Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-09-20

~ Washington has gone to IA,
"A couch, hours after the hurrying
L gentleman who transacts bust
ness during the day has lost all
interest in earthly things and Is peace
fully snoring into an unappreciative pill
low, there emerge from the highways and
byways of Washington a class OF men
paid TO keep law and order and yet wear
ing no uniform.
They are the night watchmen OF the
business houses. Armed with a revolver
and unlimited authority to protect the
buildings they are paid to guard they
stroll up and down, up and down. menot-
onously, steadily, silently through the
long. weary hours of the night.
AS the red sun shows his beaming coun-
tenance above the eastern horizon and
the chimes Of the great city churches
sound the hour of seven, these keepers
of the night go back to thar homes and
sleep while the workaday world goes on
its roaring. speeding way.
Nearly all of the large commission
houses, stores and office buildings are
guarded by one of these men during the
night. The men who watch may be ex-
policemen out of work or men Of brain,
forced by age or circumstances to accept
| IA mental position. They usually report at
about Z o'clock in the evening and leave
at the next morning. with an occa-
| sional day off. They are, as d rule, paid
| by the month.
Sometimes they are old employees of the
house they are guarding and if you will
| sit down beside them they will tell YOU
strange stories of the times that were
the times when they were in their zenith
| before the implacable hand of cruel fate
| Il
| placed others on the vacant throne.
| 1t is extremely interesting to watch
| these men at their work. The average
night Waterman is of the unalterable
opinion that unless he is In the vicinity
of the building it will be stolen, without
a doubt, before the sun rises again.
They feel their importance and do not
hesitate to tell you so. False modesty
thrives only during the day. At nightfall.
| when the darkness of nature covers for IA
short time the artificiality of a city, men
are wont to return to their original selves
| stripped of the veneer of falsity. These
| old watchmen as they hobble about try
| ing doors. testing locks and occasionally
poking with their nightsticks shadows
that appear to be a crouching man. are
not at all disinclined to tell you Of their
Importance.
yer see," said an old fellow. as NJ
gripped his stick and bravely shook 1t at
the silent. sleeping city. IL has a lot o
| responsibility on these shoulders of mine
and l has to bear it as best kin.
This yere house pointing with his
stick to the building he was guarding
this yere house is chock-full OF mer-
chandise OF all kinds and descriptions.
| Now I tells the management that they
needs good, strong, brave man to watch
the stuff.
why 1 practically got charge Of that
building now. Any man, even the gen
eral manager. has got to see me before he
kin get in. Why. onct stopped the owner
of three business houses when he tried
| the door after dark. Seems he was
passin' here and wanted to see IL every
| thing was safe.
The old fellow chuckled at the remem-
brance.
| HE found out" he continued, land
mighty soon too. l come awful close to
| havin' him locked up fer tryin' that door.
Waterman Was Right.
! The old man was right. though After
dark the night Waterman is blessed with
the authority of half a dozen day officials
| combined. He is not paid as well as the
day officials, but-well, everything has its
| compensations I'm this life, and II the night
Waterman doesn't make as much as the
general manager he has more authority
| while he works. No one can enter the
| building while he is there unless he knows
| them.
Any one who tries to get in is sure to
discover sooner or later that he has made
a mistake If the night Waterman sees
| him. and he usually sees wouldbe in
truders.
Some of the men who make a business
of watching buildings will take a route
and will charge several firms so much
month forskeeping an eye on their place
of business during the night. or course
the policeman looks after every house.
The policeman frequently arranges his
visits so that he will try doors and eN-
anime locks when the night Waterman IS
looking after other things.
There are perhaps several hundred men
in Washington who live by watching
buildings at night. Many of them only
make enough to keep soul and body to-
gether by watching unfinished buildings.
Others who have two or three large stores
to watch, are paid more literally than
the palefaced clerk who stoops over
desk during the day.
They are, rule, fairly contented
lot these night Watchmen.
It's all in gettin' used TO it?' confided
one old fellow This stayin' up at night
amt so bad when you get used to IL.
Lots of men stay out till and and
sometimes in the morning and get down
to work by .. L quit at and don't work
till next night. L don't get drunk nights.
feither. which is something on my side.