8
THE OMAHA
SUNDAY BKE: SEPTEMBER 26, 1900.
H
WORK OF POLICE MATRON
Not a Job for a Woman Troubled
with Nerves.
FEATURES OF NEW YORK LIFE
lll1ier Par auad INew Haifa liaise
Broaajht Voati of Ability !
the) gervloe Standard
Greatly Raise.
VEW YORK. IJept. Perhaps no
women on the city payroll have fewer
bouquets thrown at them than the ma
trons of the polloe department When
the department turns out for Its
annual parade thera are no martons In
the prnceaslon. When periodical shake
ups take place there Is never a men
tion of the matrons. This, It Is said.
In a point In their favor, showing as It
does that the unsatisfactory or misbehaving
matron Is rare.
t'nobtrusively, patiently Jt seems, with
out applause or thanks from any save
perhaps the unfortunates who pass through
their hands, the police matrons work week
In and week out, eight, fourteen, some
times twenty-four hours at a stretch, with
mr-rely brief vacations. Sundays and legal
holidays even requiring their services.
Therefore It Is natural that comparatively
few persons should be aware how much
of lata years the personnel of the police
matrons has ohanged for the better, both
physically and mentally.
This change was first remarked when
the matrons became recognized members
of the police force, eligible to the pension
lint. This occurred, an official at police
headquarters said, ten or twelve years
axo. Previous to that candidates who
looked fairly healthy and seemed to have
a good working knowledge of a matron's
duties and were welj recommended stood
a good chance of fitting the Job which
then carried with a third less pay than
then carried with It a third lees pay than
it does now. At that tiino the age limit
was elastic and examiners refrained from
putting possibly embarrassing questions
as to a candidate's schooling. The ques
tion of athletics was not raised at all.
As it became more and more evident
that a competent patron was a valuable,
rndeed a very necessary, adjunct of the
station houses of the mora populous pre
cincts of New York the commissioners dis
covered too that only women with certain
qualifications gave all around satisfaction
In the role. That ended the old order of
things and the days of pull where the
matron was concerned. The new rules
made It cleur that women applying for the
place of police matron must pass a civil
examination similar to that required of
policemen, that only women between the
UK's of 30 and 60 should be eligible for that
examination, the mental part of which
must be preceded by a thorough medical
examination. Then pay of matrons was
raised to $1,000 a year.
In March, 1904, to show how desirable
the post of police matron was considered,
when the last but one civil service exam
ination for police matrons was held, W6
applications were filed and 375 women
passed the examinations. Included in this
number were school teachers, trained
nurses and women of mental attainments
who had never worked for a living. Of
the 376 perhaps thirty-five have since been
engaged to fill vacancies in the police de
partment. The names remaining on the 1904 list
were cancelled In June of this year, when
a civil service examination was adver
tised, or at least they will be cancelled
so soon as the result of that examination
is ascertained. Some of the women on the
old list decided to take the examination
again and sent In applications to, that ef
fect. For the June examination only 416
applications were filed, the falling off In
numbers being explained by the difference
In the new rules.
The new conditions are far more exact
ing than the old. For instance, the age
limit was cut to between 30 and 40, and
a woman's word was not taken on this
point, either. Further, the medical exam
ination waa mora careful. Candidates were
required to go through an unexpected
course In athletlcp. Including swinging
thirty-pound dumbbells, lifting weights and
running, Jumping and stooplpg to show
suppleness and agility. No woman under
five feet in her stocking feet was admitted
at alL
As a result 1M of the 46 failed to pass
the medical and physical test. Fourteen
more backed out when the time approached
for the mental examination, leaving 29ti to
take the final test.
"Judging from the looks of the women
who entered thle year It Is more thsn
likely that 40 per cent will pass the men
tal test," said a member of tba examining
board.
This test also was made more difficult
this year. As usual. It Included the ten
questions which candidates must answer In
writing in a given time, most of which are
almost posers to women unaccustomed to
coping with situations such as they sug
gest. For example, at one of the tables
at the last examination sat a young mar
ried woman who barely squeezed In on the
age limit, being a few days under 90 when
her application was mailed. She has two
small children and a husband Incapable
of adequately supporting his family, and
although her energy, strength and ambi
tion are equal to attempting almost any
task, so far her experience has been limited
to home life and good social surroundings.
