The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1897-07-23
He TRICKED THEM.
now WILLIAMS CAUGHT FORTY PO-
LICEMEN MAPPING.
He Was Sergeant Then and Wished TO
Stop the Practice of Going on Post
Before the Relief Arrived-He Did 1t
Neatly.

Neatly.
The new policeman was complaining
loudly because he had been fined i've
days pay for being off his post when
the grizzled veteran in the corner OF
the section room, whose coat sleeve
showed 20 years of service. called out:
"Shut up, young un! 1t won't hurt
you to start the business with that hne
against YOU When you've been po-
liceman as many years as l have, you IL
learn not to whine when you re called
down town"
"But that complaint on the record /
counts against man ON promotlon'
said the new policeman. "What show !
has man got who gets down town be-
fore he's been in the department three
months?"
ooh, that's the trouble, is it?"
chuckled the veteran. well, IT'S
good thing for you that you was born
when you was instead Of 20 years ear
lier. You might have served under
some of the peelers that are drawing
pension now. Five days payl Why,
remember the time when whole pla-
toon was fined 80 days pay. Forty
men, sir, and all on the same charge.
Now don't look that way, because it's
gospel truth, and if you'll stop whining
minute I'll tell you about it.
Fifteen years ago cops did the same
} trick they do today. They took off post
STANCES, saloon chances and every other
kind of chances, but they were slicker
| 81 hat i'm
form, and it wasn't easy to catch them.
was a Tenderloin cop then, and all
the men in the house thought they were
pretty fy. Most of us had done at least
ten years, and we didn't think 1T was
in the range of possibility for us to get
caught mapping. We were, though, but
it was only by the meanest trick ever
done to lot of tired policemen. Aleck
Williams did it, and we were the most
surprised lot of men that ever wore blue
and brass. How many cops wait for re-
lief when they're doing the to IL trick
at night? You don't, and neither did we
in those days. Why, five minutes after
the platoon is turned out at midnight
the policemen on beats at least 20 min
utes from the station house come IN ant
salute the sergeant on duty. The rules
I Of the department say man must wal,
ON his beat until his relief comes ant
then start for the house to report. Blu
no one minds that rule, and, as long as
: can remember, there was but this ont
kick about breaking it.
ct don't know what ever put 1T int
: Williams head to play the boys such
f trick. As he was q good policeman tn
a men all admired him and worked faith
J. fully for him when he was in charge Q
o the Tenderloin. Maybe it was becaus
g the boys had been coming III too 500
J after the relief went out that no mad
). ND his mind to teach them lesson
y There certainly were abuses, because
know COPS who used to quit their beat
h a good half hour before their time an
l. Law I'D around the station house, read
&c TO dive i'm and get to bed the minute til
'e squad turned out
n "Well, this night speak of William
q had the squad line up as usual at nv
=. minutes to midnight. The regular TO
" was read and the alarms given out, an
n then the roundsman gave the Carr
a. batonsp and the line got ready to marc
out on duty, but suddenly William
called out to the roundsman, Take IL
er whole platoon up stairs and keep thel
Quiet there until I send for them. III
,r men were amazed at the order, but thel
d. was nothing to do but obey. Then Wi
at liams leaned back in his chair an
chuckled and waited. At one minu
ed after 10 the first man came In.
eg "'Hellop exclaimed Williams. WI
We relieved you?
90 "'My regular relief, Smith, sa
the cop.
+ "During the next five minutes sevt
zee policemen came in. Williams threw Il
= same question at each, and each ga
n the name of his regular relief, the ca
n tain laughing up his sleeve all the tin
Is and thinking Of the whole relief pl
toon sitting up stairs at that very mi
ute and not having once been out
n. the station house.
"It was when the men on the Tar
Tor beats came in that Williams got mea
he est. He made them give particular
AS Some of them told the very words {
ul- relief men had used to them. Otht
- told how the relleIs Hau Coho W
n beat and ON what corners they had N
KY them, and all the time the sergea
was taking down what each man sal
Finally, when all 40 of the men h
z,z come in, and against each one the ca
ds, tain had the deadliest kind OF eviden'
he got us lined up in front of him a
AN then marched the whole relief rig
leu leu past us and sent them out on post.
"Talk about being hit with brio
lul Say, bungstarters couldn't have u
hat half the effect that little parade hi
When Williams called Break
men rushed into the section room as
they were in frances Then they we
nth to bed without word. The next q
ess the whole platoon was down on chars
ned at police headquarters. The comm
sioners guyed us, and the men blush
:, % and wriggled around as uncomforta
ro as a lot of schoolboys.
81 "Well, they soaked each and eve
lo-ey NON m, tho Cr0uud that