Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1900-04-21

win be 240 Of these sturdy fellows, all
very best machines. Their uniform
win be rather peculiar and may amuse
American visitors 1t win consist of a
blouse like that Of a French stonema-
son. made of thin blue stuff, very vo-
luminous down to the knees, where
it will be caught in tight. There
win be leather CATERS. The ordinary
KEPT, or cap, with forepieee, worn by
the regular police viii complete the
costume. In the daytime these conf
cal looking policemen win carry the
customary sword bayonet the sheath
of which will be attached to the saddle
of the machine in such a way as to be
within easy reach of the hand In the
night they will be further armed with
pair Of reyolvers, worn in a pistol
belt
All this large force Of horse and BIZ
cycle police viii be kept up to the
mark. always on the alert, through a
continual performance inspection by
their officers, who win spend the day
and night in galloping about to see
that every man is actively on the look
out.
NJ. Lepine himself, who by no means
contents himself with directing things
from his office, will scatter himself
about the town in his automobile.
With all this elaborate preparation it is
believed that an effective check will be
kept on such midnight thugs as those
who sandbagged or daggered belated
exposition visitors in lonely roads and
by the dark quays during the last ex-
position.
There are several flashy and attract
i've cafes well known to people living
in Paris where a regular profession IS
made of robbing wealthy people who
have drunk too much wine and fallen
into the hands of seductive cantatrices.
These will be under constant surveil-
lance, and whenever any visitor seems
likely to fall a victim to a charmer
with designs on his roll of bank bills
word of warning will be given or he
will simply be taken out by an agent Of
the police and taken home in a cab.
These places it is hard for various rea-
sons to close altogether. Very fire.
quently, too, though the police know
that a robbery has been committed, it
is impossible to obtain legal proof of
guilt. 1t is hoped that many careless
visitors will be saved by this surveil-
lance from falling into the traps laid
for them.
With regard to the ordinary pick
pockets and sneak thieves known to-
the police, whether native or foreign,
very direct measures will be taken.
Whenever any one of them is seen.
however innocently he may be anus
ing himself, he will simply be arrested
on the spot and either frightened into.
leaving the city or kept in custody as a
suspect while the authorities can find
sufficient proof of past unpublished
misdeeds to warrant a permanent i'm
prisonment. This sounds like rather q
high handed, unjust proceeding, but
the plan is a duplicate of that put into
force in New York years ago by Thorn
as Byrnes. and in fact it is only an ex-
tension of the plan always adopted
here before fete days, such as the car
nival, the Mi-Careme and July ii.
Even if not strictly legal, it is approved
by most honest people as precaution-
airy measure which does more good
than harm.
Even the postal service and the
chances of dishonest gain that it will
offer in the exposition time have been
thought Of The number of letters
containing money and valuables will
be much greater than usual, and it
should also be easier than usual for
dishonest postal servants to appropri-
ate them. The project of police has
inspired the postal authorities to take
especial precautions, setting a close
watch on the mail bags and keeping
q keen eye on distributors and letter
carriers alike.
Also the city of Paris has under
taken-always on the advice Of the
all powerful project of polce-to inn
prove in certain places the lighting of
its thoroughfares. Electric lamps are
being installed wherever there are
routes. likely to be frequented, which
have been favorable lurking places of
doubtful characters in the past, owing
to their darkness. \ large section of
the Bots de Boulogne has had gas
posts installed for the first time. The
moonlight drives in the Bots, only q
few minutes from the Arc de Tri-
omphe. which is always a temptation.
will become safer in consequence.
In fine, the project has endeavOred,
as he says, to convince the world that
the Paris police is worthy of its repu-
tation, that it does not unduly boast
when it declares itself the finest po-
lice force in the world.
80,