At the same table sat a school teacher
of 'chubby rather than athletic proportions,
nearer 40 than 30 years oid, who, almost
anyone would be willing to wager, had
never seen the Inside of a prisoner's cell
In her life. But, as the examiner ssid,
appearances are not always to be trusted,
for here were these two writing down
answers to such questions as these:
Explain clearly what means you would
take to maintain discipline and quiet among
women under the Influence of liquor.
How would you proceed to search a wo
man accused of thieving?
A girl of 15. a drunken woman and an
Injured or helpless woman are brought In
and turned over to your care. What will
you do with each?
A woman of apparent refinement arrested
charged with shoplifting, refuses to answer
any question put to her and seems on the
verge of nervous breakdown. Placed under
your charge, how would you proceed to get
from her all necessary information? Would
you. In the treatment of this woman, make
any exception to the treatment accorded
the ordinary prisoner, and if so, give
reasons in full.
Questions relating to threatened personal
violence from prisoners, to prisoner under
the Influence of drugs and prisoners at
tempting suicide; to lost ohtldren, to reme
dies for emergency treatment, and so on,
were also attacked with little or no hesita
tion. So far as the ten questions weren't
this year's test was not much harder than
former tests.
The examination also tested the appli
cant's knowledge of other languages than
English. After these matters had been dis
posed of candidates turned over sheet No.
1 and found on sheet No. 1 this surprise,
Introduced for the first time te the police
matron examination:
Write a complaint of not less than 260
words to the captain of your precinct con
cerning a patrolman who persists In com
ing to your office on various pretexts, al
though you have warned him repeatedly
that his action Is a violation of the rules
of the department and exceedingly annoy
ing to you. Sign this report Jane Doe.
Strange to say, this piece of work, for
which extra time was allowed, caused more
trouble to at least 60 per cent of the can
didates than all the ten questions put to
gether; whether because letter writing is a
more difficult feat than simply answering
a set of questions or because the possibil
ity of being ever called upon to make such
a complaint had been quite unforseen, the
examiners were not willing to say. They
noticed that the younger and prettier
women looked at one another out of the
corners of their eyes to see how each was
taking It before setting to work.
After an ' applicant had passed both the
physical and mental tests she was re
quired to submit certificates of good char
acter from twenty women of good social
3imum
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The hundsomest souvenir postal card in town given
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Special sale of Watches and Diamond Rings all
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C. B. Brown Co.,
16th and Farnam Ms.
Omaha
standing living In New York, none of whom
was a relative.
After her appointment to a prednot the
success or failure of a matron depends
largely on how she deports herself during
the three months she Is on probation. Oc
casionally there Is a resignation before the
three months are up, or after a few years
of service. Police matrons, especially the
widows, have been known to give up their
Job to get married. Said an official at
police headquarters:
"The New York police department now
Includes sixty-nine matrons, distributed
among thirty-five precincts and Hellevue
hospital, which has , two all the time
guarding prisoners under observation In
the psycopathlo ward. The number of po
lice matrons Is regulated by the appropria
tion allowed, and the present appropriation
permits of only seventy.
"In the Tenderloin district, which la the
busiest, perhaps, are three matrons, who
have eight-hour shifts. In most of the
other precincts there are two matrons. In
1SKB, when a good many changes took place
In the department, twelve new matrons
were Installed, but that was an exception,
the usual number taken on In any one
year since 1901 being from two to five.
"The status of the police matron has
changed so much In a decade that the
old and the new type can hardly be com
pared. Greater proficiency Is exacted now,
and the rise in salary has encouraged
women of good education and some execu
tive ability to enter the field. The prospect
of retirement at the end of twenty years on
half pay is an Inducement to some.
"Once the matron was a nondescript
looking person because of her clothing,
which was made In any old style and of
any sort and color of fabric For the last
five years the police matrons when on
duty have worn a uniform corresponding
to that of a policeman, shield and alL
"The winter uniform is of dark blue
heavy storm serge fumlBhed by the de
partment and comprises a perfectly plain
skirt and close fitting basque fastened
straight up the front .with a single row of
brass buttons. With this Is worn a plain
white standing collar and black apron,
The summer uniform Is the same except
that a dark blue lawn shirtwaist plainly
made and with long sleeves may be sub
stituted for the serge basque."
One of the best liked of the police
matrons, a widow, stationed at one of the
busiest precincts, said that speaking merely
from what she herself had seen, ahe
thought there were more married than
single police matrons, and that the married
matrons were the more successful because
of their larger experience.
