The evening world., 1903-01-02
"honest Policeman" from
Brooklyn Takes Command
and Starts the Electric-Light
Community Guessing.
PEN PICTURE OF THE MAN.
BeIIevee In Hard Work, and Says the
Newspapers Are a Powerful Fac.
Tor In Making That Work Effect.
I've.

Capt. Miles o'Reilly is in charge OF
the Tenderloin. News OF the fact has
been spread in all the newspapers Of
Manhattan. UP in the giddy electric
Light district they are to-day talking It
over.
They" In q general sense, means the
rambler who has a luxurious palace for
his patrons; the pool-room man who
lays the odds on New Orleans and San
Francisco races: the dive keeper whose
resort is open all night in the guise Of
Raines law hotel; the tough, the tout,
the thief and others who fear the light
and resent the law.
''They," the individuals specified. are
asking one another, who Is Capt. Miles
O'Reilly?" They have vague idea
that he is an honest policeman. That,
in the light OF their experience. Is some
thing to be wondered at.
They have heard that he wiped out
the Tenderloin in Brooklyn and trans
formed 1t into veritable Sunday
school. They have heard that he came
to New York and made the redoubta-
BILE Peter De Lacy throw up his hands.
They have heard that no disorderly
houses, no gambling resorts, no side
door violations can exist in the same
precinct with Capt. Miles o'Reilly. They
ask how he accomplishes all these
ehings.
His own Version.
Ask him yourself. Miles o Reilly is
modest. He will say:
Sure. the newspapers do it They
print the news that Miles O'Reilly will
do this and that. and the poor devils
of lawbreakers take to their heels and
run. 1t isn't me. 1t is the newspapers.
Publicity Is the greatest aid to the
police captain who wants to do honest
police duty"
But before the bold and defiant law
breakers of the Tenderloin take to their
heels and run away they will 30 around
and take peep at the man whose record
10 clean and who insists on the observ-
ance OF the law In the strict letter.
Pen Picture of the Man.
And they will find a tall man. OF spare
proporti tions. A man with slight stoop
to his shoulders. A man with kindly
face. in which twinkle q pair Of merry
blue eyes. A face in which the features
are strong. though kindly. Hsi jaw is
clean and has character. His sandy mus
tache is aggressive. It bristles and
stands out. As rule. men with a mus
tache OF this sort are peppery and
xnown as fighters.
His dress is plain. He seldom parades
In uniform. hating display. A rusty
brown overcoat covers the brilliant blue
and gold when he goes out on the
street, and he wears as a rule a soft
hat Of the Fedora pattern.
His manner Is courteous. He has the
native wit of his race-he was born In
Ireland-and he does not boast He
shakes hands cordially and firmly. He
looks straight into the eye of friend and
foe alike. and that merry twinkle can
change to the coldest. hardest CLINT
when occasion requires.
He supplements his tribute to the
newspapers by saying of himself:
al do nothing but police duty"
With Capt. O'Rellly that phrase means
enforcement OF the law without COM
promise. 1t means for all saloon-keepers
in his district a strict observance of
the Excise laws 1t means Punishment
for dive-keepers. gamblers and pool
room men.
Peter De Lacy, the man who never
closed his Park Row pool-room until
Capt. O'Reilly went to Oak street.
knows what 1t means
In spite OF the Oak street record of
the new Tenderlon commander the
gamblers are ready to bid him defiance.
They are In defiant mood because of
their success In having Inspector
Brooks held for raidlng Canfeld's, and
they will at least try Capt o'Reillys
mettle.
Gamblers Fight Back.
1--WE will stand pat on this bluff
of the new Commissioner" said n
leader among the Tenderloln gamblers
To-day This man o'Reilly may be
a terror to gamblers OF the Oak street
variety, but he Is In new world up
here, 1 understand he has never been
through the Tenderloin except in
street car. We will wait until he gets
his feet on the ground. | guess he
hasn't any more brains or backbone
than Capt. Dick Walsh, and what did
he do? Is this Commissioner Greene
hnv smarter than old man Partridge?
We want to find that out, and
we will be In business right along
Anyhow. we are not going to run when
OReilly baTks, He will have to chew
steel before ne will make any Impress
Ion on U.S."
The pool-room keepers are not so de-
hant They realize that 1t is an easy
matter TO honest plain clothes men TO
get evidence against them. and they
know OF Capt o'Reillys method OF put
ting pool-rooms out OF business by keep
ing men inside and out OF suspected
places during business hours, Proprie-
tors OF places like the Haymarkst and
other Twenty-ninth street resorts have
had plenty OF trouble with Capt Walsh.
They expect more from Cant. O'Rellly