Evening star., 1901-04-20
New York's Ex-Chief Of Police
Makes a Hit.
BE is STRICT AND IMPARTIAL
Already There IS a Marked I'M
provement in the Force.
SOME TYPICAL Ca S ES
Special Correspondence of The Evening Star.

Special Correspondence of The Evening Star.
NEW YORK, April 10, 1901.
After all, this Devery policeman is not so
bad. Devery-it is almost needless to say
is the former chief of the New York police,
who was legislated out of office at Albany,
and who, by a master stroke of the ram
many officials, was reinstalled in what is to
all intents and purposes his old billet, al
though he is now called deputy commls-
soner of police. The deputy is mere po-
liteness-a concession to the gentlemen who
legislate in Albany. Devery is just as
much chief of police today as he was be-
fore the Albany legislators, who had long
been cunning for him, erased his other
title and swept him out of oftice-for cou-
pie of days. There is commissioner of
police, of course. But Devery is the boy
down on Mulberry street, for all that.
During his entire incumbency as chief of
police and up to the time that he began to
rotate on his new axis as deputy commits
sioner of police Devery was surely the
most roasted official in this neighborhood
He was charged with gross incompetency,
and worse. He was lambasted by all the
newspapers, Irrespective of their political
leanings. Committees of five, committees
of fifteen, committees of siXty-tive, shrleked
aloud that Devery must be decapltated ana
that everything would then be all right.
Devery, reported the committees, was the
root of the cancer. And so on. Ihe popu-
lace in general got to believing that Devery
was really pretty bad lot. There were
low growls even from the better Tammany
element when Devery, after being let out
as chief by legislative enactment, was
hurled back in the teeth of the Albany
legislators in his new and equally puissant
capacity-that of deputy commissioner Of
police.
Again in Favor.
But the current is changing Folks are
beginning to rather fancy DeVery. This
Devery duck doesn't appear to be such
bad guy, after ALL is the colloquial way
you'll hear the New Yorker on the car or
on the street expressing the matter. Many
others formerly prejudiced against him are
even proclaiming Devery "all right" Dew
cry Is looking up. 1t is not impossible
that he will one day become the most pop
ular man in New York. This populace is
almost as mercurial and volatile as the
populace of Paris, and stranger things have
happened here
The reason why Devery is coming on in
the public estimation is that in his new
capacity as trial judge Of the cops who
come before him for violations of the rules
and regulations, the deputy commissioner
Of police is handling them, not without
gloves. but with skin-tight gloves. which
is worse. There is no stronger instinct
actuating the average New Yorker than
his positive detestation for the cop on the
beat and for all cops whomsoever. This
does not indicate much civic virtue on the
part of the average New Yorker, but it is
the fact. The New Workers. dislike of the
policeman is inherent and inborn He can't
help it. He doesn't want to help it. 1t is
only fair to say that the policemen them
selves have created this universal feeling
against the cop uniform.
Be that as it may, Devery is making his
hit simply because he is keeping the sloth-
full and bulldozing and dead-beat cops who
come before him on the jump and making
hair 1iN-ec v,oic HI spI4 Io1;-~
the average New Yorker. 1t makes him
feel that. after all, there is something in
life. The spectacle afforded by trimmed,
hang-dog cop is so cheering to the vision
of this pOpulace that large crowds assem-
BILE around the Mulberry street headquar-
ters on trial days for the purpose Of gloat-
ing over the clipped cops as they emerge,
f1attened and wabbly, from the Devery
ordeal.
Used to BE Mere Farces.
Before this job Of trying the offending
policemen was turned over to Devery upon
his assumption of his new office the po-
licemen were tried before the full board Of
police commissioners, which was wiped out
by the Albany people. Most of the trials
were farcical Most of the policemen on
trial lied boldly and braZenly and most of
them made their lies stick The policeman
cited for trial would appeal to his district
leader, or to some other influential friend
at the Tammany court, and the business
was, as rule, all cut and dried. Each
cop on trial would employ a LAWYER and
there would be wranglings and long sus-
pensions Of judgments, and mysterious
quashings of indictments; and most of the
no-account policemen got off with warn
ings." A policeman who was fined three
days pay by the old board Of police com
missoners was looked upon by his brother
cops as having been handled with terrific
severity. 1t was an unusual punishment
only meted out for fragrant offenses. Po-
licemen who had been hailed before the
board as often as forty times for breaking
the rules were dismissed with warnings"
Devery has changed all this. He thinks
no more of handing out thirty days pay
to cop whom he considers guilty as in
dicted than he thinks Of lighting a cigar.
Not only that. but he has the old offenders
hred from the force without any beating
about the bush whatsoever. 1t used to be
as difficult to get rid of a no-account New
York policeman as to impeach a mayor
But it's not difficult for Devery
m goln break you, says Devery to
a worthless policeman, and day or so
later the no-account one gets his walking
papers.
Up to All the Tricks.
The beauty of the matter Is, however
that Devery is eminently just as a Judge
He was policeman for such great 1oanv
years himself that he knows all the tricks
of the business, and he can't be hoodwinked
or jollied. He has not the judicial mind nor
lle Judlclal temperament, but he gets at
the nub of the matter by instinct, and Ike
a flash. His trial room Is a veri.able hop
per. He wastes no time. He won't stand
for lawyers appearing for the cops on trial
On the very first day Devery sat as judge
lawyer bobbed up when an old offender on
the force was at the bar. 1t was really
very amusing.
Mr.. Commissioner" squeaked the law
yer when the case was called, ~ would like
to make a state
"G'wan, you,'' growled Deverv. without
so much as looking at the lawyer.
The LAWYER sat down. No other LAWYER
has since appeared for any defendant he
fore Devery.
An Impartial Judge.
The huge, very notwithstanding man in
the judges chair is absolutely impartial.
He doesn't accept the roundsman's COM
plant against the patrolman off.land. Nor
the sergant's complaint against the rounds
man. Nor the captains complaint against
the sergeant. Devery handles them all with
absolute tmpartialfty. They are ali "huck
privates'' to him; just policemen, no mat
their shields. An hour spent in uyatoh;