"Intuition," she said, "Is one of the
principal aids In dealing with women un
fortunates, and this is why a matron can
often find out more about one of these In
five minutes than a policeman can discover
In a week. A dull wltted woman lacking
tact and strong Intuitions can't do good
work as a police matron, no matter how
strong or athletic she may be. She may
keep her position, but the work will be
hard for her and she will probably have
to keep up with a good deal of fault find
ing from headquarters.
"All women and children arrested and
brought to the station house are put in
the matron's care as soon as they leave
the lieutenant's desk. Immediately one Is
brought In, in fact, the matron is sent for
and goes through the form of searching
her before the lieutenant. If the woman Is
arrested for larceny or attempted suicide a
closer search is afterward made in the
matron's room, and this Is one of the
times when physical stength and agility
count for a good deal.
"As a precaution there is generally a
policeman within call, and once, I remem
ber, J barely had time to give one yell
before the woman I was searching had me
by the throat trying to choke the life out
of me. But that sort of thing doesn't hap
pen often, and it is not the most nerve
racking experience of a matron's life.
Keeping tab on women determined to
commit suicide is much more nerve wear
ing to my way of thinking and here is
where Intuition helps most.
"Ono night a woman was arrested for at
tempting suicide In the subway. She was
a Swede, young and good looking. I did not
reach the lieutenant's desk to take charge
of her until after allthe facts were sub
mitted by the policeman who brought her
In. I knew nothing whatever about her at
tempt to commit suicide. But no sooner
had I looked In her eyes than I Buspected
she would commit suicide, given the
chance, so I searched her with extra care,
finding nothing, though, which could be
used for this purpose.
"I put the woman in a cell and turned
to other prisoners, uneasily going back in
less than five minutes to take a peep at
her. I was barely In time to cut her down
before she strangled to death In a halter
made of a couple of pocket handkerchiefs.
1 laid the woman on a cot and went for
remedies and when I got back she was
trying It again, with her shoestrings for
a rope. After that, of course, she was sent
to Bellevue for observation.
"In spite of what the publio may believe
moral auaslon Is the principal means every
conscientious matron takes and Is ex
pected to take to aid most of the prisoners,
and a great deal of missionary work that
never gets Into religious papers Is done
by the police matrons. The police matron
of today is not easily discouraged even
though she does find that perhaps 90 per
cent or so of the women put In her care
are morally oblique and past help.
"I spent considerable time one night rea
soning and pleading with a handsome
young woman arrested for keeping a dis
orderly house. 'Why,' I asked, 'do you not
marry and have a respectable home, or
else engage In a reputable business? With
your intelligence,' I told her, 'you could
make good In almost any business.' 'I pre
fer the business I am In.' she answered
coolly. 'My mother and my grandmother
followed It, and I consider It perfectly le
gitimate.' "I could do nothing with the girl, she ab
solutely refused to admit that she was do
ing anything wrong. And she was per
fectly sincere, I believe.
"A curious case was a timid, refined
woman brought in for shoplifting. She
had stolen about fctt worth of goods from
a department store and the reason she gsvo
was that her own pocketbook containing
$26 had been stolen from her as she waa
looking at gooda on a bargain counter.
Afraid to tell her husband of her loss she
decided to steal the goods she meant to
have purchased, and being new at the
game and clumsy she was detected at once.
The unusual feature of the case was that
she Justified her act on the plea that hir
own pocketbook had been stolen In the
same store and that nothing I could say
altered that belief In the least.
"A matron gets very little encouragement
in her missionary attempts with women
arrested for intoxication, and after a few
years' experience roost of us agree that
perhaps all of these,- with the exception of
2 per cent, will go lower Instead of reform
ing. The same Is true of women rounded
up as vagrants.
"Every polloe matron since the newer
regulations went Into affect alternates on
day and night work. One week her hours
are from t a. m. to p. m., the next week
from I p. m. to I a. m. fourteen hours,
every ether week she aervea from t o'clock
Sunday morning to I o'clock Monday
morning without relief. Thia applies to all
the precincts except one or two of the very
1510
DOUGLAS
STREET
DOUGLAS
Welcome Mc-Sar-Ikia Visitors
, To Omaha's Home for
Women's Smart Wearing Apparel
The scope of our display of Autumn Suits takes in everything that fashion regards with favor
and in each style you will find that difference in fabric, trimming and treatment that gives
Orkin's garments a coveted exclusiveness which few designers have skill to attain.
