The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-09-12
RIOT CALLS WERE SENT in
A GREAT AssEMBLAGE OF POLICE
MEN TO THE NORTH.
Three Mischievous Boys Took Advan-
taEe of an Opportunity to
Cause Trouble.

Sergeant Corrigan, who for one-third OF
twenty-four hours presdes over the desk at
police station, a vigil made up for the most
part of sitting, excited janglings of tele-
phone BELLS receiving messages of woe, and
dispatching bike men to round up petty Of
tenders, was ennui yesterday afternoon
about o'clock. The sergeant probably
would not have called 1t ennui, but it was
nothing less. There was air of innocu-
Gus desuetude about the whole place. With
the exception of the call of a lone female.
who lives on McCarty street and who want
ed to know If the sergeant couldn't send
man down there TO arrest woman who
gossiped about her and called her an old
cat. the telephones had gone to sleep with
the rest of the establishment. very fat
patrolman lounged in. rubbing the bulge of
his abdomen with the small end of his
club, drifted slowly up to the sergeant's
desk permitted a coy smile to part his
round. full-moon, German face from ear
to ear and fshed from the dark depths of
his helmet three cigars of the kind that
are manufactured. 1t is darkly whispered,
in undertaking establishments. The ser
geant, waking from gentle doze, tried the
temper of the cigar with his knife and lit
grunted something like thank you,' with
fine irony, and drifted back into the calm
street. There was nothing doing.
Then the big bell in the captains office
began to call jarringly for the wagon. The
sergeant moved slightly. 1t was some
thing, although very ordinary diversion.
The quiet that followed the tintinnabula-
ton of the brass was funereal by contrast.
Then everything broke loose at once, or,
as the story books say 'pandemonium
| reigned The big brass gong began to go
| through a series Of Delsarte movements
| that caused things to stir in every nook
and corner of the building. As fast as the
| sound could be recorded and transmitted
| the gong changed one riot call after an
| other and almost shrieked for the fast
| wagon In its metal vehemence. Sergeant
| Corrigan was himself again and began
issuing orders with the rapidity and pre-
| cision of Napoleon on the field OF. Aus
| terlitz. The peace and quiet had dfsap-
| peared like the the melting of fog before
the sun and the sergeant was glad of it..
He ordered six bikemen to ride fast for the
| point of the call Every available patrol
| man was likewise ordered to hustle for the
spot. The sergeant had visions of blood
| hungry mob stringing a negro to tree
and filling the body with assorted shot.
| Evidently the fat patrolman had similar
visions. With the changing of the gong he
had poked his head around the corner of
the door and then had concluded he was
| not needed. With something approaching
| to speed, he made off.
| The bikemen rode, and the patrolmen
| got there any way they could. There was
| Capitol avenue and Seventeenth street. AT
| the corner Patrolman Greene was tenderly
| helping to carry two very drunk young
| men into the wagon, which had got there
| first. The constabulary arrived on the in
stallment plan. First there was a pair OF
| bikemen, then another pair, then another
| pair, then three patrolmen came round a
corner, putting and blowing, then two more
came from the west. Still they kept com
ing, until the corner looked like roll call
| at police station Greene was astounded
and his inebriated charges hardly less SO
| In their amazement they sobered. The
army was disguised. The only persons
who saw anything of humor in the stua-
| ton were three small boys concealed be-
| hind fence about half a square away
| They rolled and kicked and howled In
| laughter as the bluecoats gesticulated
| grunted and finally ambled back the way
| they came.
| The story is a simple tale of Juvenile
| depravity. Greene found it necessary &c
arrest two young men. Both were drunk
and the wagon was needed. He made his
call in the usual way from the box. ant
| then forgot to close the box door. While
waiting for the wagon three young mis-
| creants slipped up to the box and begar
sending in riot calls as fast as their small
fingers could manipulate the dial. They
had lots of fun, but it's a trick that won
work twice.