River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1901-08-15

RECOVERING THE STOLEN SAFE.
epoch of such organized crime has
passed.
Nowadays in every section of the
city one can walk perfect safe
ty at any hour of the night without
any fear of molestaton unless, per-
haps, by some drunkard reeling to-
ward his home. Even he is harmless
if not interfered with. Then, too,
there are certain alleys in the city
which are occupied by rough ele
ment of negroes, who think nothing
of knocking a man in the head with
brick, but these are places of which
respectable people do not even know
the location, and consequently would
not enter, especially at night, so it
is still proper to say that person
can go anywhere in this capital city
without feeling insecure.
Washington is now the safest and
most peaceful city in this country.
Here ladies feel no hesitancy in GO
ing to the theater without escorts.
We never hear of one being even in
suited by rowdy Rowdyism is prev
alent only in certain quarters, but
even there rowdy gangs no longer ex-
list
sThe element which gives our po-
lice the greatest concern is the prog
eny of the freedmen. This class of
citizens, however, fight mostly among
themselves, and seldom modest white
persons. They are cowardly set.
They will lie in wait with brick,
and deeds of daring are not done by
them. Their crimes are generally the
result of drinking. When certain
gneighborhood composed of darkies
learns that an officer does not stand
in awe of them they soon view him
with the highest respect. and his APP
pearance on the scene of a disturb
ance is generally sufficient to quell it.
"But this condition of affairs was
not always So 1t was not very many
years ago that it was worth an Off
GERS life to make an arrest in certain
districts. Tie 'toughs' were as thick
as bees about hive. They were or
gained into gangs, which congre-
gated at preconcerted signals to do
acts of violence or steal whatever
they could get their hands on. They
were continual menace to the well
fare of the community, and to travel
through those parts of the city after
dark was to take your life in your
own hands.
"Swampoodle, Bloody Field and
Hells Bottom are localities which
still retain their names, but no
longer the features which character.
lied them by those titles. Most of
the crimes and rows of to-day occur
in the narrow, dark and unwhole.
some alleys which lie well concealed
between rows, perhaps. of respect
able houses.
THE typical tough is thing of
the past in this city. The real old
timer has gone, and well he NAV, for
his vocation in Washington is at an
end. The gangs which used to exist
have either been cleared out by send
ing the members to a life behind
prison walls or they have been
whipped and cowed into submission.
How was this done? Simply by
constant and judicious small annual
increase in the police force, super
vised by strict, efficient officers. They
made a systematic warfare on all
gangs of hoodIums. Corner -loafing
and the gathering of the rougher ele-
ment in crowds were first broken up
1T was not unusual for ringleaders to
be brought into the station houses
and kept there in the reserve rooms.
simply that the officers might be-
come well acquainted with them. In
this way. these rowdies knew that
they were known and watched, and.
being towards at heart. except when
they had a mob at their backs, they
soon became quieted.
Nov and then will be found crowd
of youngsters with an ambition to
emulate their predecessors, but few
dealings with the Judge and the po-
lice department soon bring them to
their senses. The sentences have been
rigid, and cuiprits knew that they
would be dealt with to the fullest ex-
tent of the Law. The Improvement of
the city has also had it's good effects.
Streets have been opened through 10.
calities that were wide commons, re.