All the favored fabrics are represented, such as the English diagonals, wide wale wor
steds, diagonal homespuns, serges and particularly a large assortment in chiffon broad
cloths, in styles specially for fall await your critical inspection especially priced for
Monday's selling at $25.00, $35.00, $45.00 and $55.00.
CORRECT NEW FALL COATS
Coats for every occasion general wear, motoring and afternoon and evening
wear. Every new idea is here.
Long Black Coats, $25.00, $29.75 and $35.00, of broadcloths, beautifully shaped,
some plainly tailored and others tastefully trimmed with braid or silk.
Colored Coats, of broadcloth and rough weave materials, made of wide wale
cheviots, two-toned materials and plain black soft warm worsteds.
They show many novel and distinctive touches. In all the new shades.
Monday we will show an entire new line of beautiful dresses and waists.
busiest, which keep three matrons on the
roll. Some peorle call these long hours
and the work very hard, but all the same
teachers, housekeepers, nurses, women of
high Intelligence are now qualifying for
the position I am told.
'A recent rule which bothers some of
the matrons a little Is that forbidding po
licemen to vlBlt the matron's office for
ny reason at all except police business.
This rule is awfully strict. Caught break
ing It, as happened at a Urooklyn precinct,
the matron Is fined three days' pay and
the policeman five days' pay, which seems
pretty severe.
"At one time policemen could appeal te
the matron for little favors a needle and
thread or an envelope, or step In to' pass
the time of day; but that Is all done away
with now. One reason for the new rule, I
guess, was the marriage of a matron and
policeman attached to the same precinct
after a good deal of lovw-maklng on both
sides, which came to the ears of the cap
tain. Nowadays when a policeman and ma
tron want to do any flirting they must
wait and do it outside the station house
or else run the risk of losing their shields.
'I would caution any woman troubled
with nerves never to dream of being a po
lice matron. No matter how many civil
service examinations ifhe might he able
to pass she would certainly be a flat fail
ure at this work were her nerves shaky."
BANK BURGLARY A LOST ART
Persistent Activity of Hankers' Aeso-
elation Npolls the !)
Inesa.
There are small pickings these days for
the professional bank burglars and other
criminals who prey upon the banking In
terests. In days of old the field was a
fruitful one, but now most of the promi
nent bankers of the country are members
of the American Hankers' association and
this association claims the protection of
the Pinkertons.
The reason why the skilled bank crafts
men of old have gone to other parts, turned
their attention to crooked channels where
there Is more prospect of getting away
with the goods, to use a colloquialism, or
retired altogether, Is not hard to find. Tho
American Bankers' association, with the
aid of its detective ally, never lets up on
a criminal.
Though the thief flee to Kamachatka,
though he disguise himself, though he take
every precaution to obliterate his tracks,
the relentless power behind him keeps ever
following.
The report which has been made to the
Bankers' association by its detective police
shows that the "yegg" burglar, a most
desperate type of criminal, who first com
menced operations in the east in 1836, has
been driven beyond the Mississippi, which
plays the part that Byrnes' dead line at
Fulton street used to play years ago. The
yeggs do not dure cross the river to the
eastward.
Other facts stand out as an effect of this
eteinal vigilance of the American Bankers'
association. The rmer professional bank
sneak thief has deserted the banks as a
bad and unprofitable Job. lie has now
turned his attention to residences, hotels
and sleeping cars.
The one-time professional bank "holdup"
robbers are either In Jail or making tracks
out of the sons presided over by the as
sociation. Some of them have gone to the
Argentine Republic.
In the fifteen years from December. 18M,
to September of this year Justice has sel
dom miscuc-d. More than five out of everv
six bank forgers arrested have been sent
away for long terms of years. In that
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5dldIn Dodd 5toresThroudhdutThe World
HOPS BROS., Maaafsdarsri, F.artk Am. sad 12th St., New Yark, V. S. At
fS
lima 631 forgera were arrested, S37 have
been convicted and twenty-nine are await
ing trial, while fifty-nine were released.
The aggregate number of years of thus
who have been sentenced is L127. Of 27!
burglars lit have been convicted, twenty
released and five are awaiting trial.
Eleven out of elxtecn sneak thieves have
been punished, eighteen out of twenty-four
holdup robbrrs snd three out of eieht who
sre olalflid as plain "robbers." New
York Sun.
Aaotbrr Woman I'rraehir.
Miss Gertrude L. Kawyer has aix.ii.ted a
me pastorate i.r ih. r,..
New Portland and V..t
rail to
um churches at
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Baa Want Ads are buuiuess boosters.
