The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-04-15


| Van Riswick and J. p. Forest Over the
various wards these Commissioners exer-
| clSed certain authority, the powers OF a
| magistrate being generally accorded them.
| But more than score of years passed be-
fore substantial increase in the police
system was noted. An act Of Congress
| approved by President Tyler, August %,
| 1912. Ito establish an auxiliary watch for
| the protection of public and private prep
| erty in the city of Washington" brought
| about a decided improvement in the 10 al
| system. Provision was made in the bill
| for a Captain of Police, at yearly salary
, of $1,000, and for a police force OF
| fifteen men. each at q salary of $50 per
month. This small force proved effective
| for time. Every night at O'Clock, a
| guard was posted throughout the city. to
| be relieved at midnight by a similar de-
| tail. In the building occupied by the Per-
| severance Fire Company, volunteer or
| ganization, a signal bell struck the hours
| of the night. Georgetown at this peri.d
! conducted separate system of police pro-
| lection. Apart from the city of Washing
| ton and with its own municipal officials,
| the Mayor of that town, with the powers
of magistrate, proclaimed and upheld the
| dignity of the law.
BY an act of Congress approved March
| 6, 1861. entitled "A bill to provide for
| Metropolitan Police Force for the District
! of Columbia" the present system of mu-
! nicipal protection came into being. Five
Commissioners, appointed by the Presi-
| dent of the United States. each for term
| of three years. constituted a Board of Po-
| lic5, and over the entire police system this
! body exercised exclusive jurisdiction. The
membership of the board as announced
! from the White House on August l3, 1861
was: Zenas c. Robbins. President; Richard
Walsh. W. H. Tenney. s ]. Bowen. and
, Joseph f. Brown. Subsequently. at a
| meeting of the board on September 4. 1861
! William B. Webb, a lifelong citizen of
/ Washington, was chosen Superintendent
! Of Police. He was the first Major of Po-
| lice in the District of Columbia and he
| held the office until late in the fall of
! 1865, when he presented his resignation.
| Through varied conditions and with va
| rious superintendent the local police
force grew, improved and developed be-
! yond the expectation of its founders.
/ Major Thomas p. Morgan was the second
| Superintendent of Police. Under his di-
| rection. energy and enthusiasm developed
among the guardians of the District peace.
| One superintendent. one captain and in
| spector, ten leutenants. twenty sergeants.
and two hundred privates then constituted
! the Metropolitan Police Force.
Major William C. Moore took charge of
| the Police Department in the spring of
| 1886. He proved an energetic, C. oabe
| Superintendent. and largely to his Efforts
| is due the efficient state of the local sys-
| TEN. Major Moore made a close il resti-
! CATION Of the police force, its personnel
! general formation. and mobility. From
| time to time, in his annual reports, he
| suggested marked improvements. always
urging upon Congress the necessity of in
| generally known. perhaps, that in four
| years from 1886 to 1890, through the rec
! concentrations OF Major Moore, Congress
| granted greatly increased appropriations
! for the Police Department. From the sum
! of S31l, 900 appropriated for the year 1886
an increase in the annual appropriation
to S501 900 in 1890 was secured by urgent
solicitation of the Chief of Police
Major Moore took early steps to secure
improvement OF tie numerous alleys under
municipal control There are 81 alleys in
Washington. These are found in every
section of the city. Their condition. i'm
provement, and supervision was referred
| to by Major Moore in his annual report for
1890. as follows; The inhabited alleys of
Washington and Georgetown demand
vigilant supervision. They number 3i7.
and furnish places of abode for probably
10000 people. The task of watching them
more than doubles the duties of the Of
ficers, not only in the preservation of good
order. but in the matter of cleanliness. so
conducive to the public health That they
should be constantly policed is self-evdent,
as is the fact that this can only be done by
the enlargement of the force
Personnel of Present Officials.
The present Chief of Police in this city,
Richard Sylvastar il a na;iva of To,.,
City. Iowa. In early life he accompanied
his parents to Memphis, Tenn. and later,
iii 1869. to st. Louis, Mo-, where he entered
the wholesale house of Meyer, Bannerman
& Co., dealers in saddlery and hardware.
Several years later Mr.. Sylvester accepted
a position on the reportorial force Of the
st. Louis Press and in the spring of
1877 he assumed editorial control of tho
Pennington. Mo-. Times" During the fail
of 1887 Major Sylvester came to Washing
ton as correspondent of the st. Louis
Times" and later he had charge of the
local bureau of the st Louis Globe
Democrat" position was offered Mr.
Sylvester in the Metropolitan Police De-
partmeHt early in 1890, and he accepted it,
For several years he was chief clerk of
the department and finally, upon the death
of Major William c. Moore, was chosen
Superintendent of Police
Capt Manville \ Austin is the execu-
tive officer OF the force Captain Austin
was born October H. 1870. During the
civil war he enlisted in the Fiftieth New
York Volunteers, Engineer Corps. and
participated in active service with the
Army of the Potomac, under General
Grant He was honorably DISCHARGED
from the service of the United States on
July /, 1865, and shortly afterward took
up his residence in Washington. On May
3, 1866 Captain Austin WAS appointed a
private on the police force. During No
vember of the same year he was promoted
to acting sergeant, and on January 81.
1867. was commissioned a full sergeant
A 1leutenancy was granted him on No
vember y. 1868, when he was placed in
command OF the Eighth precinct Early
in July, 1885. Captain Austin was ap-
pointed TO the position which he now oc-
cupies. succeeding Captain Vernon.
In command of the First precinct sta
tion. in Twelfth Street. just below Penn
sylvania Avenue northwest. is Lieut.
TaZewel b Amss, born August 30 1871,
and i native of Culpepcr County. Va Dur
ing early boyhoOd Lieutenant Amiss at
tended the Virginia schools, and later
spent several years in Washington, where
he secured a firm foundation for future
advancement. At the outbreak of the civil
war. on March II. 1861, Lieutenant Amiss
enlisted in the Regular Army and was as
signed to Company F, Fourth United
States Artillery. He was discharged
from the service at the close of the war
and returned TO Washington when. in
1868. he was appointed on the Capital
police force. 1t was on March 3, 1870.