The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-01-02
BIRTHDAY OF CHIEF
NEW YEARS FIRST DAY IS GER-
 AIDS ANNIVERSARY.
Veteran Head of Montgomery Police Department Spent Day at Home.
 Nursing RheumatisTn-A
 PictureSuue Character.

I
 As the last bell strokes of 12 o'clock marked the ending of the old year and | the morning of the first day of 1905 | began, twelve months had been added
 to the age of the most picturesque | figure in Montgomery. Police Chief Gerald was 64 years old yesterday. The veteran chief of the Montgom- | cry Police Department spent his birth ] day at his home. corner of Washington { and Jackson streets, with his family and enjoyed the day as muSA as his
 rheumatism would allow. It troubles him now and then, and twas his i'll luck for the twinges to return with | his birthday.
 A retrospect of the sixty-four years l of his life brings to mind the mem | ories of twenty-six years he has | served in the interests of the people | of Montgomery as Chief of the Po- lice Department. No man Is probably better known in Montgomery than Chief Adolphus Sanford Gerald or has | more friends.
 He has led strenuous life and has | had. as other men, his ups and downs, | but he has gone through 1t all with fortitude that Is remarkable and he | is today wonderfully preserved for
 his age.
 | So he stayed at home on his birth day and received the congratulations
 and wishes of his friends that he
 would live as long as he wished to
 live and that he would have what he
 wished as long as he lived. Chief Gerald has lived in Montgom- | cry county all the years of his life and | since his connection with the police ] department has watched it grow from
 sixteen men to forty-nine men, which
 he still regards as entirely inadequate
 for city of the importance of Mont | gomery.
 l Chief Gerald has not been at the
 head of the Montgomery department 1 twenty-six years continuously His | continuous record is twenty-four
 years. He was out of the service six years.
 December 1s, 1878. Adolph Gerald | then S2 years old, was elected chief of
 police by the City Council and began
 his service with Henry Faber as
 Mayor. He served two years and six
 months. being succeeded by the late General w. w. Allen, who was chief
 of police of Montgomery from 1875 to 1 1881. During his term of office, M l..
 Moses was Mayor of Montgomery.
 With the inauguration of Hon, J. B.
 Gaston, now probate judge of this
 county, as Mayor of Montgomery in 1881, Adolph Gerald was elected chief l UT pOllCe, since WnlCn time he has held
 the office. He served from 1881 to
 1885 under Mayor Gaston; from 1885
 to 1889 under Mayor Warren s. Reese; from 1889 to 1891 under Mayor
 E. A. Graham; from 1891 to 1895 under
 Mayor John G. Crommelin; from 1895
 to 1899 under Mayor John H. Clisby: from 1899 to 1903 under Mayor E. B. Joseph, and is now serving another
 term under Mayor Thomas H. Carr. | When Chief Gerald was given
 charge of the Montgomery Police De-
 partment in 1873 the officer ranking
 next to the chief was a lieutenant.
 This office was held by Moses P. ] Hickman. He was succeeded by John
 Martin during the incumbency of l Mayor M. l.. Moses and while Chief
 Gerald was out of the s>-vice, Martin
 was given the title of captain, and re-
 mained in that position until about
 three years ago, when he removed to
 Brooklyn, N. r., and was succeeded by | Police Captain William H. Taylor. Chief Gerald was born at Fitzpat-
 rick, then in Montgomery county, Jan
 uary l. 1s4l. He was the only son
 of P. $. Gerald, a native of New York. who was many years ago a prominent
 citizen of this county. He died in 1865.
 l The veteran police chief was edu-