The Savannah morning news., 1901-08-22

the morning with the persons who have
been gathered in over night.
The plain-clothes men, as rule, al
though possessed at times with some
detective ability, are men who nave
earned their positions through politi-
cal influence. They are kept In plain
clothes so long as their political pull
lasts, and once that ceases they have
to go back on the sidewalk and swing
their clubs just like the ordinary, every
day patrolman.
LAS far as the real wardman is con-
cerned, / have yet failed to find any
body who can define his duties. The
average citizen who hears of the ward
man believes him to be the greatest
detective the precinct can produce. For
instance, let a crime occur in the pre-
cinct. The lady of the house goes to
the station house and sees the SER
geant behind the desk. He listens to
her story and tells her to wait until the
wardman arrives. Then he is sum-
moned aside and the woman is intro
duced. She repeats her story. She
tells what she has lost, giving list
Of the articles that were stolen, all of
which is duly noted by the wardman,
and then he tells her to go home, that
he will make an investigation and do
all he can to arrest the right party and
see to it that the property she has lost
is duly restored to her
But no sooner has this poor victim
left the station house than the ward
man calls in the plain-clothes man,
turns the case over to him, and advises
him that he is to make an investiga-
ton. Now If he is successful it is the
wardman who throws out his chest,
goes back to the woman, tells her that
he has captured the burglar, found the
property which was stolen, and If there
was any reward attached to it he re-
celves it, while the other poor fellow
who did the work gets nothing.
Every case known as an 18-karat
case in a station-house is turned over
to the wardman direct. If there be
big murder committed, and the ordi-
nary, everyday policeman without po-
! litical pull or influence make the ar
rest and bring his prisoner to the sta
| tion-house, it is the wardman who gets
the credit and not the man who made
the arrest. The sergeant at the desk
will call up police headquarters, the re-
| porters are sent for; they come to the
ceived by the wardman, who will tell
| them, arrested this man. 1 had a
fearful russell with him, he came near
killing me, but | was quicker than he
was and-Mr. Wardman is the hero of
the day. The next day he handouts
himself to the prisoner, drags him be-
fore the coroner, brings him before the
photographer and poses for his picture.
Then the photograph is taken, the
wardman tells of the wonderful arrest
he has made and not a word is said
about the real man to whom the credit
should be given of capturing the muir
derer.
las far as a plain clothes man is
concerned, it is an unusual thing for
him to take the responsibility to visit
a pool-room or a policy shop without
first having received instructions either
from the captain or from the wardman
of the precinct.
"a good deal has been said about the
wardman taking the money. 1t may
be true or it may not be true. l guess
the public understands that question
as we'll as l do. AS far as / am con-
cerned. / have never seen a wardman
take money, but Bissert was convicted
only few days ago. and it is natural
to presume that there are others.
Every wardman has in this city on
his staff number of men, mostly for
mer criminals, who are commonly
known as stool pigeons. These are the
real detectives of precinct. If 1T were
not for a stool pigeon, but very few
crimes would ever be detected. There
are stool pigeons, both male and fe-
male, and it is to those people the
wardman goes first whenever a viola
ton of the law has been reported to
the station house.
There is another very important
duty which a wardman is bound 70
perform, and that is in the sale of
tickets for political chowders,
picnics and excursions. The po-
litical leaders of a district give an
excursion and the man is considered a
great philanthropist, but IS is the usual
price charged for a ticket and large
number of these tickets are turned over
to the wardman. He naturally wants to
be on the right side of the district lead
er and thus he goes about and disposes
of these tickets. Every saloonkeeper
in the district is compelled to take from
three to five; every policy shop keeper
in the district has to take as many,
then there are all the other violators
of the law who are called upon to buy
tickets, and in many instances the pur-
chaser simply pays the money and re-
turns the tickets to the wardman to
give him a chance to sell them over
again.
wardman Gienman.
There have been wardmen in CON-
nection with the police department as
far back as any one can remember.
Originally the wardman was simply
the precinct detective, but later on he
was known as the captains man and
others were called in to perform the
real detective work, and so 1t is to-
day Take Glennon, for instance. Ev-
erybody knows that his powers are I'M
limited and that he is practically the
ruler of the Tenderloin. | would like
to meet the policeman in uniform who
dares to go out on post and arrest a
man on the charge of keeping a pool
room without the consent of Glennon in
the Thirtieth Street precinct. / could
see his finish. There was case Of this
kind that occurred some time ago in
the Oak Street precinct. There was a
pool room conducted in a building adj
Joining the one in which Mr.. Moss has
his Office. Word was sent to the Oak
street station house, but the captain
paid no attention to the message. Then
Mr.. Moss went out into the street and
told the patrolman on post in front of
the place that a pool room was being
conducted there in full blast The po-
liceman hesitated. He did not seem to
know what to do. He probably realized
that Mr.. Moss was not the wardman
Of the district. but at the same time
he recalled that Mr.. Moss knew all
about the police business, having been
at one time the president of the Board
Of Police Commissioners Of this city, SO