The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-07-19
WESTERN POLICE SLANG.
Expressions That Are Heard in the
Kansas City Police Station.

Kansas CITY Police Station.
From the Kansas City Journal.
"Will she croak?" called the short
stop" man as he stood at the head Of
the big iron stairway and yelled to the
jailor as he stood in the door at the
landing.
81 don't know. I'll ask the bone pull
err" replied the turnkey, and with that
he slammed the big door, which closed
with bang that resounded through the
whole building.
In moment he returned and called
UP the stairs: "Shes already passed
in her checks. Call the white wagon"
1t was at police headquarters. The
"shortstop" man was the police officer
who is kept at the central station to
be ready to go a short distance and
make an arrest in cases of emergency,
a kind of general utility man in case
it is not practicable to call up the Off
Ger on the beat in which the services of
police officer are needed. The desk
| sergeant had told him to ascertain
whether "she" who lay on a table in
dead or not. The bone puller' was
the surgeon himself. "She" was one of
those unfortunate women of the north
end, whose destiny after a few hours
of vice and crime was suicide. A quar-
rel followed by a fit of dependency
had been sufficient to send her to a
nearby drug store where she bought an
ounce of carbolic acid. Then a little
cheap melodrama in which she plays
Il = H. he l.
drinks the poison after tragically bid
ding them goodbye. The police were
notified and the woman was bundled
into the emergency ambulance and hur-
ried to the central station, where an
attempt was made to cheat her of her
glory.
When the jailor went to the surgeons
room to do the desk sergeant's bidding
he was met by the surgeons remark
ut was too late; she's all in. Call the
white wagon"
Why the undertaker's ambulance
which hauls away the tragic load from
police headquarters should be called
the white wagon" is one of those
strange peculiarities of a police sta
ton that cannot be accounted for but
II is known by no other name. AS a
matter Of fact, the ambulance is of a
dull, black hue, but in police circles
IL IL Known as the WNUe wagon.
The conversation that passed be-
tween the jailer and the "shortstop"
man suggests the fact that there are
only two ways to die at central police
station. In police parlance there is no
other way to give up life and pass
into the great beyond. One way is to
''croak" and the other Is to pass in
your checks"
That lower and more vicious class Of
| human beings who inhabit the North
! end of Kansas City and who pass in
and out of the police station month
in and month out, protesting to the
desk sergeant and pleading with the
police judge, form a race of people
who are well-nigh distinct, and who
have language Of their own.
Among the negroes a police officer
Is known as ode law" His approach
upon a crap game in an alley is her
aided with the warning: Here comes
de law. He's born in de timber and
knows how to handle it. If he bounces
de locust off'n yo' haid yo'll have to
spread de cream for de judge in de
mawnn'."
When this one expression is trans
lated it explains a great deal of slang
used In Kansas City below the divid-
ing line, Fifth street. When he spread
the alarm that sent the negroes sour
rying in all directions from the crap
game in the alley and gave his timely
warning, he said in calm, polite Eng