The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-02-14
THE POLICEM CLUBS.
mrs TT STICK, mrs DsY sTICK,
AND MS BILLY.

~ sHFN " W SfNtFht tIunn ana ThetF
Relative Merit. In the Eyes or the I'o-
n~cemnn-rhe Plain Night stick the One
He Likes Signals OF the Locust.
There are included In every policeman's
equipment three clubs Of different kinds. for
various uses. His first set of clubs the police
man must. In accordance with the rules Of the
department. buy at the bureau Of clothing and
equipment at Police headquarters. After that,
IL he should want more clubs. he may buy them
where he pleases; but they must, OF course,
conform TO the standards OF the department
The rules OF the department require that the
night stick shall be OF good. sounl locust. and
not less than twenty-five inches In length; most
mon get sticks OF twenty four or twenty-eix
Inches. The locust ia made one and one. eighth
inches In ameter II has no turned handle, or
grip. but Is Of a uniform diameter from end TO
end. 1t is simply n plain. round stick. with
slightly rounded ends. This Ia tho stick for
which the policeman comes to have a feeling of
attachment rather than for the moro orns-
mental day stick or the servic cable billy.
The locust is u licht-colorcd wood when fresh
pretty nearly AS light in color rs hickory. It
darkons q little with u,c nj exposure. hut ID
never gets very dark. II Is q very iough wood,
not liable to Gr.ak, and ~ has II peculiar reson-
ant quhlity. The sound OF n locust stick. struck
uron a pavement In the right manner. may be
hear on u stiil night for n distance probably Of
end n hole Is bored through IN" nIpbit ,ties
for the leather thong or loop by which IL
l.. sometime carried. which Is made uso
ends, OF this loop the thong Is made
Of a length suitable Tor the requirements ~ the
user, depending upon the sil. Of HE hand and
the thickness Of his gloves. When Ia. cub ls
actually brought into use the loop Of the thong
carried over the back OF the hand the hand il
then closed upon the stick. TIE thong Ia made
!, t 1asH m a lesf's and iN" at The can .nms S' ,,I nS30. p.rt
init OF a secure and easy. grasp upon the stick.
T. meinPd OF Wearing tho thong IS rrssrr, he'd
upon the CLUB. and at the same time. with this
no,d. the club can be %drorlel i)nstn.tly II
emergency ehould require. which might 10
Impossible with ont. or two turns o' the hong
around the hand. The rules require That the
club shall be carried IN tho ~Ocket attached
To the belt which the policeman wears when II
Is not drawn for some purpose.
10 sound the locust the hold upon tho stick Ia
released. nnd II Is swung by the thong. and tho
end let fal upon the psyrment. wI,h the stick
signals. In ca.s OF Are. for example. an onicsT
sounds a signal OF a certain number Of rAps,
hurry cali. There is u signal which an ofnesr
makes when lie finds n door open and calls for
assistance. u he Is, pursuing a fugitive, and
pavement as he runs. and again u few rods fur
Their on. and again { need be; 1ut he is almost
certain to be i.eard By some other policeman Ia
advance. who comes To the assistance OF tho
pursuing policeman and heads of The neeIns
him as he cOules along. There are other calls
that are sounded with the club. The policeman
IA hthIH INV hbu'll4llk " tnbtHtf pom fIllhn9
locust calling. klves Que rap VITA his own as he
starts. IN this case the single rap means Il am
coming" The sound Of the ,ocu-t is to the
p"ilreinan something ike The sound Of tho
htgle 10 the soldier: the time never eomes
when II ceases to stir his blooG.
