The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-01-12
OWBALLEDAPOLTCEMAN
TIE CHARGE Against re- YEAR-OLD
HOWARD PATTERSON.
NE Is hated to . rollce station by Four MI

ne Is Hated to = Police station by -Four BiE
Cop. In n Patrol ynE~on-somebody Ger
tninly Ma ''Paster PAtroimnn Gians on the
' Collar or Hls Unirorm-Hhoward Lectured.
Howard Patterson Of ia st. James place.
Brooklyn, was arrested on Monday Afternoon
and hailed to the Classon avenue police station
In n patrol wagon by four policemen on the
blood-curdling charge Of snowballing q mem
Der of the police force while the latter was In
full uniform. The fact that Howsrd is just IL
years old will mako tho gravity OF the charge
moro apparent.
Tho undisputed record Of tho court 10 that
on Monday afternoon several well.dressed boys
Of Towards age, himself among tho number.
wcro making snowbnlls In the asphalted road
way OF st. James plnce when suddenly n big
policeman rounded tho corner. lie had hugo
storm boots on, and had his trousers tucked in
the legs OF the boots. The boys stopped rolling
snowballs MS no hove in sight, and appeared to
DO deeply interested in studying the sky until he
got several yards beyond them. Then a snow.
ball struck him on tho collar of his coat, and
left on 1t one Of those irregular star-shapcd deco
rations characteristic of snowballs. All the
boys had stopped looking at tho sky and taken
to their heels when tho copper turned around.
Howard was nearest to him, and was quickly
nabbed. Tho copper griPped his collar and
led him along until he met another copper.
What shall / do with this desperodoi' the
captor asked of his brother in blue and brass.
Put him in a dungeon" said the second
arm Of the law. They rang twice for the patrol
wagon. and when it dashed up the adult resi-.
dents Of st. James place who had hurried out
In surprise to discover the cause of the nproar.
saw two other coppcrs jump out and help their
II didn't do it." cried Howard.
: 'Of course not! Certainly not !! don't
think" retor,ed the big. policeman as his asso-
collar. Howard refraincd from debating the
matter further with his elders.
At the Classon avenue station the Sergeant
appeared to gasp for breath when he heard the
What are boys coming to nowadaysa' he
exclaimed. II was a boy once myself. but 1
never dared to SNOWFALL a policeman"
1t was decided that an example must be
up-to-datc juvenile disrespcct for tho officers Of
the law. The Sergeant, therefore. took q COM
p niIF one t asns9 aeci noT That he SsW wouldn't orier incarcerate
him in a dungeon; So he allowed Howard to
play checkers with tho big policemen in tho
tive arrived in.response to his summons and
gave 500 bail TO save Howard from losing his
supper, Howard ran to st. James place and re-
Joined his comrades.
This wouldn't have happened they cried
Ms they rallied around him. 'if Oscar Finn had
1t turned out that Oscar Finn is a bicycle cop
who is tremendously popular with oil Of young
America III LnHJ ulSJTlCt. Ut u SlA Duy VI
his own, al healthy and full of fun.
Bright and early yesterday morning Howard
went to Justice Tighe's court. The big copper
who had arrested him was there before him.
1t was Policeman CLAM.
"Hc fired n SNOWFALL ut me- said CLAM.
mo. ] didn't. 1t was another boy. and he
ran away
The Magistrate kept his features straight as
he delivered an Grafton on the Nervousness of
Towards mistakeIIin selecting a policeman as
q target.
"If you solcmnly promise never to do such q
thing again" the Court said, II will suspend
sentence"
"Never!' said Howard, and then he went off
to school smiling.
"Did Howard really fire that snowballl' a
Sun reporter asked of tho boys in st. James
Place after Towards discharge.
IF you leave 1t to him." they cried all to-
gether and with many winIs, The never docs
anything. He don't know n thing about prac-
teal Jokes, he don't. He managed to get n nice
free ride in the wagon. Didn't her
The father of Towards chum sat back in his
off &c chair in Park row yesterday afternoon
and shook with laughter as he discussed the
arrest.
II am glad the new charter was passed" he
said. This arrest is an evidence of renewed
activity on the part of the police that speaks
well for the consolidation of the cities. In all
the thirteen wears that have lived in st. James
place I never once saw a policeman in that
thorouRhfare. 1t certainly was n great thing
for Brooklyn when she Joined New York"