The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-11-28
NILES O'RElLY'S DAILY RAID.
SURE, IT'S A GRAND SHOW FOR
MERCER STREET PRECINCT.
And the Patrol wagon Horses Have Got SO
Used to II They now the Route as Wen
as M Driver-Strike 0f Sheet writers.
q. II and a. Puts q Clog on Business

q. n and "a, Puts . Clog On Business
It was a cruel blow to Capt. Miles o'ReiIly
Of the Mercer street police station when he
started out on his daily raid matinee yester-
day to learn that back of the cigar store at
Ito Fourth avenue again they were probably
playing games for keeps. The dapper
little man behind the cigar counter had
promised the captain honest and truly
only the night before that he was going to
lead a better life Inc go into the butter
and egg business or something equally
genteel. Wherefore when the captain and
his stan in full glad uniform drove I'D to
the cigar store for the thirtieth time within
a month yesterday afternoon and the little
man said the police would not be permitted
to enter Capt. o'Reilly was shocked through
and through, shocked and panied.
At % East Eighth street, where there is
another place that has been raided daily
by the captain, he was informed by a large
group OF covert coated persons standing
idly by that he might as well give up his
raids for the day as the Sheet Writer'S Union,
Locals Z, IL and a, had gone out on strike,
grievances unknown. At 60 East Twelfth
street the only bit of I~veliness in sight was
a crimson card fiuttering from the door
knob. which announced that the house was
CLOSED On Account of Death In the Family
As the captain saw his list OF suspected
houses grow less and less in one way or
another he and his raiders climbed back
into the patrol wagon with bowed heads.
Every afternoon for a month it has been
the delight of Patrol Driver Bill Essig to
hitch up Parson and Picket and come to a
pause with a flourish of the whip in front
of the Mercer street station TO begin the
afternoon raids. When this had been going
on for a week toward the last of October
and the daily start at 2:sO O'Clock had come
TO be an event in the n~eighborhood some
of the raiding party suggested that the
procession had gained enough Importance
10 warrant Headquarters supplying the
parade with ~squadrons of mounted police
10 precede and follow the wagon of state.
Many ever thought that the police brass
band should head the raiders, at least on
Saturdays.
None of these later suggestions, however,
was adopted. Capt. O'Reilly saw that he
was doing just as good work in closing the
gambling houses by starting out unostenta-
tiously. with merely himself and staff in full
uniform and a few uniformed patrolmen
10 precede the raiders and come to attention
at the front doors of the suspects. A brass
band would lave warned the gamblers
anyway long before even the diminishing
line of the raiders arrived ahead Of the
wagon.
The afternoons raids began yesterday,
as usual, with the first stop at 23O Mercer
street. The regular list of eight places was
then visited by the attacking party as they
have been visited every day since the daily
calls were begun last October. At first
either Capt. O'Reilly or Sergt. Breen took
along a list of the houses to be called upon,
but as the bay horses Parson and Picket
got on to the route the list was left behind
as s~uperfiuous. In fact Parson and Picket
when they come before the station house
now make the turn IN the narrow street
unassisted 80 that their noses will be headed
toward that cigar store at 230 Mercer street,
where the exercises always start. After this
call the horses go over the route unguided,
but Driver Bill Essig still goes along as a
mere Formally.
The advanc guard of patrolmen who had
gone to 2SO some time before saluted as the
cleaning patrol wagon and the police dig
sWo-o-oal" yelled Bill, although Par
son and Picket, To, do them justice, had
about decided to stop anyway. Bnl's veil
had stopped every horse down as far as
Bl6ecker street and north to Eighth.
The captain and his statf filed out of the
wagon. The advance guard saluted re-
spectfully.
Nothing doing, chr
Nothing doing, SIR
Everything closed tight, eh7'
Everything closed tight, sir
How tlghJ!"
Awful tlgnt, sir
-Geet-ap!"
Parson and Picket turned around cleverly
while Driver Bill was tying his shoestring
ami stared for a saloon at go Bowery as
If thur HEARTS were lntheir work. The ap-
preclative sidewalk audience of small boys
took up the line OF march be side the wagon,
although some of the more impatient,
wh) have come to learn the route, ran far
all al to join the crowd that gathers in
front Of the Bowery saloon every afte
at 2:iS o'clock since the raids began.
The man that owns this place on the
Bowery," said Capt. O'Reilly on the way
o'er to the raid, told me yesterday after
no1n that he is going to put the people out
the first OF tbs month. But we might as
we'll give them their daily call and see that
they aren't doing uslne in the mean
time"
The advance guard Of patrolmen were
again on the job at 230 Bowery long before
thu wagon arrived. The ~patrolmen stand
near the door, one on each side, and when
Young men try to enter the door the police
men let them knowthe character Of the house
they are entering. Sometimes men go in
anyway even after il has been explained to
them that the games within are played for
money. The usual procedure after these
men go into the place is to have one OF the
patrolmen say loud enough for the bystand-
ers to hear: Naughty, naughty" The
two patrolmen take turns in saying this.
A fair sized house had gathered in front
OF the Bowery saloon as the parade turned
the corner.
-Wo-o-o-oa!" yelled Bill, superiuously.
The advance guard saluted.
Nothing doing, eh?"
Nothing doing, sir"
Everything closed tight, eh?'
Everything closed tight, sir
How tight2"
Terrible tight, SIR
-Geet-ap!"
1t was during the next call-at the cigar
store at ITO Fourth a~venue-that Capt.
O'Reilly received the severest d~isappoint-
ment Of the afternoon.
Last night" explained the captain dur
ing the ride UP the Bowery, we stopped
there for the 'steenth ime and found about
seventy men inside. They wouldn't let us
in, but got a window raised around at the
rear and looked in and talked with them.
The men wouldn't come out when l told them
g., so l left some Of my men there in front
of the place. We made those men stay in
- A. IL a-I 49, Al-s