, 1905-12-09

The New York Herald of the Sd con-
tanned a two-column article from its
Panama correspondent, accompanied
by a double column portrait of Captain
Stanton of this city, son of Colonel
Thomas Stanton, and a few of his men,
members of the canal zone police. The
writer is a personal and long time
friend of the captain and the letter is
of particular and peculiar interest. 1t
deals with the conditions on the zone
as far as lawlessness is concerned,
having the following references to Cap
tain Stanton:
"At Bias Obispo, Matachin, Georgona,
Barbacoas and other camps of unsav-
DRY memory from the French days
there were now and then life n mu-
sic and laughter, but no disorder or
unseemIy scenes. From there to Colon,
the end of the line, it was the same.
Colon itself was dead to the world.
How do you cou for this condi,
ton of affairs?' asked the correspond
ent of George r. Stanton of Chugwat-
err, Wyo.,c chief Of the zone police whilom
Buffalo Bills king of the Cowboys
and more recently captain of Troop C,
Torrey's Rough Riders. 1t is q%uieter
than a New England village. Have all
THE bad men been roped or killed.
4" Hardly" laughed the chief. we
haven't hurt n of them yet; they are
all here. | have only 1856 men for the
whole zone, but the climate and loca-
ton help a whole lot. Il guess they are
the best policemen he added, mod
estly.
"'You see, a sober man doesn't want
to go out in the rainy season and a
drunken man cans. He gets stuck
in the mud We have some crime,
very little, because a mar can't get
away. It's worse than an island for him.
The canal runs through a jungle to two
seaports, which we car easily watch.
If he takes to the woods he can't go
far. There are only a few trails, and |
have them guarded. In the brush it's
bugs and no grub, and after a night or
two he's got to come back to the line
somewhere. There has been nothing
doing since a year ago last May, when
we organized the one police along
novel lines adapted to our peculiar
needs. There aro-14G blacks wearing
the uniform and / have asked for $50
for the text year
"The most impressive figure OF all
is the chief himself. To the laborers.
brawny and reckless as they are, he
is a mountain of a man. The sight
of him dashing along with careless
grace astride his coal black broncho,
Whisky Pete, hat non else a ride
excites their admiration.
Shannon Is several inches more
than six feet in height, weighs more
than 200 pounds, and looks and moves
like an athlete. His frank, rather boy
ish face betrays a disposition to be
friendly, but the smile he wears is an
enigma. Nobody gets gay with Shan
ton.
THE fact is well known that he won
the $1,000 prize for roping steers in
Denver, and his reputation for gun
play and 'broncho busting preceded
him. Another and gentler fact, that
Margaret Lamar, the only daughter of
a proud southern family, eloped to mar
ry the dashing young cowboy in old
MORO castle in Cuba and has come
here to live with him adds to his popu-
|larity among the romance loving Pan
amanians. The Shantons occupy an at
tractive house at Ancon and are popu-
lar in native society. L owe all my
luck with these people Il my wife,
said the chief, She speaks their
tongue and knows their ways
ut will be a shock to Tammany,"
continues the correspondent, ito learn
that Captain Stanton, besides being
chief of police, is marshal of the SUI
.preme court and circuit courts of the
canal zone, warden of the state prison
and coroner. Good men are scarce AMI
Stanton is a hustler. His salary for
the job lot of offices is $4,000, and he
earns it, for there is something doing
in n or more of his offices all the
time"