The sun., 1918-12-25
POLICE PLAY SANTA
TO POOR CHILDREN
Thousands Of Little Ones Get
Food Clothing and Toys
From Cops.
TREES AT ALL STATIONS
Unusual Distress in Many
Quarters, Due to Influ-
enza Ravages.

policeman being completely devoid
Of human attributes. He looked on
the cop as a perpetual crouch. who
went around arTesting people Just out
Of pure meanness.
Deducing from this that boys and
girls OF the present day may not al
ways realize that the policeman Is the
child's best friend-which, take It from
Cap Mckinney. he is--this Officer
takes peculiar delight in playing Santa
Claus to the little ones OF the poor and
overcrowded tenements around West
Forty-seventh street.
Maybe these young ones will look
back on this Christmas later on and
think that the cops aren't SO bad
what7" he unused yesterday as he
gazed down the line, which reached
from the station house at West Forty
seventh street more than q block both
ways. of mothers and children waiting
for the gifts that were to be handed
out to them.
Bluecoats a. santss.
An over the city at the various sta
ton houses brawny bluecoets were do
ing their level best to be Santas for
those who otherwise wouldn't have
any Yuletide Joy. Cap McKinney's
party was one OF the largest, so large
that 1t had to start Monday and spread
out over two days. All in all more
than 1000 packages were given out
and every child had something to
wear, something TO eat and something
TO play with. -Four thousand Ave hun
dred coats. dresses, caps, muffiers and
sweaters were distributed, and 1880
pairs OF shoes, which Lieut.. Burns OF
the Police Reserves. who used to make
shoes, got for the Cap at reduced rates.
How did we know they'd fit?"
grinned Capt. Mckinney. why, be-
cause for weeks our patrolmen have
been wedding out the deserving cases,
taking names for cards Of application
for Christmas gifts, and every name
Of a child they got they'd take tho
sizes for shoes ,sdress or suit, coat. cap
and everything. This station house is
fitted to do tailoring for every poor
child in the district"
With the help of Lieut. Fry-who
has three sons in the army, two OF
them wounded in Franco Christmas
tree was set up in large dormitory
upstairs. and every child who came
had the bliss of gazing at the glitter
ing branches.
Greens Decorate Room.
Greens were festooned all about the
place, even over the desk to which Of
tenders against the law are hailed for
Justice. The whole force OF officers
spent every off minute dolling up that
old station house, and two patrolmen
who are entitled to vaca atoms this
week spent three days of this vacation
helping with the presents. After the
festival was over and the last guest
had departed the tree was hauled
down and taken to Hartley House, the
settlement house near by, where ii did
duty at a party last night. But the
place was cleaned out as to gifts. ex-
cept for some cans of fruit and vege-
tables, which Capt. Mckinney says he
is going to do up in nice packages ana
bestow on folk whom he knows need
little help from time to time.
Lieut. John Tinker of the East
Sixty-seventh street station came
home from his vacation. at the request
Of the force, to be Santa Claus for
! 900 children who wouldn't have had
any Christmas except looking in the
shop windows II II hadn't been for
him. After every boy and girl had
been made happy with an armful OF
presents there was music and dancing
around the big Illuminated tree set up
in the reserve room. Capt. James Wall,
in command Of the station. was there.
and Inspector Frank Morris paid .
visit too.
More than $500 children were the
guests Of Capt. Patrick J. Cray at the
East Eighty-eighth street station, and
each one received a basket In which
were candies. crackers, toys and dolls.
At the East 126th street station Capt.
| John Movie made host Of children
welcome with a Jazz band and dane
Ing and vaudeville turns from a near
by theatre. Then there were pres
! ems for 800 families.
. IO4th street Celebrates.
Cne thousand three hundred chill
dren gathered-in bltches-around a
gorgeous tree at the East 10ith street
| station, while a band played carols
| and the Police Glee Club sang and
actors performed for the little ones,
: Every child was given bag contain
! ing a cap. stockings. fruit and candy.
Capt. Brady and his force presided.
Five thousand children swarmed to
| the station on West SiXty-eighth
street, but Capt. Frank Tierney was
! equal to the onslaught. He gave each
one a bundle, and sometimes the
! bundle was as big as the tot who re-
| ceived 1t. Wonderful things were In
! those bundles, shoes and hats, candy
! and toys and books. And there was
the tree. Of course, and banjo or
chestra played, and small Helen
Meade, one of the children, imper-
sonated Mrs Vernon Castle, and a
pleG SAINT time was had by all.
I'm highly pleased at the way the
we'll to do residents of this district
contributed to this affair" Capt. Tier
ney said. Cleveland II. Dodge and
Charles NJ. Schwab and others aided
royalty"
Two thousand five hundred children
we're entertained and received pres
ents at the West Tooth street station
/ with Capt. John Doyle in charge. ano
! the same number were the guests OF
Capt. William Duggan at the East
Fifty-Rrst street station. Mrs. Dug
gan and her small daughter. Helen
assisted in making things gladstone
Capt, Duggan, in Il long White beard
and red coat, gave the girls pack
| n int nU Iar