The herald., 1897-02-20

would have been brilliant success as
an actor He frequently goes to see a
play, and hours after does not hesitate
to quote any part, oreven all of it, If
called upon to do SO, word for word, al
though he Nigh. never have seen or
heard Of the piece before entering the
theater.
He knows every policeman in San
Francisco by sight and number, If not
by name, and if you tell him the number
he will instantly tell you where that
particular officers post is, what the
man looks like, and to what division he
belongs.
This same wonderful memory has
been utilized by Chief Of Police Crowley
on more than one occasion to excellent
advantage, particularly when there has
been the slightest doubt as to the iden-
tity of some prisoner.
Mr.. DORIS place of business is near
the old city hall, ON Kearney and Wash
ington streets. There he hears every
alarm of fire and sees every policeman
as they march out in quads to take
their posts.
Without having ever paid much at
tention to immediate surroundings, he
instinctively sees and remembers many
things which occur around him during
the day.
Above him in his office is hung card
on which is shown the location of the
corner opposite the number sounded by
the fire alarm. 1t did not take him
long to learn where every box was To-
Gated, and now he can tell the location
of any one almost without pausing to
think. He also knows the numbers of
all the street cars and where they so.
Mention street through which cars
pass. and he will tell you the numbers
of the cars running on that thorough
fare.
On one occasion wager of s140 was
made that he could not tell the location
of an alarm which had just been sent
in from box in the suburbs. He count
ed the numbers as they sounded from
the big gong at fire headquarters, 1.-TWO,
four. seven, California and Lyons" re-
marked Mr.. Dorr without glancing
around when the alarm had sounded.
He was right and the wager was at once
paid.
on the corner of California and Larl1in
streets, conversing with number of
firemen in the old fire house erected by
the late Banker Ralston. Half block
below man ran around tn corner Dorr
who was the first to see him, shouted,
There goes crook" The man darted
down Larkin street followed by a po-
liceman.
At the next correr two pistol shots
broke through the stiffness of the night.
The little crowd ran down the block and
found the officer walking about as
though nothing had happened. The
crook lay dead in the street.
Dorr was called at the coroner's in
quest, and the police who knew him had
such absolute confidence in his memory
Of faces that almost entirely upon his
testimony the dead crook was idien tilted
as man long wanted for number of
crimes. DORIS entire knowledge of the
man was gained simply from having
mon'ths previously when he escaped with
few trinkets which he had stolen.
Once Dorr made trip to Australia, up
on which occasion the passengers and
officers amused themselves by making
pools on the number of miles logged by
the ship at the end, of each days run
The money was placed in the captains
hands I'M a sealed envelope containing
the number Of miles which he thought
the ship was making.
Mr. Dorr was always lucky at this and
explained it as follows: II simply
watched the sea. remembered what the
ship did coming down under similar
conditions, and estimated the run al
4OS miles. She made just 400 miles,"
The possessor of this wonderful mem
ory is not an educated man, but curious
fact about him is that he can spell y
name which he cannot even pronounce
On one occasion. when the deceased