Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-09-16
UP-T0- !! | | STORIES
Pete Yetter, Che Oldest Ac-
tive Cop, d in This Country.
INCUBATOR 4
HOW ST. tours POLICE CATCH
Auro scoRcHERs.
An Heraldic Coat Of Arms Worked Out
in Flowers in Pleas
ure Park.

Still active and wiry despite his seventy
nine years, Peter F. Yetter, Familiarity |
known as 'Old Pete. of Trenton avenue
and Dauphin streets, Philadelphia. Pa, is
acknowledged to be the Oldest policeman
In active duty in the United States.
This daddy Of cops" is familiar figure
in the northeast section of the Quaker city,
his beat being in the heart of the business
section OF kensington. Everybody Is ac-
qualnted with him and the fathers of sons |
Wnom ne good naturedy scatters when they
play some mischievous pranks, declare that |
he looks scarcely day older than he did, |
when he chased them a quarter of a CEN
fury ago. ~
Policeman Yetter was born on June Is. |
1877, in Philadelphia The laws then relat- |
ing TO age limit of the appointees to the
ponce force were not strict they are
at present. Now, a man, except he be an
old soldier, cannot get on the force If he
be over forty years old
When 'Old Pete became a policeman
on september 8, 1874, times in the Quaker
city were far more strenuous than they are
now. Then there were several hard gangs
OF young men who rejoiced in such appella-
tn', as >. the snapper Gang the Fish !
was no joke for the policemen, for in those |
days there were no patrol wagons and the
men were compelled to walk their prison.
erS to the lookup, in momentary danger of |
pelng set upon by a prisoners friends.
fetters beat was located in the tough |
section. Those days were enough to try |
men nerves, he said, and I often tell
the younger men, when they complain Of |
the hardships Of the service nowadays |
that they don't know whereof they speak
Al the older men will tell you of the hard
times we often had in landing our prison.
ers. Many time we had to fairly carry a
drunk on our backs or borrow wheel |
barrow. And when people were injured, |
Wnen the hospital ambulance wasn't avail |
abie, we had to carry them through the |
streets on hand stretchers. Many a battle |
too. we had with the friends of prisoners |
trying to take them away from u.s. Those
days were indeed strenuous times for DO |
llcemen. l feel just as good now as did |
dozen years ago. and as capable of per- |
forming active duty. like the work, al
though my people have tried to get me to
give it up 1 could still give many a |
younger man tussle.'
Extraordinary Baby Show.
Without doubt the most extraordinary
and unusual baby show on record the
world over was that recently held in New
York, being a congress of infant incubator
graduates, the novel affair proving con-
clusively to the average mother that |
science in this age is accomplishing mar
Vicious results in saving babies.
Deprived of the scientific and truly Won !
derful incubator, not one of these infants !
could have survived. All vital statistics |
prove that the percentage of mortality |
among prematurey born children under |
ordinary conditions, is nearly 100. On the |
other hand, the percentage of mortality |
among infant incubator babies is said to |
be not more than ten ~
The recent living anthropological eX- |
hibit showed an aggregate of about forty |
incubator graduates ranging In age all the
way from three months. which is the usual |
periou allowed them in the incubators, to |
three years. In the case of the latter, there |
were three from Brooklyn-triplets-I
whose lives had been saved at the incuba- |
position in Buffalo, in 1901, and who now |
are as big, bright beautiful and healthy |
any youngsters at their age.
A Family Base Ball Nine.
1t is doubtful if there Is another town in |
the United States outside of Wappingers |
Falls, Duchess county. New York, that can |
boast of the distinction of having base !
ball nine. with substitute player, all in |
the one family-not merely ten members. |
but ten good base ball players. They have |
not only established a reputa ton by play |
ing among themselves, but by figuring con- |
spicuously in teams along the Hudson river. |
This novel nine is made UP of the sons Of |
Mr. and Mrs. Adolph Birkenmeyer of High |
street, Wappingers Falls. Although they |
are all first-class ball players they never or |
ganized solid team until two months |
ago. The team is made up as follows: Chas. |
Brkenmeyer catcher; John Birkenmeyer
pitcher; Joseph Brkenmeyer short sion.
Oscar Birkenmeyer, first base; Albert Rirk- |
enmeyer, second base: Hugh Birkenmeyer |
third base; Adolph Birkenmeyer ir left
neld; James Birkenmeyer, center field; Vim |
cent Birkenmeyer right field. Ravmond
Birkenmeyer, substitute
Inc team has already established good |
record for itself. not yet having suffered de- |
feat at the hands of any of the many strong
opposing base ball teams which 1t has an
rcountered this season. Mrs Adoinb p;rh
enmeyer, mother of the ten bali nIayers |
keeps the score of every game PLAYED.
Catching Scorchers.
St Louis is the first city in the limited |
States to inaugprate the use of the rnoderr |
automobile in the apprehension of automo. |
bile scorchers, having recently invested in |
an up-to-date car, costing $500, to be ma
nipulated by the motor COPS" of tho notice
department.
This car was designed especially for the
police department of St Louis. for the pur-
pose of overtaking reckless automobii.s
who persist in fracturing the city's sneed
ordinances.
The car is what is known as a double
cylinder car, and has speed capacity of |
fifty miles an hour, and Is provided with a |
gauge to indicate the speed at which thu
car is moving.
Thus far it's working by the "motor cons"
has proved a grand success and the auto
moblists of st. Louis numbered nv many
hundreds, are now fully aware that thay
must keep within the speed required by
the ordinance suffer the consequences
Almost every day now it is no unconmon |
sight to witness series of impronptr racas
between ordinance breakers and the "motor
cops" of the mound city.
Unique Floral Conceit
Thanks to the public spirit of the penee
Urban Council England, the peop'e who
live within its jurisdiction are blessed with |
recreation ground recently described by a |
resident, himself a member of the London
county council, Cyas one which has not its |
equal in the whole of London
The council. assisted by voluntary suh
scriptions, acquired at a reasonable rate :,
few years age plot of four acres OF
meadow on the Beckenham road Tondon