The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-12-26
GOOD ORDER WAS
KEPT BY POLICE
MUCH NOISE BUT NO CRIMES.
CHRISTMAS WAS REMARKABLE IN
MANY RESPECTS.

Docket for Hearing in Police Court
This Morning Is but Little Larger
Than That of Average Saturday
Night-AbOut Seventy Cases Have
Been DOcketed-POIice Had no
Authority to Stop Firing of Tor
pedO Sticks, 1t Is Claimed.
Despite the fact that Christmas Eve
and Christmas were the noisiest days
in the history of the city, the police
records show that there was less trou-
BILE than ever before.
In what are usually the two most
strenuous days of the year. ending at
midnight last night. there was not a
homicide. There was not even a Sc
Tious shooting or cutting ARRAY to an
noy the uniformed and plain clothes
broke all records.
This remarkable condition of affairs
IS accounted for by the police in sew
eral ways. The weather conditions,
however, they say, were really respon-
sible for the very pleasant situation.
Fair and warm weather was just what
the police had wished for. This as
sured crowds on the streets. rather
than indoors, and fewer drinks to keep
the cold out
Weather Helped the Police.
Had the days been cold and wet"
said the superintendent of police last
night matters might have been vast
ly different. We usually find that it
is during bad weather that drinking is
more general and quarrels brew much
quicker indoors than out in the open.
There is little doubt that the pres
ence of officers every few yards in the
more crowded districts inundated
those who might have allowed their
hilarity to lead to personal encount-
ers of more or less serious degree.
While the calling out of the entire
force for duty between the hours of
p. m. and l a. m. Christmas eve might
not now seem to have been necessary,
we believe this ounce of preventative
was worth several pounds of cure
City Wen Guarded.
Few citizens knew just what pre-
cautions were taken to see that the
law was observed as far as it was in
the power of the police department to
have it. In addition to the large force
of men which patrolled Broughton
street and interfered wherever it be-
came evident that trouble would re-
suit from encounters, mounted men in
pairs rode up and down the streets in
districts where there were few pedes-
TRANS. They also rode in and out of
the lanes, closely scrutinizing and
questioning all suspicious looking char
acters. This was kept up all night.
At intervals during the night the
superintendent of police and two of
the detectives made the rounds of the
city in the big Ford automobile, giving
special instructions wherever neces-
sary. Everywhere the machine APP
peared the crowds recognized it i'm
mediately as the special patrol.
Police Court This Morning.
Theae are about seventy-fve cases
docketed for hearing in Police Court
this morning. Most of these are for
drunk and disorderly conduct There
are two cutting ARRAYS, two shootings
and two violations of the city ordi-
nance relating to the firing of pistols
in the streets
When it was apparent that Christ
mas Eve would be the quietiest in
years II was predicted at police head
quarters that this was merely a calm
which preceded a storm which would
break loose yesterday. These predic-
tons failed to materialize, however,
and the police had a very quiet time.
Anent Torpedo Sticks.
In regard to the general use of the
torpedo sticks. which created such a
din on Broughton street Saturday night
the police claim they were powerless
10 forbid any one using the sticks.
This matter came w before Coun-
Gil last Christmas and the aldermen
refused to pass a special ordinance
after it had been shown that these de-
vice We're not fireworks and would
not injure any one, or set anything on
fire.
No attempt was made either last
year or this year to stop the firing of
these sticks on the streets, and the SUI
perintendent of police was not author
lied to issue any such orders.