The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1915-10-02
REAL POLICE WORK
That's the Kind Chief Parsons
and Men Are Doing.
How They Discharged Their
Duties on Circus Day.
APPLY PREVENTIVE MEASURES
GA Very Convenient" Little
Law Helps Them Much.
The Chief Is Interviewed when
He Doesn't Know 1T.

This may be an old story. But 1t
hasn't been told before, and there GER
tainIy is material in it to make IL one
of the old stories of the gooo' OF
rather interesting variety, as MANY
of the old stories are. 1t concerns
how Harve Parsons, the chief OF po-
lice and his men discharged their
duties on the days the circus was IN
Topeka a month or so ago.
Possibly it will be recalled that
during the Sunday and the MONDAY
that the circus was in town not a
burglary or petty robbery of any KIND
was reported. Neither was there a
case of pocket-picking reported.
Things were as peaceful and orderly
in Topeka on the circus days, as they
usually are, and even more So
But this was an exception to the
rule circus always brings In It's
wake to every town gang OF petty
crooks who make it business OF
frisking houses while their occupants
are watching the elephants go round
and round and drinking in the music
of the circus bands, and who also
stick their fingers into the pockets
OF the unsuspecting circus crowds and
extract therefrom such change as may
be lying around loose. Nothing OF
that sort occurred in Topeka on the
last circus day. And most folk prob
ably accepted it as a matter of course,
that things just happened that way,
and t]1at there was no particular rea-
son why these ideal conditions pre-
vailed. But never were folk more
mistaken. There was a reason, a good
and sufficient reason and one that can
be summed up in the three words,
Efficient Police Work.
Extraction of Interior.
Perhaps the story of how Topeka
was policed on circus day-and the
same general plan was followed with
such remarkable success during the
free fair week-can best be told in
the form of an interview with the
chief of police. This interview was
extracted from the chief by former
friend. And former friend is used
most advisedly.
All of the medals that the shrinking
Violet has earned during a long and
virtuous life for modesty are now pre-
sumably in the possession of Topeka's
chief of police. If they're not, they
ought to be. Not only does he refuse
to toot his own horn, which, indeed,
is most refreshing considering the ac-
tivities in this direction of some of
the gentlemen who have played at
being chief of police in Topeka
But he has issued a ukase to a
few of his friends that they must
under no circumstances toot his horn
for him. And so the transgressor, in
this instance, of that ukase naturally
class, and with regrets. But he feels
that the people of Topeka have a few
rights in the premises and that they
Will be interested in knowing the care
and pains that are being taken to give
them the best police service that is
possible, considering the size of the
force and the amount of money that
is available for the purposes of the
valued friendship to the winds, here
goes:
just Little Tired.
Whats the matter, Harve ~ asked
said former friend, as he met the
chief of police the day after the. cir
Gus left town. You look as If YOU
had been dragged through a knot
hole. Are you under the weather."
NO, l guess not drawled the
chief. I'm just a little bit tired. The
circus was kind of a strain on me-
1t was the first big job that have
had, and 1 was naturally anxious to
make as good a showing as 1 could"
We'll, you certainly did fine in
terrupted the former friend.
''rhe Lucky Stiff"
''Oh, wouldn't say that" the chief
objected. II had a lot of luck. The
boys on the force did the work, and
they're faithful bunch, let me tell
you. You'll hardly believe it, but I
wanted as many policemen on the job
as possible on circus day, and asked
as many of the night shift as cared
circus day, and every blessed one of
them volunteered, and the entire po-
lice force of the city was on duty
during circus day, and half of them
had only two or three hours sleep
after their work of the night before,
and then they took up their night
work again after putting in the day on
the circus job, too.
There wasn't a one of them on the
regular day beats during the busiest
of the circus hours, during the parade
or when the crowds were going to the
show grounds or coming back from
took to police the city during those
periods And that's where we were
particularly lucky. Nothing broke
loose on circus day, in The Bottoms
or anywhere else.
Faithful Tin Lizzie.
But had our Tin Lizzie (pet
name for the police automobile) in
front of the station and with steam
up, ready to answer any phone calls
that might come in. Luckily none
came. And besides. we've got The
Bottoms pretty well tanned by this
time. That section of the town is the
least OF our worries"
What did you do with all the cps
on duty?" interjected the former
friend, who doesn't know very much
about police work, anyhow.
well, I had two or three of them
at every important street corner, that
is, where the crowds were boarding
the cars to go to the grounds. I had
three or four at the point where the
crowds left the cars. 1 had five men
in plain clothes in the crowds around
the ticket wagon all the time it was
doing business. I had the rest of
them patrolling the circus grounds, in
and outside the tent. had them
every possible place where 1 thought
a pickpocxet might try to work out.
"And 1 guess they had their eyes
open and were on the job all the time,
for so far as 1 know, not single case
of pocket picking on circus day has
been reported. Nor have there been
any reports OF the petty burglaries in