Kentucky Irish American. (Louisville, Ky.) 1898-1968, 1898-09-10
He Was Very PrOfane, Very
Religious and Very Quick
Tempered.
His Thrilling Experience With
a Sawdust Anaconda and
an Alligator.
HAD TO BEAR THE BRUNT OF JOKES

-
are now strewn with roses sat in the cafe
of an uptown Broadway hotel one even
ing last week and talked of the old days,
when they were young in the police bust
ness. Every man in the group was an
old-timer, and all had interesting anec-
dotes to tell and interesting experiences
to relate, says writer in the New
York Sun. Police Captain James X. Price
was one of the party. Capt. Price is now
in charge of the Tenderloin, district
which he knows thoroughly. When Alec
Williams held sway there Price was his
right-hand man. The story he related
had to do with that time.
SIN all my time on the police force,
and incidentally the nine months spent
off of it," began Price with grin, 81
never met or knew a more interesting
policeman than Ginger Reilly. He was
in the Tenderloin when Williams was
there. Reilly has good old Irish Chris
tan name, but the boys dubbed him
Ginger, and the name has stuck to him
since"
"He must have been hot stuff" some
one calculated.
"He was hot stuff, continued the mar
rator. Gan Irishman by birth, he was as
profane and as religious man as l knew
in the business. Reilly's profanity was
source of wonder to the men in his
platoon. The boys would tease him just
to hear him swear. He didn't mean to
be profane, but it seemed to come natural
to him and he couldn't stop it. That's
the reason he was dubbed Ginger If
any one had a practical joke to spring,
Reilly was the man who had to stand. the
brunt of it. And there were a good many
practical jokers quartered in the Thir-
tieth-street station-house when Reilly
was there.
For post Reilly had Madison avenue
from Twenty-third to Twenty-seveDth
street. The first year Barnum showed in
Madison Square Garden the show hadn't
been running week when a rumor was
ahoat that an immense anaconda had
escaped from the circus. II was only a
rumor, of course, and probably originated
in the brain of the circus press agent.
Anyway, it was seized by a couple of
Reilly's fellow policemen as tip for a
good practical joke on the Irishman.
was a roundsman then, and it was my
duty to see that Reilly stuck to his post
The proposed joke was unfolded to me
and agreed to help play it. One of the
jokers bought dozen or more yards of a
dark-colored material and had it sewed in
circular joints on the stovepipe plan.
When the cloth joints were put together
they measured about fifteen feet. One
end tapered and on the other was fast
ened an immense snakes head, which
was procured from theatrical costumer
This makeshift snake was kept hidden
for couple of nights in Fourrh-avenue
grocery store near Madison Square Car
den. The grocer was we'll supplied with
chaff and sawdust, of which he agreed to
let us have all we wanted. With the chaff
and sawdust we were going to stuff our
cloth-made anaconda.
"Reilly was to be the victim, and we
left no stone unturned to give him good
scare. A couple of nights before the
trick was sprung the jokers talked in
awed tones about the anaconda that es-
capped from the circus. Reilly was always
an interested listener, and the boys got
him worked up in great shape. He was
especially interested as Madison Square
| Garden, from where the anaconda was
alleged to have escaped, was on his post.
The night the joke was to be played
Reilly didn't go on post until II O'Clock.
When the midnight platoon turned out
the Sergeant on duty read the following
general alarm at my request:
Escaped from Barnum's Greatest
Show ON Earth, now being held in Madi-
son Square Garden, copper-colored ana
conda, fifteen feet long and as thick as a
mans leg. The anaconda is a man
strangler and very dangerous. If seen
in the street notify the circus at once
1.-THE men went to their posts. Reilly
relieved his side partner and was doing
as usual a good straight tour. The cloth.
made anaconda was in the Fourth-avenue
grocery rapidly being filled with chat
and sawdust. When the job was finished
it was quite respectable serpent for one
of its kind. The paper-made jaws were
far apart, showing glowing red within.
At 2 a. M. Reilly was sighted on the west
side of Madison avenue at Twenty-third
street. The snake was carried into
Twenty-sixth street and placed in the
gutter near the northeast corner. A stout
piece of Irvine was attached to the body
near the head. The Irvine reached from
the improvised snake half way across
Madison Square Park, where that end
of it was manipulated by myself standing
behind an immense tree. was to fur
nish the snakes motive power when
Reilly hove in sight. saw him coming
up the avenue leisurely swinging his club.
Unaware of danger or Of practical jokers,
he approached the southwest corner Of
Twenty-sixth street. The serpent was
already moving at a good pace. Reilly
had stepped into the roadway when he
heard the rushing Then he saw the