Evening star., 1935-05-19

change of heart and re-enacted the
law of 1907, which provided for ware
commissioners and constables, but il
1920 members of the Council once
more legislated the constables out o,
Office, only to restore them the fol-
lowing year.
And about in this way the so-callec
police force of Washington driftec
! along until 1895, when the number
of men employed for day service was
three, there being no night patrol
But few years after this-in 1912
an important advance was made in
policing the city, when the Auxiliary
Guard was provided tor and John H
Goddard appointed as its first captain
r ECENTLY, the writer came across
an "Old-time Talk" with Capt
Goddard, printed in 1881, which gave
the main cause which brought about
the enactment Of law providing for
| the Auxiliary Watch or the Auxiliary
Guard. It said:
1T was authorized by Congress in
1841, and was appointed the captain
by Mayor Seaton. You see, before,
the only conservators of the peace
in the city were the corporation con-
stables. They served the corporation
warrants, for which they got fee;
but, while they we're expected to make
arrests for disorder, etc., as they did
not get anything for making an arrest
they did not trouble themselves very
much. So when a row began in the
city, the parties engaged in it gen.
orally fought until one or the other
was whipped. There was no one to
interfere with them, unless the citi-
zens might assume the duty.
Things came to crisis, however,
in 1841. That year, Congress passed
a law granting recharter to the
United States Bank, and President
Tyler at once vetoes it. This made
the President very unpopular, and a
gang Of men, many of them rough
characters, went up to the White
House and gave him a mock serenade.
They daubed the pillars of the por-
ticoes with tar, made all sorts of dis
cordant noises, and in other ways in
suited the President. Congress, which
was then in session, took umbrage at
this insult to the President, and at
once passed bill establishing the
Auxiliary Guard.
"But the enemies of the President
in Congress got the bill In such a
shape that the appointment Of the
captain was placed in the hands of
the mayor of the city and not the
President. So Mayor Seaton ap-
pointed me and I appointed Is men,
and that constituted the guard for a
number of years. got $1,000 a year
and the men were paid $50 per month.
THE trouble was that Congress
failed to make any appropriation, so
we were not able to get uniforms.
After a while, the force was equipped
in gray uniforms. The men had clubs,
but no revolvers. carried a revolver.
Then we had no regular station house.
But there was an old guardhouse
near the old market on Eighth street,
and we fitted that up. It was used BY
the constables to lock up the colored
people. It was an old brick structure
in a very dilapidated condition. The
lower room was used as q scale room
for the market, and I got $75 from
the city and partitioned of the upper
room, so as to have q separate place
for the men and women The lower
room was used as an office for the
man on guard, who took the names
of the prisoners. We brought them
here from all parts Of the city. =
"The Old Guard did good service in
keeping the peace, but the chief then
had to do regular patrol duty and be
around all the time
TN 1850 the guard consisted Of the
following men: John H. Goddard.
captain: Thomas MacGill. Solomon
Hubbard, John e. Little, John L..
Fowler, Edgar H. Bates, Henry
Thomas, Joseph Goodyer, George H.
Grant. Thomas z. Williams, Mason