The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1899-01-14

The tribulations Of New York city POI
licemen are not confined to the Tenderloin
and the Bowery. The rural suburbs pre-
sent woes and humiliations peculiarly
their own. Since the charter of Greater
New York went into force the police have
been obliged to take stray animals to the
pound away up north in the borough OF
the Bronx. Joy now reigns among the
finest because Pound Keeper Louis
Weigel, after due elaboration, has con-
cluded that hereafter the rural cops
need only telephone to him, and he will
do the rest.
eff it vas a goose dot a cop finds, says
Louis in his explicit directions, 'all der
cop has to do is to tie his feet an lay der
goose down in der station house. Der
goose will beat its wings till it gifts tired
oud. Den it vas alrighd.s But it will hiss.
Dot vas a goose's way, because a goose Is
tam fool. But dat hiss don't harm no.
bodies no more as a ROSTERS crow. If it
is q COW, q horse or q goat, a cop is shust
to tie him up in front Of his station house.
1 will send my 'poys for him rigid off.
Dot vas all der cops has to do. 1t is easy
enough already to tell ven an animal is
strayin. I know in a minute Ply the how
dey look already. If dey look as If they
vas lost, they belong in der pound"
Louis hopes now that the rural "cops"
will keep a sharper watch out for geese
and goats who nave the indefinite cast of
countenance which shows that they feel
the need of being advertised in aHlost and
found" column, inasmuch as he has made
such a great concession, and accordingly
that more dollars will find their way into
his Golfers. For the truth is that hereto
fore the rural s'cops" have been derelict in
their duty in this respect. When they saw
a wandering goat with the indefinable ex-
preston of countenance, they have turned
their own faces the other way and left the
homeless ones to their fate.
The difficulty with a goat, a horse or a
COW when arrested is despite that it ap-
peals to the acopA with the indefnable
cast of countenance, he ba1ks once a "cop''
arrests him. Possibly this is timidity and
he is afraid Of the brass buttons. At any
rate the spectacle of q scop" pushing a
goat along by the launches or trying to
coax a ringboned, cast off horse into sub
mission is one which awakens the mirth
of the small boys of the suburbs. More
amusing yet is the attitude of cop"
with a tendency to ~embonpoint chasing
over the rocks of vacant lots, through the
mud of unpaved streets and maybe Stun
bling head first into a cellar that is being
exeayated for a new building n pursuit
of a nimble old gander who has no owner.
"Get a nett" yell the small boys.
"You kin brush off your uniform!"
"Call a patrol wagonl"
Often the ssfnest'' has offered the small
boys a quarter to catch the goose, but the
small boys are too proud of the privileges
of their class to accept it. The worst some
times happens, and the poor "cop's" best
girl often comes along just as he sprawls
over the ground and catches the goose by
the leg, or possibly misses him.
Most police sergeants are not wholly
hard hearted, and the ~sergeants in the
suburbs are no exception to this rule.
When they awe entered on the blotter
that a policeman has captured a goose and
they looked down upon the mud covered,
perspiring "cop, " they have not put upon
him the humiliation of carrying the goose
clear up to the Bronx park.
One sscop'' who was in disfavor, how.
ever, had to take an ugly b~illygoat from
Long Island to the pound. The sergeant
insisted that be should go in the daytime
and not sneak up at night so his friends
wouldn't see him. Goats-four legged
ones-are not allowed to ride on the ele-
waited trains or surface cars. Two days
and a half was the time that the job re-
quired, and then the poor, prosecuted
.cop'' had to go on the sick list for a
week, while he said that he didn't feel
that he could ever face his fellow men
again. During the march up Tenth ave-
nue the sergeant received a series of heart
breaking telephone messages.
ssGot him this far. Baked all the
way, . came from Twenty-third street.
Didn't balk quite as much, but tried
to punt me five times" came from TWEEN
ty-fourth street an hour later.
Louis WeigeI first became pound keeper
five years ago. He Is a Republican, but
Tammany Hall has not disturbed him,
because be Is q veteran. He is most pub
lie spirited in the conduct Of his office.
He lives in a mean little house, but has
built d fine new barn for the accommoda-
ton Of his charges.
What der city ought TO do he said,
ssis to nay me q t'otzsand dollars D year.