Evening star., 1901-10-03
LURED BY MILK PUNCH
The Experience of Two Members Of
the Police Force.
SUFFERING FOLLOWS DISSIPATION
Other Punishments Then Melted
Out by Department Officials.
FINEDAND DREDUCtD IN RAM

Lured from the straight and narrow path
| of officerlike demeanor by the tickle at
| tractiveness of the insidious milk punch,
two policemen of the metropolitan force
have come to grief Last month the two
officers, after receiving their pay checks,
asked to be excused from reserve duty that
afternoon because; as they stated, they
wanted to attend to some private business.
Together they proceeded to a nearby dis
pensary of drinks and sat themselves down
to the enjoyment of decoctions of milk,
sugar and whisky. The bartender cashed
their police checks and they were alto
sether happy. 80 -~ - 80 v~-
So fascinating did the first punch prove
that the two officers, before they said au
revoir and parted for the day, must needs
HE themselves to another catering estab-
lishment where liquid refreshments were
the main source of revenue to the proprie-
tor and there partake of a second brace of
the delightful mixtures. The officers were
not to be happy for long, however. 1t was
the dark of the moon and their rabbit feet
they suddenly remembered, had been left
in their civilian clothes. They had not
counted upon bad luck coming to them
when brass buttons bedecked their manly
chests, with blue coats as a background
1t so happened that one of the officers,
Private F. G. Stroman of class 1, had
shortly before feasted on two luscious
taceans had tickled his palate and he had
generously indulged himself. The other
officer, luck would have it, had been
partaking of Squibb's mixture in copious
quantities. The milk punches were not cor
dial in their companionship with either of
these prior indulgences.
Resultant Illness.
Officer Stroman became very i'll a
street car a few minutes later, and night
fall of that memorable pay day found Of
ficer Hebrew, the other offending member,
in the hands of the surgeons at the Ho-
meopathic Hospital He was unconscious
and could not be aroused, and before the
doctors learned the true character of the
case there was much alarm felt for the Of
ficer.
But. as heretofore stated, it was a dark
day for the policemen. AS though their
physical sufferings were not sufficient pun
ishment, their conduct led to their appear
ance a few days later before the police
trial board. Both were charged with in
toxication in uniform. Officer Hebrew, a
private of the upper grade, class two. was
found guilty. His good record in the past
has led Major Sylvester to recommend that
his punishment should consist of reduc-
tion to the lower grade, which means a loss
of $50 annually Officer Stroman. COM
paratively new officer on the force, was
found not guilty by the trial board, which
recommended that the charges against him
be dismissed. Major Sylvester disapproved.
he lelt lldt tn6 OIncer s conduct Suf-
ficiently reprehensible to warrant his re-
moval from the force. He, however, rec
commended to the Commissioners lenency in
the way of a fine of $50 and reduction in
the line of promotion. The recommenda-
tions OF the major and superintendent have
been thoroughly considered by Commission
er Ross. who has immediate supervision of
the police department, and he today ap-
proved them. The papers will now be acted
upon by the other Commissioners. who will
probably. according to custom, follow the
lead of the Commissioner having charge of
the department
Police Chiefs Comments,
In his comment on the trial papers of
the two officers Major Sylvester said:
While their cases were heard separately
by the trial board. the principals partici-
pated In the violation of the regulations
Jointly; in other words, their offenses were
Identical. They were given separate op-
portunties for defense, and while the testi-
mony tends to show sickness was superin-
duced in both instances. it followed the use
or lntoxicants, in one instance taken after
eating crabs, as the defendant asserts in
the other after self-prescribed doses of
SquibbS' mixture.
"Privates F. G. Stroman and J. A.
Hebrew were excused from reserve duty on
pay day to attend to private business. In
full uniform they proceeded to the dining
room attached to a liquor saloon, placed
themselves under obligation to the pro-
prietor by having their checks cashed, par
took of milk punches and then separated.
The two were found fully incapacitated and
sick as a result of their indiscretion. Pri-
vate Hebrew in endeavoring to prescribe
for himself violated that well-known para
graph which requires attention at the
hands of police surgeon; he disregarded
the regulations in going into public place
where liquor was sold, in uniform; he un-
fitted himself for duty by drinking with a
ten years service back of him and this
the first charge of the kind against him. 1
recommend that he be reduced to a private
of class one, failure in proper perform
aEce of duty in the future to cost him re-
moval.
Il recommend that Private Stroman be
removed from the force, but in view of
his four years clear record, ask mercy of
the Commissioners and if he be retained
that he be fined 500 be reduced four points
in line of promotion and transferred, a
failure to perform proper police duty in the
future to result III removal from the force"
Commissioner Ross approved the fine of
$50 in the latter case.
ITALY'S SUGAR INDUSTRY.