New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-03-19
GOSSIP OF THE BOROUGH.
Last Police Commander of Old City
RetireS- Department Gossip.

When Inspector Patrick H. Mclaughlin retires
within a few weeks. May l. it will be the retire
ment Of the last man who was ever in command Of
the police force of the old city of Brooklyn Out
Of thirty-three captains there now in active
service only eight who in charge of precincts
IN the old city. In little than seven years
since the consolidation the department has
changed greatly. With the exception of McLaugh-
lin, there IS only man alive who was ever in
command Of the Brooklyn force. The first Super
tntendent Of Police John S. Folk. He had
son. who died in command of the Atlantic-ave
or ''hoodoo" precinct. Folk was succeeded by
Patrick Campbell. The latter IS still alive He is
on the pension rolls. and is in excellent health
superintendent William J. McKelvey retired some
force when consolidation went into effect T 4id
IN harness Mclaughlin was directly I,n o5eq
MacKellar; and used to be in supreme command
whenever Mactellar was sick away. When the
latter qled, after consolidation Mclaughlin be
T groaI cdlel inspector IN charge of the force in
one. and the veteran did not fancy il when he was
pe6t His Health Is h e be and 9pf he Of has 1h 6r de-
a aI{ many years OF life before him Although
aTegyt m i he has property acquired through
year, will bring him in an annual income Of soT,a
thing Ike So 600, 1t is said
Since consolidation many of the old poIica can
tains have Iassed away, the most recent to die
Being Captain Reardon. Among the eight who are
left Of the thirty-three Captain Miles O'ReilIv Is
perhaps the most famous. He is a veteran of the
Oigll war Dlt IS as hard nails war veterans
are no longer wanted. however his retirement may
be expected at any time. 1t viii be remembered
that OReilly was the Brooklyn captain sent 10
clean up the Oak-st. precinct and later the Ten
derloin." by Commissioner Partridge Since re-
turning 10 Brooklyn and being placed in command
of the Ralph-ave station he has not been so much
in the Imelight. Another war veteran is Cantain
Michael ]. Mcnamara, Of the park squad When
he was a sergeant OF police in Brooklyn the mark
police were in separate body under the control
Of the Park Department He retired on a pension
from the regular department took long vacation
and then became captain Of the park police So for
a long time he drew salary an active man and
pension This double stipend was wiped out after
consolidation, when the Police Department took
charge Of the park police. His duties now are
exceedingly light Another picturesque figure
among the old captains is James J. Reynolds now
in command of the Fifth-ave. station. For many
years he the head of the Detective Bureau and
is still living in the hope that he will get that place
back some day. One of his famous cases was the
capture of William +. Miller. of the Franklin
Syndicate. The other men now in active service
who were captains in the old city of Brooklyn are
Thomas Cullenof the Brownsville station; Dennis
Driscon. OF the Butler-st precinct; William Knipe.
or the Heroert-st station Henry 9. Nelsor, of the
ReTnon-ave. station. and James P. White OF the
Bergen-st. station
Police Commissioner McAdoo in speaking to his
usual topic Of 'NewYork City at the St Patrick 8
Society dinner, in the Pouch Gallery on Thursday
mace Sip lnal caused considerable amusement.
He was discussing tie cosmopolitan population
OF the metropolis TO illustrate how many national
prejudices the Police Department has to cater TO.
Just think" he declared how many we
have TO deal With There the Germans the
Jews. the Italians the Irish, the Scandinayians
and the Swedenborgians'
When roar Of laughter went up the Commits
stoner looked puzzled minute and then correct ed
himself Il not until later that his speech
unpeasantly interrupted by the interjection of
politics
Although the Rev. DR.. S. Parkes Cadnan pastor
Of the Central Congregational Church, is an Eng
lshman by birth and has lived in this country
only a small part OF his life, he has remarkably
accurate knowledge OF American history. He has
close student OF all that pertains to the rise
ana development Of the American Republic His
Larry fine. Several years ago he delivered the ora
ton at the Memorial Day celebration at Grants
tomb. under the auspices OF tie L. s. Grant Post
G. a p He described the battle OF Gettysburg
and the old soldiers who there declared that
II as accurate portrayal OF the battlefield and
what occurred there could have been given by
person Of great descriptive power. who had actu-
ally seen the battle. Dr. Cadman is not only IN
He says that when his aged father, who is a Wes-
leyan Methodist In England. heard that he had
left the Methodist Church he expressed opinion
that his son was started on the road perdi-
TO England TO justify himself with his father and
relates that be was finally able TO make his parent
Understand that he was still working in the vine