New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-09-23
State Police
Begin Task as
Rural Guard
232 Men and Sc Officers in
Major G. F. Chambers
Command
Made Fit by 6 Weeks
Of Intensive Work
CARRIED Like Army Men,
Some VIII Patrol 100
Mile Beats"

weeks ago -.= l.NA etN IVY SNieEN tNi
into an cncampmcnt on the old Troop
y farm, near Marlius, and reported to
George f. Chandler.
To-day go srlendidly trained armed
and equipped New York State mounted
po,;cemen, in troops Of 56. with Off
GERS. are a. or nearing their stations
throughout the state, under orders
from Major George i. Chandler, COM
ma-daut.
The state Coustabulary is here
H. four weeks Major Chandler trans
formed q squad Of farmer boys, clerks,
former soldiers and policemen into an
organization that equals and in some
WAYS. man FOR man, eXcels the regular
army in discipline, training and gem
oral all-arouad efficiency.
Al the beginning Of the fifth week
Major Chandler turned his men loose
TO handle the State Fair. They pohcea
the grounds for the entire week, and
records show fewer disturbances than
ever before IN the fairs history, de
sr..e the fact that the crowds were
larger than Tor the last five years. The
dav .t..r the fair the squad was split
up. each troop departing for its sta
ton, ready TO take up its work.
First Appearance at State Fair
Tie a-0earauco Of the uniformed,
armed and trained state policemen AZ
she fair was a revelation. Il was known
tha- the state police were 70 act as
Guardians cf the peace; but, as the
sine was so short, jno general impress
sion was that most Of the work would
he done rv members Of the various
mi,f.ar units CHARTERED near by. MAJOR
Chandler said not word. lie stuck 70
his camp 40 Naulius and drilled his
men. When the fair date arrived be
brought them 20 the grounds. He put
them through their drills and man@u-
vres
"What want TO know" he exploded
rusrlrg u0 10 Major Chandler, what
want 10 know is how in the devil you
did IL. What's your system -
The answer is work, and then more
From the time Of arrival at their
ca~n. the chosen men had been put
through a course of training that would
make the regular army mans exist
euce look like q life of ease, almost
incidence. IL has been the most in
teusiye kind Of intensive training.
There's not a laggard among them.
A lag-ard would have fallen by the
waysida the first day.
The first thing they had to do was
TO break their horses. These three
hundred horses, let it be known, were
Just of the plains. Up TO two months
ago rot one of them ever had had a
halter around his neck or bit between
his teeth Here's the reason.
Steeds Too Wild for Army
Wtc- the state went out into the
market looking for horses for its troop
r.z IT, was found that British and
french army officers had gone through
The East with fne-tOOtn comb plcHlng
up about every available steed. The
states horse buyers went West. There
they found the same conditions, But
around ST.. Louis they found batch OF
three hundred animals which the FOR
eic.grs had rejected as too wild. The
TSmmies and the Poilus on French bat
tlefC.Cs have no time 70 train their
horses They wanted the kind that
were ready for immediate use. So they
turned down these three hundred
horses and the Empire State bought
them. A lew days later they were un-
loaded at Maulius. 1wenty-elght days
from the time Of their arrival these
same horses were going through cav
airy formations, drills and intricate
military mauuuvres without hitch.
This took wOTk-haTd wOrk-and pa
reuce. But the troopers have done
their work well. They have trained
.s O.. N .rr r.F
spirit. So well have they been trained
that five Of them carried off blue rib
b-us IL the State Fair horse show.
So much for the horses.
10 took mcu-rcal men-to train
those horses and overcome the first OBJ
s,ac.e. But Major Chandler knew ms
men. He had picked them himself.
lie is proud Of them, more proud than
Le is Of his horses, and he has right
TO be. Physically the mounted police
are perfect Great, big, brawny, strap
ping fellows. all Of them standing near
-. ly sax foot. they arc without doubt as
fine q body of men as can be found any
where Except for experience IN TINS
particular line Of wor6-and several OF
them bad had that-thcy have been
proclaimed the equal Of the far-tamed
Northwest Mounted Police, or the
.N =
= Troopers Good Natured Boys
% They are mostly young fellows; the
great majority apparently are IN their
early tweutles. They have frank, hon
est faces. q CHEEKY smile and a happy
word for every one, and look exactly
what many Of them arc-Good naturcd
boys. These men were selected by
process OF the survival of the h,.gsr q
process Of elimination. For less than
$50 jobs there were upward Of 1900 APP
r.cauts. Every man was examined
mentally and physically. lie was given
ora. tests and written tests. lie was
Hcd out by practically every known
method OF testing men. Those VINO
passed had TO be perfect or nearly per
The officers are of a still higher
grade. Many Of them have had pre-
Nous military training, IN the National
Guard or regular army. All OF them
knew how to handle men, and the re-
suits they have accomplished prove
they know how 90 handle them well.
mere ls already a spirit OF camara-
derlC between officers and men that
is to be found IN no other branch OF
the state or national service. The re-
iatOn between the troop captains and
their men is more that Of father and
SOM than Of the officer and private
attitude. But never for minute does
the discipline relax. A private never
oyersteps the mark, and the officer
never fOrgets he is an Cthcer.
But 20 20 back 20 the training. when
these men gathered at their training
grounds the first day they knew. what