The evening world., 1902-12-05
RETORT
ACR0BATIC.
Inspector Thompson, Hearing
There Is an Intention to Re-
tire Him, Punctuates His OBJ
jections with Handsprings.
HIS KICK THE REAL THING.

Somebody went into Police Headquar-
ters in Jamaica to-day n said that
Commissioner Partridge was about to
retire Inspector Walter Thompson for
physical disability.
Retire met snorted the belhgerent
little Inspector. bouncing from his chair
and turning a somersault In the air.
Retire mo for G dead one will they?'
he continued. walking across the fioor
on his hands to the music of silver
coins dropping from his pockets. RE
tire me for physical disabil-four hand
springs and a head sptn-ity. Ell? Well
say. II there's any kid in the Depart
ment that's as good as your Uncle
Walter, let him stand forth for any old
thing from wrestling to putting the
shot,
Then the Inspector made a hitch kick
to the chandelier in his office. landed In
a split" made a quick half turn.
walked three feet on his right ear n
more blown than IL he had just knocked
out an Intoxicated college boy at the
Readers who know the g~ray-haired
little inspector by s~ight-and he is
known to thousands OF New Workers
from his long service In prominent in
spection districts on Manhattan Island
may tharJl this Introduction is a
piece of reportorial imagination, but 1t
10 not. The timber little ~sixty-year-old
Inspector gives the performance out
every day and he is proud OF his ability
to do any circus trick on the stage or
in the sawdust arena.
do Why SHOULDN'T II" he asks II. you
these things ask, Tony Pastor. When
Tony was a circus clown I was billed
as the Champion Bareback Rider OF
the World. l was the first man to do
back OF a g~alloping horse. These young
fellows that are featured to-day in the
Garden, for throwing a back somersault
from the horse to the ring are doing
And l wasn't a bareback rider alone.
1ertorners had to work those times.
When started in the business I ha:
to drive a wagon from town to town in
addition to helping put up the tents
and taking care of the horses. had to
take part in the jumping contests that
opened the circus. do at least two a.
a trapeze or bar stun n do my bare
back act besides.
Circus people arc long lived and
healthy. Their life makes them so.
When I left the circus l was hard as
nails, timber as al eel and as healthy
as n man alive. All the time l have
been a policeman l have kept up my
tNeTClSe, ana lO-udy, barring the nat
ural stiffness that comes to a man over
sixty years old. I am as good as ever
1 was.
Retire me for physical disability!
Why, look here. Are there many young
men on the force that can do this?"
The Inspector stood up straight and
bent down in front until the palms of
his hands were on the floor, with his
knees stif. In this position he walked
across the room. Then he straight
ened up and bent backward until his
hands touched the floor. raised his feet
and threw a back handspring.
Young man." he remarked. I'm just
waiting for the Board OF Examiners to
come down here to examine me for
physical disability. III make their
eyes stick out
The Inspector could apply for retire
ment II he desired, and 1t was thought
he would when he was shifted out to
the graveyard borough away from the
Madison Square Garden balls and the
big parades. But he has become recon-
ciied to his lot in Queens and wants to
stay there.