The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-03-19
On THE NIGHT INSPECTOR
Stories Told by Policemen Who
Once Fooled the "0ld Man

'.HoodIers" Was often Surprised.
No more ariuous and unpleasant task
falls TO tine lot of a guardian of the peace
than that assigned to the night inspector
Of police. Sergt William W. Jordan
now acceptably fills the position. Early
and late fair weather and foul, he must
be on the streets, for with him much re-
sponeibiIity rests. Formerly two night
inspectors watched over the force during
hours Of darkness, so that policemen had
to look well to their duties. lest they fall
under the ban Of official displeasure
Now INSPECTOR Jordan covers the entire
city.
The duties Of the night inspector are
as numerous as they are eXacung- He
must start ON his rounds at 8 o'clock at
night. not to return until daylight shows
In the east. lie must visit station houses
on Capitol Fill, in Georgetown. Ana
costa Southwest Washington. and the
swell northwest as well. He must VISIT
beats of POO policemen, and talk with
many of them. others he must see, him
self unseen. as ne watches for any viola
ton Of the rigid regulations Of the de
partment He must keep careful watch
on stationkeepers while in their midst
especially should a sergeant be patrolling
his rounds Of the precinct, and decide
many knotty problems which oftentimes
suddenly arise. In fact, he is the per
sonal representatives of the Superintend-
ent of Police during the hours of dark
ness.
Stories almost innumerable are told by
veterans on the force of their experiences
with night inspectors in bygone days.
Some of these tales are interesting and
decidedly novel At Headquarters there
are detectives who. when policemen
in the precincts, had narrow escapes from
detection by night inspector. Tales
told by these men give an idea OF DIN
culties under which both policemen and
inspector labor 10 perform their respec-
tive tasks.
one detective formerly did duty along
the river front in Southwest Washing
ton On several occasions he met the
night inspector on the edge Of his beat
as he returned from a lark in the neigh
borhood once he had TO leave his beat,
because closely pressed. and run Tor it in
order to escape detection. This rarticu-
lar detective told his comrades the other
night Just how it all happened. He said:
L was doing duty on the river front:
1t was midwiner and very cold. Ice was
thick on the river, but not quite heavy
enough to carry a man with absolute
safety. The office Of the Harbomaster
vas on my beat as were several other
places Of shelter. so as a rule was fairly
comfortable. OF course, / stood in with
watchmen everywhere, and when the
wind howled too hard / did not lose an
opportunity of seeking shelter beside a
red-hot stove.
.One night I went on the trick of
duty from midnight until morning. After
O'Clock, after having been around my
beat a couple Of times, / sought shelter
in the office of one Of the steamboat Gem
panies along the Seventh Street wharves
had no idea the inspector was about
and stayed beside the stove half an hour
or more. Just as I was getting ready to
move 1 heard a whistle, the signal OF
the night inspector. Il sounded mighty
near and ] sent the Waterman TO the
door to look out. Soon he reported thai
1 was trapped, for the inspector was
standing on the corner almost opposite
the Office waiting for me to answer hi:
call. Apparently he knew ! was of my
beat As he did not move for five min
utes and at intervals blew his whistle
watched him through a crack IN tn
door.
There was nothing to do but run 70
it. or be caught like a rat In trap. so
decided on the former course. I slippe,
-,
the treacherous ice. and started mp tn,
river toward wharf at the upper end o
my beat Ice cracked beneath my fee
at every step, and as 7 ran ] entertained
visions Of an icy bath and possible dealt
by drowning.
The inspector was blowing his whist
all this time, but paid no attention unit
got safely on the wharf and out on tn
street at the end OF my beat Then
began TO blow as hard as / could, walk
ing meanwhile toward the inspector
Evidently he was greatly surprised, bu
he soon Joined me and asked where ! IA
been while ne was searching for me
chuekled when he told me how h. Ia
been blowing, and assured him the win
had carried away the sound Of hi
whistle. Nothing more was said abol
the matter. though I believe that 10 th
day old-er-the inspector is suspicion
about that night"
Another story told Of the same inspe,
tor IS from the First precinct. TWO po
Iicemen were assigned TO a beat belo
Pennsylvania Avenue northwest. Tho
went on duty al midnight After a nun
Der Of turns" about their beat fl OF
CURED to them that it would Doe moi
agreeable 10 sit by a warm fire than
be exposed 10 the biting wind and oce.
sional hurries Of snow.
There was at that time a watchma
stationed In a small shed Do Stree
near the lumber yards and he kept
fire blazing in a little box stove with
the shed. The policemen made the she
their temporary headquarters and Oh a
night in question were about 10 see
shelter there when the night inspect
was sighted coming down the street. II
policemen stood in the shadow Of q hul
pile Of lumber and watched the iu-pccto
who was looking for them.
According 10 the story afterward toll
the Inspector failing 10 discover the p
licemen hiding IN the shadow. laid hin
self down on the top Of pile Of boau
directly behind the shed IN which q
Waterman sat beside his red-hOt stow
Apparently the inspector was watching f
somebody, and the policemen concIud,
he was lying IN wait for them. Howev
this may be. the policemen beat a mas