Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-11-15
rH
MATHEW1
S TIT PREc1HcT

all circumstances. he was one of the
most excitable men l have ever known.
From the moment he received his de-
tail for sentry duty his eyes began to
glitter with the light Of an unnatural
excitement. He was convinced that we
would be attacked during the night. and
that it was up to him to rouse US at the
first sign OF such an attempt.
Shortly before midnight he a
myriad of lights glirnmering all about.
They twinkled through the thick tropical
foliage They seemed 10 be everywhere.
and there was no doubt iii his mind but
that several thousand rebels We're about
to swOop down upon us and massacre
us as We slept. Creeping Stealthily to the
trumpeter. who was on duty as music n
of the guard. he called his attention to
the lights. and soon the latter was as
excited as was Blumer. There seemed
but one thing to do. and this the
trumpeter did with will. He sounded
call to arms.
Immediately there was a chaotic con
fusion within the barracks Every one
jumped to his feet. and there followed
a mad search for clothes and carbines.
And believe me. | did not sleep through
the confusion. | had not yet closed my
eyes, and / was one of the first to rise.
j reached for a pair of trousers. but be-
fore | could lift them they We're sra bbed
by another hand | looked to see who
il was, but in the darkness could only
make out a dim form | was sure it was
with all my might. Silently my opponent
swung back. and for five minutes we
stood there in the darkness and engaged
in one of the most vicious encounters
able-bOth of us fighting for that
pair Of trousers Finally | landed a beau
tiful smash on the other fellows nose
Immediately came muffed curse-and
that oath was not i'll Spanish, but in
English.
Il had been scrapping with my sergeant.
but this was no time for apologies The
enemy was outside. ! let him have the
trousers. grabbed my carbine and rushed
out. determined to sell my life dearly
Outside / found more than a hundred
OF my comrades at arms. all crouching
and peerins at the lights which con-
tinued to twinkle in the trees and
bushes.
Finally ten of us banded together. and
made charge on the nearest bush We
expected to find at least twenty rebels
hiding behind it. but We found no one
Inc lights were still there-but they
belonged TO the South American light,
ming bugs. We had answered cali to
arms only to repel an attack of perfectly
harmless insects"
Fighting at 10 to 40.
Not so many years ago Capt. r r.
Doyle of the eighth precinct was a bare
footed newsboy on the streets of Wash
lngton.s Without an education. without
any weapon of offense save his own grim
determination he resolved to make some
thlng of himself. He studied and fought
ana worked. He Joined the police force
principally because he is a fighter and
the type of man whose only recourse is
tue army or the patromanS beat The
epic story of his life. selected by him
self. is charact eristic:
L suppose that the greatest adventure
OF my life occurred while I was on the
police force in 1892. At that time a cele-
Dration of a national day was being
held in Washington and many soldiers
from all parts of the country We're here.
Il was in the third precinct then: 1t
was about II o'clock on the night of
April 16 that | arrived at the corner OF
18th street and Pennsylvania avenue and
heheid a crowd of soldiers engaged i'll a
violent aitercan on Pushing my way
through the crowd / saw that the cap
tain Of the soldiers. which was a Baltf-
more infantry company was explaining
forcefuliy his opinion of a German band
master, whose. ignorance of adequate
English seemed to be handicapping him.
AS | walked into the middle OF the
throng a soldier near me raised his rifle
and fired into the air. Seeing that the
crowd was inclined TO be ugly I turned
TO the man and warned him that firing
guns III the streets was prohibited by
Il District regulation
Hardly had | finished speaking than
this man again loaded his gun and fired.
/ counted the soldiers and saw that there
were about forty men in the company.
L couldn't back down before these men
after the challenge of the soldier. so I
blew a call for the reserves on my whistle
and grappled with the soldier.
Then followed one of the most inter
esting miXups of my career. The soldiers
had evidently been praying that some
kind policeman would start some trouble
of this nature. AS | laid hands on the
man the soldiers laid hands on me and |
was thrown to the ground. Ten men from
the reserve squad hurried t. my assist
ance, Whereupon the soldiers with Il wild
whoop of delight went for them with fixed
bayonetS.
''McGruder the first man on the scene
was stabbed in the hand and thigh and
went to the ground. That left us ten to
forty. l have been in many fights dur
ing my police experience, but | have yet
to engage in more desperate row than
ensued during the following forty-five
minutes.
"Time after time we were rolled on the