The record-union., 1897-10-17
SAVED TWENTY-NINE LIVES.
A New York Policeman Promoted
for Signal GaIlantry.

In the October Century there is an
article by the Hon. Theodore Roose-
welt, entitled ''The Roll of Honor of
the New York Police" In speaking Of
promotions for gallantry, Mr.. Roose-
welt says:
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 po-
litical backing. The first case was
that of an old fellow, veteran Of the
civil war, who was at the time
roundsman. [ happened to notice one
day that he had saved woman from
drowning, and had him summoned so
that / might look into the matter. The
old fellow brought up his record before
me, and showed not a little nervous
ness and agitation; for it appear ed that
he had grown gray in the service. had
performed feat after feat of heroism.
but had no political backing of any ac-
but not one of the political 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 burn
ing buildings Twice Congress had
passed laws especially to empower the
then Secretary of the Treasury. John
Sherman, to give him a medal tor dis
tinguished gallantry in saving life. The
Life-Saving Society had also given him
its medal, and so ha9 the Police De-
partment. On examining into his rec
ord carefully, we found that it was
wholly free from complaints of any in
fraction of duty, and that he was sober
and trustworthy We felt that ne was
entitled to his promotion, and he got it.
We did not know his politics, nor did
we care about them. 1t is very unlike
ly that the woman whom he last saved,
as he swan out towards her. felt any
special interest as to whether he had
NO(6Q 1Or CI6VelanO OF f1drTISOlr 0UE
did we. He had risked his life freely
again and again in the performance of
his duty; he had conducted himself so
as to be credit to the department, and
a credit to the city; and we felt that he
was entitled to his reward.
1t is worth mentioning that he kept
on saving life after he was promoted to
a sergeantcy. On October q. 1896. he
again saved a man from drowning. 1t
was at night, nobody else was in the
neighborhood, and the slip from which
he jumped was in absolute darkness,
and he was about ten minutes in the
water, which was very cold. The cap
tain of the precinct, in reporting the
case, said: "The Sergeant was of 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, ard bars to
the medals, that he could be given. 1t
was the twenty ninth person whose life
he had saved during his twenty-three
years service in the department, and
he was f1fty-five years old when he
saved him.