The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-09-21

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quires all the judgment they can command
10 know just what is best to do
II often happens. when called over in the
west end OF town. where large numbers of
coIored people live. that 1t Is difficult to
learn the cause Of trouble, because no one
can be induced to talk. For instance, it
often happens when fights occur among
them. some will become frightened and
call the police: some one else will say
that the bicycle men are coming, and at
once all trouble will cease. and when the
police arrive all they will see is a small
crowd huddled together. When approached
by the officers and asked about the trouble,
each man will declare, 81 dunno" and
that Is all he will say. 1t is the same on
Eddy street, which has become famous on
account OF the Polish Jews who live there.
They will get to fighting among themselves
and some one will call the police, but be-
fore they arrive the trouble will be hushed
up. unless Ii is some one outside OF their
own nationality who is involved, and then
the whole street will want to appear as
witnesses against him.. In this neighbor-
hood the women play a prominent part in
all excitement, and whenever the police try
to talk to a man his wife, all of his daugh-
tiers and sisters will try to tell just how 1t
happened. The police say the people in
each section Of the city have their own
characteristics and peculiarities.
HOURS OF TROUBLE.
The bicycle policemen have their bust
ness down TO such a fine point that they
can tell at what hours OF day and night
10 expect the calls, and they can also tell
by the hours the calls come what the ma
ture cf the trouble is. About l o'clock in
the morning there Is always a run or two.
and then about 5 o'clock there is generally
some trouble. From that time until noon
everything is pretty quiet. Then they liven
up a little until about 2 o'clock; after this
everything is rather peaceable until 5
O'Clock in the evening, and from then unit!
midnight the bicycle policeman is kept
busy. for there is always trouble some
where. From 10 o'clock on until midnight
Is when the burglaries and house-break-
ings are discovered. People generally find
them out after spending the evening some
where and coming home. A majority Of
the calls OF this nature come to the de-
partment on Sunday evening. when most
everyone has gone to church. Also on
holidays the bicycle men are kept busy
from the number of fights that occur on
SuC OdyS. II - always hOtASCobAC eAoe
during regular working hours everything
is generally pretty quiet, but as soon as
the average run of day workers become
idle then the policeman's work begins.
Saturdays are looked upon with dread by
the bicycle police. On this day from noon
until Monday morning the squad is on the
go all the time. and more fights occur
than on any other day. One Saturday night
- - - Ato~-1lc noyf14
made sixteen arrests. while the other
brought in twelve. making In all twenty
eight. 1t is also another strange thing
that Mondays and Tuesdays are generally
quiet days. so far as fights are concerned
During these two days the class Of people
who frequent saloons have no money to
buy liquor. AS the general run Of cases
go. it is only the saloon 'frequenters who
cause. the police trouble, and as one OF
the officers remarked recently that in fights
nine-tenths Of the men were drunk when
brought In and locked up.
The experiences of a bicycle policeman,
together with a study of the people he
meets. would furnish a novelist with ma
>ferial. The only trouble is, however, that
a bicycle policeman. while fully appreciat-
ing that his life is as full of queer in
cidents as the weather is of changes, looks
on them all as part of the business and
simply wonders what will turn up next.
Many of the calls that thew have amount
TO nothing; these kind OF runs are getting
so numerous that when a couple of bicycle
men pull up where they were sent and
find nothing doing they think no more
about II. To show what some people think
the bicycle police are for, Patrolmen
STREET. and Losh were given q hurry-up
call 10 the extreme southern part of the
city. When they arrived they found two
men,, one Of whom had a wagon and the
other a buggy. II seems that the man
with the wagon had run into the other
mans buggy. but had not broken or in
jured il in the least. But the man wanted
HIS buggy examined by a blacksmith, and
the other fellow was willing, but said that
he would take 1t to his blacksmith, while
the other one said he would have it taken
to his. And as they could not decide
which one they should go to they called
the bicycle police TO decide for them. Now,
instead Of losing their temper, they listened
to both sides of the story and then said
that as the man who ran into the buggy
was going to pay the bill he should take
the rig where he pleased.
FACING DEATH.
Such cases are among the trivial ones in
the career OF a bicycle patrolman. Then
there come times when he stares death in
the face as eoolly as he did the man with
the broken buggy. This was shown some
few years ago when two of them received
a tip that three burglars VINO had com.
mitted a robbery at Carthage, Ind, were
here In a room The policemen, going over
to make an arrest, met a sergeant, and
he went with them. This made three
against three. but the criminals had the
advantage. The officers went up a Ions
fight OF stairs leading to a hall. The last
room at the end or this hall was the one
they sought. So. going easily TO the door
they raped. but there was no response
They put their shoulders 10 the door and
broke IT IN Then. drawing their pistols
they entered. with only the lights OF their
bicycle lanterns to guide them. and the
sight they saw made their blood run a
i little cold. but they did not finch. Over In
the corner farthest from the door. with the
feather bed arranged so as to protect them
were the three men, and each had a re.
volver pointed directly at the patrolmen
When the sergeant told them to surrender
for some unaccountable reason they die
without firing q shot. III they had taker
their advantage all three officers might