Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1902-11-30
The DanGers Of Duty.
/. Persls OF the Police.

.'ss;H. ana seized one or them by the
arm "nlie ne felt for any weapons which
s. .,s -. oe concealed about him. At this
junction the other negro whinned on, ;.
revolver and fired point blank into
MINORS face, AS result the officer inst
one eye and has all but lost the sight
OF the other
Bnt did Minor weigh. or measure. or
arink OF danger before he wen, into It?
NO. ne followed the line of his duty as
every man on the force does every Ga.
OF his life: and it went against him. Has
~ deferred other officers from arresting
suspicious characters? Not In the slight
est degree. The same sort of danger that
Minor met s,ouches up and down the
streets and alleys of Richmond every day
ana night; and If suspicion falls upon
dnskS. skulkinE figure 1t is stopped and
questioned. armed or unarmcd. How
often this happens no one man can tell
Tor many such cases amount to nothing
and md no place in the station books
The case OF Sergeant Brooks and Shaw
was an interesting one. 1t happened
i'te more than sixteen years ago. "A
theatrical production entitled "a ParIor
Match. had been doing the rounds Of the
South Some strange Find Of chance or
more tangible connection. had givet,
several towns a little spell Of safe
blowing on the same dates which were
paved by this aggregation of actors. So
when the "Par!or Match came to Rich
fnord the police were on the q1Ii vfve
On Monday morning. March Is. 1885. a
stranger entered the sore of Hermann
Schmidt. on Broad street. and by his
scrutiny OF the Office safe aroused the
suspicious OF Mr.. Carl Wippermann, the
manager Of the store
This fact was Immediately reported to
the police. That night the safe. carefully
cmptied of its contents. was watched by
two policemen. who sat in the store all
night waiting for their bird to come.
But he didn't cone-at least, not that
night
But early Wednesday morning Shaw
entered the place and began his work. He
fixed h. powder charge and lighted his
fuse but something missed connection
and the whole affair ended in a fzzle.
Two officers on the outside heard the
man at work. but couldn't get in to him.
He escaped before achievements could
arrive and surround the building.
When the time came for the morning
trains to so out. Sergeant Brooks and
Sergeant Tonlinson. with Mr.. Wiper
mann. went to the station to watch for
their burglar.
They made one vain search through
the trains. Then Sergeant Toml:nson left
the others and looked through another
part OF the lIaln-SilC IN inc
Sergeant Brooks and l-r. Wipperman. at
ter a second search through their train,
espied Shaw outside the Platform.
Sergeant BROOKS walked up to the bur-
glar and laid a hand on his shoulder.
hat Go you want With me?' asked
Shaw.
LIS serseant's answer was to the point.
Il arrest you as 4 suspicious charac-
ter
;SAaw made dive for liberty.
The sergeant threw himself onto the
Burglars back and grasped him about
the waist. a revolver fell from Shaws
left hand and ratified on the station floor.
Sergeant Brooks reached for Shaws
other hand just as the criminal pushed
the nuzzle Of another revolver back
ward against the officers abdomen and
fred.
Shaw then broke away. Brooks fired
at him. Shaw then fred again. The bull
let passed through the skirts Of the Off
Gers long coat. While the officer was
overcome by his wound, and before assis-
lance could reach him. Shaw escaped
Shaw's career for few days was spec
acular in the extreme. He got as far as
the coal fields in Chesterfield. where De-
tective Tom Wren gave HIM q load OF
bird-stot from a shotgun. Then he dou-
bled on his tracks. came back TO Rich.
mond. and was recognized one night by a
Waterman on Belle Isle. This Waterman
followed him across the bridge 10 the
plant of the Tredegar Company. where
the fugitive was captured.
But enough OF Shaw. l have only told
this to make plain the danger OF arrest
Ing criminal who has q record. and
10 whom Imprisonment means more than
tn. la,llg o1 a Lie.
Another example, that Of meeting
band of criminals in force, can be taken
from the record of this same officer. Scr
geant Brooks.
This WAS hac!. somewhere in the early
'91s A gang OF sate-blowers had teen
cleaning up the post-otiices and other
places along the valley Tier coup de
main had been In Far11ville. where they
Shot four safes in ore night.
These mon came down the Richmond
way and carnped in the woo6s along the
Southern railway, not far from the Belt
Line bri5ge.
A detail. composed of Sergeant Brooks.
and Officers Farley, Sutton. and Tal.ey.
sci out to capture the burglars:
For purposes of reconro ssance the po-
llce party divided. Officers Talley and
Sutton sl:irtins about through the woods.
while the seTs cant and officer Farley Kept
along the railroad. The two men who
walked the ties found their game-fve of
them.
There was no time for courtesies The
chances were more than even that every
man Of the five was armed to the teeth.
The two policemen covered the quintette
with their revolvers, and Sergeant Brooks
called: Hands away from your pocls-
cts: | arrest YOU as the worst gang Of
burglars in the country
Officers rTaley and Sutton came to the
scene and the whole layout was carried
to Richmond. where three Of the men
Clark, Haley. and Fox-were convicted.
BY some wordrous freak of criminal
nature these five men were unarned. But
neither Sergeant BrocKs no. any Of his