The day stick must he made OF rosewood or
mahogany or some other fancy dark wood that
can be polished. II is from twenty to twenty
that It will At the came belt socket a- the night
stick. The day club Is quite different from tho
plain night stick In finish. 1t has q turned
handle, or grip: and In place or a leather thong
II has u cord aud tassel. Tho cord Is secured
around a knob at the end OF the hHndle and lhen
carried loosely to the other end OF the handle,
where 1t 10 secured arOuad lnr club in
n groove turned In the wool to receive II. Tie
loop, from one end OF tie handle to the other. i.
someihing IKE The guard on. II sword bait, tho
hangs from where the cord is fastened around
tue lower end Of III. handle. III. rules OF the
detartmeHt prescribe that the day sticks car
ried by pairolmen and roundsmen shall have
red cords aud ,assels; those OF Serseants. blue,
and those OF Captains, inspectors, the deputy
The day stick is carried from q o'clock In the
morning till q O'Clock In the evening BY all men
rsi-s. II ~ of,enest made Of oscwoOd 10
heavier than the night stuck. and therefore not
against the coat. II wears the coat white. and
wears y oht-Rs Tor that matter, the belt does.
not fancy the day stuck WITH ITS cora snd ta,sei.
anu that they would prefer the bal ). In fact.
men assigned to posts In tohgh districts carry ia
the daytime. besides tue day SICK, a billy upon
which thoy would be more IIkeIS 10 rely than
npnn their day stiek. The latter. though
be broken; while thu billy, though shorter than
either. IN counted ~ II most sure wea pIn.
The rules prescribe that the billy shall he of
ar erenadllia. IL must,be fourteen
inches la length, one and h'e-eighihs iuchrs in
diameter A. lie larger emo. and taprriug to one
inch IN diameter At the han, lie end. Tho billy
has a turned hsndIe or grip. and what VIVA that
aud t. tapcrins shape IL is very different in
from the severely plain Night stick
Rnd more ornamental: but It's dimensions are
y.TH II .9HSs fn'n sr pHdGy: 80 that IL IS n"s
billy is provided with . leather thong. Tue day
suck ani the billy are not Used IN signalling
by sound as tie night stick il. lney are not
made OF woods suited to that purpose. and such
a methoi would not be possible when the streets
are ni!eh w'tIt, the noise OF traffic.
While the billy Is carried more or less In
various uses the wear round. II Is practically the
- the club regularly carried on patrol duty.
Inc uniform coat IN summer Is u l"ose-ttting
coat with which II would be in uussible TO
wear u belt becbnihglv ar with cnrutori. ~ the
belt Is not worn. and for the day stick l. sub-
ss.Hted the buy; mhicn Is ariel a" = roesst
which Is ten inches N depth, l. placed
on tho back of the right leg OF the tr"users.
between the thigh and the knee. where II
10, not visible when the cont Ia worn,
where 1t gives the least possible inconvenience
To the wesrer, ami wher- II l. "lth.n easy
reach. A policeman may carry his l.ly in Mo
DAYTIME II he chooses, and there are ZONE.
they are In uniform, though nat on dutS, when
the sight OF their uniform, however. might lead
Oh special day duty at crossing. al ferries, NJ
public buildings, and 50 on wear no belt or club
ut any season, but they always carry n billy,
All clubs carried Ia the department are nuns
brrcd, the number corresponding with that OF
the shield worn by the owner OF the club. This
was not formerly Gono Rnd the practice IL due
to tho following lnCldvHt: Years ago, twenty
or thirty years. u Police Inspector. " no used
to 20 out himself To zee how the men performed
their duty, found In u place one night two or
three policemen who should nave been on post
W hen the Inspector appeared the lights
turned out and the men ESCAPED
but they left their night sticks be-
hind. Inc In pcctor lit up III, place and
arouAd and found the night sucks and
carried thrm to the police station, calculating
THAI when the men came oil post those with
no night STICKS would he the dolInquents.
wncn tho men came in every man had n
night stick, and the solution OF thts Is very sim
pie. The men who had lost their clubs had sent
one OF their mum Der To the police station for
other siiCks, and he managed To get them, SO
" hon the men came In every man was provided
Win u stick. While tho Inspector fniird In his
case tn discover The men, tho InGldeuL Tod To the
Of n department. rule that all clubs
should be numbered, and To this dar, Ia every
police station, at every Assem- bling OF the men
for roll call and inspection. he Guge going out IN
post, he clubs arc Inspected 10 ser lhht each
NJ hua hIa ANyn .ln AaiII tI.4 MN IA .4H lpNa