The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-09-01
FELL" 0'LEARY, TICERT0WN HERO,
 20 YEARS A COP
Friends Congratulate Po- liceman Who Bears
 Splendid Record.
(By Darby" O'Brien)

 ter known as "Tigertown'' back in the early sos. for on this beautiful Au- gust evening the ghosts of the Hat shop lot,'' according to tradition, assemble and in mystic form celebrate the success of their many living brothers. This myth has been hand ] ed down through generations of early East Siders and is similar to the one relative to Hendrix Hudson and the 1 20 year vigil of the little brown men i in the Catskill Mountain glens. The occasion of last nights mythical vigil on the banks of Yellow Mill pond was the celebration of the | 10th anniversary of the appointment to the local police department of Lieut.. William H. O'Leary, prominent leader of the historic Tigertown A. c. and one of the most popular men that ever wore 9 police uniform. His popularity does not cease after he doffs his uniform. Every policemen l that ever worked under "Bill'' l O'Leary not only respected him but revered him and old-time citizens of this city regard him as the shining example to the younger members of the department
 On the night of August 31st, 1897, the board of Police Commissioners ap- ! I1. U "a section foreman on the New Ha- ven road, 8 member of the depart ment. In the 20 years, since gone be- yond recall, Lieut.. AO'Leary has never appeared lon the carpet for any mis- doings. He has made scores upon scores of important arrests since his joining the department, but "Bill'' O'Leary never had a press agent and many of his notable feats have gone unnoticed by the general public. Il One of the most important captures in which he figured prominently was the capture of Billy Thompson, known as the Northampton Post-office safe cracker. This occurred about 12 years ago. Thompson had just sue ceeded in blowing the safe in the Stratford post office and >he came to this city by way of Barnum avenue. He was a daring '4yegger" and enter ed the dry goods store of J. Sl-Woos- ter & Co.
 Northampton Billy was not very successful after entering the notion store and he turned his attention to the East SideN Station of the U. S. post office.
 .i Patrolmen "Bill''. O'Leary and Geo. ; B. Coley, the latter now Captain Of the . Second Precinct station, were mak- ing their rounds at $50 a m., when OLeary saw man 'jimmying' win td dow of the post office. Both police- , men ran towards the suspicious per- , son and with that the latter fled in } the direction of Pembroke street, but l not until after he had unloaded the contents of a six-shooter, in the di- rection of the pursuing policemen. , Fortunately neither Of the cops were , wounded and Northampton Billy was apprehended at Pembroke and Barnum avenue.
 Upon their return to the post office
 Patrolmen ,O'Leary and Coley discov- cred a kit of professional "yeggman's tools lying on the sidewalk, and which
 had been discarded by Thompson in
 his endeavor to make his escape. The
 following day it was learned that
 Thompson was a professional post of flee "safe cracker" and that he was , the man that perpetrated the daring robbery of the Stratford post office on the night of his capture. He was sentenced to years in Wethersfield,
 the Connecticut State Prison. Pa trolman O'Leary and Coley were com mended by the police board for their good capture and were promoted shortly after.
 [ Co-incidently -Patrolman Coley was
 appointed to the department July 31 1893. Both men were promoted to a Sergeancy on the same evening, March . ] 31st, 1908, and again simultaneously to a Lieutenancy on April 1st, 1913
 Lieut.. Coley was promoted to Cap taincy January 18th, of the present XeaE At the present time both of < ficers, chums from the beginning, are now doing duty in the Second precinct
 station at Green and Walter streets
 Lieut.. O'Leary is rated as one o1 , the speediest men that ever wore g l-police uniform. He held the loca g and Connecticut State championship r in the 100 yard dash in 1888, defeat 3 ing Con Dwyer in Charter Oak park
 on Labor day of that year. Dwyer al
 that time held the State champion D ship. Even today. Lieut., O'Leary car 1. make any man in the department hus } tie in 100 yard dash.
 ! As a. baseball player he had bu
 few equals 25 years ago. At tha '. time he was member of the Utics } team in the New York State league
 In the spring of the year, in whicf
 O'Leary joined the Utica team, tn }. New York State aggregation was il ,. dire distress financially and the man h agement was dissatisfied with tn
 work of the team.
 Bill Jones, president of the Utic; 0 club came on to this city, which a ], that time was the mecca for sports l. and he signed up the entire Tige
 baseball team. At this stage the Utic
 nine was in last place, IA games be l. hind its nearest rival. They finishe IT the season in second place, one-hal
 game behind Troy who won tn
 championship. Lieut.. O'Leary wa E captain of the Utica nine. Capt. Phil i. ip T. Blansfield, of headquarters, an 5. Detective Thomas Malone were mem
 bers of that great team.
 The lineup of the historic Tige 6. nine was as follows: Buck Horr B. Joe Coyne and Johnny Dore, catch ss CTS; Jim Russell, Detective Tom Ma
 lone, then called "Ginger Malone" an
 Johnny Beers, Superintendent of tn h, Needle department at the Singer Mfl Id Co.,, were the pitchers; Jack Campan; ?. 1st base; Jimmy Kane, 2nd base D. Jack Hartley, sflortstop; Captain Bi
 O'Leary. srd base. The ohtfieid wa composed of Pete U1erich, Damn In Russell and Terry Rogers.
 ,- The Tiger team held tie local chan 10 pionship for 8. consecutive year
 Their principal rival was the Ea
 Side A. c. among whom were the fo n- lowing prominent men: Johnny Beer