The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1900-07-19

"What do 1 think about this curfew
agitation?" said Chief of Police Frank
Robling yesterday afternoon, thought
fully. "Well, l suppose IL might be
success here, although 1t certainly
seems to me to be trifle antiQuated.
What this city wants a good deal more
than any curfew bells, and what would
be deal more advantageous, is an in
crease in the police force. The num-
Der Of men who at present have the
safety of the city in their hands Is
totally inadequate to the amount of
territory which must be covered, AMI
the number of persons to look after.
I'm other cities of this size the force
is generally about double, and / GER
tainly think that ii would be more
practical to make some improvements
along that line than to continue this
curfew talk. AS things stand at pres
ent, the officers are all under orders to
use their best discretion in arrestng
girls found on the streets after GER
tain hour, and in cases where small
boys are found wandering around their
parents are notified and their cases
disposed of.
UNCALLED FOR CRITICISM.
AT the meeting Tuesday by the
Christian Endeavorers, when the cur
| few question was discussed, there was
good deal of uncalled for criticism OF
the local authorities regarding the dis
charging of their duties, and a good
| deal said for which there was no occa-
sion. From what they said, however,
| 1t would appear that the only places in
which this curfew law is enforced are
| little towns, no cities the size of Scran-
ton, with the exception of Indianapolis.
The Indiana metropolis was the only
city quoted which is using the curfew,
and I notice that a reverend gentle
man at the meeting remarked that in
indianapolis there was nothing like the
| evil condition of affairs existing In
| Scranton.
THE curfew has been in effect about
| three years. and the speaker declares
that while living there he never saw on
the streets anything like the vice RAM
pant in Scranton. Now, this same In
dianapolis is a city OF about 100000 in
habitants or so. and in the last ten
years there have been ninety-two MUIR
ders in the city. And not one of the
murderers has been hanged. This
doesn't seem to indicate such splen-
did grade of morality and order in In
dianapolis. These figures are given
from an article / read today in The
Detective" by Chief of Police ]. f.
Quigley, OF Indianapolis. Compare with
that our city.
THE VAN HORN CASE.
"The last murder that occurred ir
the city limits here was the Van Horn
case, and you remember when that oc.
Cured. Furthermore, in Indianapolis
there were 977 women arrested during
1899, and the total number of arrests
footed up to the sum of 5.454 as com
pared with 2,400 in Scranton. OF those
arrested, 1,101 were under the age OF
twenty years.
Now to compare the number oi
patrolmen. The Indianapolis force con-
sists of 1863 men, while here we have
just fifty-four patrolmen. OF these
only a small number can be spared fol
the morning and afternoon, the bull
being used at night, while in Indian
apolis half of the patrolmen are use(
for afternoon duty"
And even this number, it seems, 1!
not sufficient, for the Indianapolis
chief of police has now applied FOL
twenty-nine more patrolmen.
1T seems to me-" added the chief
"that in a city of this size the curfev
law would be an exceedingly awkward
thing to enforce, especially with ou
limited number of men, and IN cas-
such an ordinance should be passed
we ought to be given more officers"