The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-10-28
SAVED TwENTY-NINE LIVES.
New York Policeman Promoted for
Signal GalIantry.

Signal GalIantrv.
Theodore Roosevelt, in the Century.
Among the first promotions we made
were two which illustrated the attitude
of the board toward cases of this kind,
and which also incidentally illustrated
exactly what we mean by taking the
force out of politics"-that is, by ad-
ministering it on principles of decency,
and appointing and promoting men on
their merits, without regard to their
political backing. The first case was
that If an old fellow, a veteran of the
civil war, who was at the time
roundsman. 1 happened to notice one
day that he had saved a woman from
drowning, and had him summoned so
that | might look into the matter. The
old fellow brought up his record be-
fore me, and showed not a little ner-
Vousness and agitation; for it appeared
that he had grown gray in the service,
had performed feat after feat of hero
ism, but had no political backing Of
any account. He was a Grand Army
man, but not one of the "politicaP' type,
and so had not received any attention
from the former police boards; and
now, at last, he thought there was a
chance for him.
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 performance
once or twice by saving persons from
burning buildings. Twice congress had
passed laws especially to empower the
| then secretary of the treasury, John
Sherman, to give him a medal for dis
| tinguished gallantry in saving life. The
Life Saving society had also given him
| its medal, aud so had the police de-
| partment. On examining into his rec
ord carefully, we found that it was
| wholly free from complaints of any
| infraction of duty. and that he was
| sober and trustworthy. We felt that
| he was entitled to his promotion, and
| he got it. We did not know his poll
| tics, nor did we care about them. 1t is
| very unlikely that the woman whom
| he last saved. as he swan out toward
| her, felt any special interest as to
| whether he had voted for Cleveland or
| Harrison; nor did we. He had risked
| his life freely again and again in the
| performance of his duty; he had con-
| Quoted himself so as to be a credit to
| the department. and a credit to the
| city; and we felt that he was entitled
| to his reward.
1t is worth while mentioning that he
| kept on saving life after he was pro-
| NOTED to a sergeantcy. On Oct. 21,
| 1S96,he again saved a man from drown
| ing. 1t was at night, nobody else was
| in the neighborhood, and the slip from
| which he jumped was in absolute dark
| ness, and he was about ten minutes in
| the water. which was very cold. The
| captain of the precinct, in reporting
| the case, said: THE sergeant was off
the bulkhead and into the water after
| his man quicker than it takes to say
| Jack Robinson" There was no way
| in which the board could reward him
for this, except by telling him that he
was an honor to the department; for
| he had been given all the medals, and
| bars to the medals, that he could be
| given. 1t was the twenty ninth per-
| son he had saved during his twenty
three years service in the department,
| and he was fiftY-five years old when
| he saved him.