The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-02-07
n,d.T;tne Police Officers.

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Old-Time Police Officers.
Tho germ. 80 TO speak, of the modern
CITY police force was the night-watcll-
,not, who with lantern In hand made his
weary rounds with measured tread, ana
called out the hours, muttering, ATS
we'll"
In the daytime constables served war
rants md preserved tho peace. Later
on there was a blending OF tho two forces.
vet there were ''dny officers" and might
of,icers.'' In London they wore on their
helmets brass letter initials, which tolu
what their Office was. Hence Y. ~ :.
for constable Of police.
At one period. IN nearly every city, It
was required Of the police to light tho
street lamps, which In the earlier days
were furnished with oil and wick; then
gas came into vogue and now we have
electricity for our principal streets, and and
gas for unimportant ones. But only IN
small cities are policemen expected to
tend the gas lamps; here they have been
relieved from that duty in comparatively
recent years and other men-lamp light-
ers-urc now employed to do that work.
with the growth Of citiesI more and
mora mon are required to police them:
probably the increase Of police has been
less pro rata than tho increase OF popu-
1atIon. It seems to be n fact that
boys ana young men do not stand In awe
Of the police as they used to do. Here
in Richmond the name Of Captain. Byrd
Page, tor instance. was q terror to the
Troublesome Or; evil-doing youth. Few OF
Richmond's youth are awed by police
man now. Is it that there really has
been a change in the manners and habits
of our boys, or In our retrospection col
or:ed by the glamour Of the past7
However the average Southern ante
bellum city. did not need very many police zee
| men. The slaves were rigldly disciplined
by their masters and the whites were
quiet. easy-going folk. Along about 1856
or 60 Richmond had but five day and four
night Officers" as follows: Cadmus G.
Johnson, Reuben IT, Seal. Edwin II
Charley, Ben NJ. Morrlss. w. B. Page
and Archibald Wilkinson, Gervas S
Truehart, W. N. Kelly and Richard Rens
During the war this force was en-
larged besides there was a provost guard
which ,patrolled the city looking out fol-
soldiers absent from their commands
! without leave. And yet in those days
-or nights rather-many deeds OF VIC
| = CtraatS
one period uchmond was infested witt
4 "garoters, " mon who waylaid passers-b!
i and choked them until they SURRENDERED
their valuables.
The war over, the slave population
freed, Richmond tho temporary home
many dangerous characters, white ant
black, the necessity for large 20
i lice force became greater than ever. ant
i the force was reorganized with Majo
John II. Claiborne as chief and r. L
Seal. c. Fl. Epps, E. II. Chalkley, w. N
Kelly, w. T. Bibb, w. S. Jinkins, nn
Russell s. Belts as captains. There wer
10 Scrgeants, 81 roundsmen, and de
tectives; total 1os.
That was 1896. before Clay and Mar
shall wards had been added to the city
Later on, the force was reduced. Ye
the police were relieved Of the duty Q
lighting lamps.
When the reconstruction acts went int
effect Major Claiborne was removed, Q
resigned, from office and In his place
United States army officer (Col. Egbert
was installed. Upon the "readmission
of the State into the Union an excitin
legal controversy arose and Richmon
had two mayors and two chiefs Of polio
and two police forces. For several day
there was war" between them.
Who those mayors were and what the
rivalry had to do with the Capitol dill
aster is another story, which We ma
tell some day. Suffice It to say now thu
Egbert was succeeded in the chiefs ofi't
by Major John Poe, and when Major Pt
died, Major Howard was elected.
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