogized
We policeman. taking his deed as a text FOR a
clsonrse on bravery.
,iie!ds has been a policeman In Brooklyn
M.tehty.seyen years. He has a wife and seyen