Marshal Jacob Frey
During the railroad riots of July 1877, a situation occurred that demonstrated the abilities of the Baltimore police force. Luminous qualities of the Baltimore Police. The firemen of the B&O Railroad's freight engine squad quit their work on Monday, July 16, 1877. The residents of this city had already lost their minds when the police in Baltimore—and Deputy-Marshal Jacob Frey in particular—kept their composure, courage, and resolve. The firemen who work on the freight engine squad for the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad went on strike after having their pay reduced by 10%. These men claimed that although they were already making poverty-level wages before to the reduction, they would now be unable to support a nomadic lifestyle. The Railroad, however, claimed that they were forced to make pay cuts and were unable to pay increased wages due to a decreasing trend in the nation's general commercial interests.
At first, there were roughly 100 of them. They frequently departed the city on their trains, but when the engines stopped to pick up coal, they deserted their positions and refused to go any further. The strike first appeared to be manageable, but as the first day went on and reports that the unrest had reached Martinsburg and that the militia had been called out spread, things started to get more serious. The police arrived right away. Between Baltimore, the Relay House, and a squad of twelve at Camden Junction, they were posted in groups of two and three at various locations.
Similar to other moments of unrest in Baltimore, both before and after this incident, the first day went by quite peacefully, however in this instance few freight trains departed the city. But on the second day, Tuesday, July 17, 1877, the excitement started. A misplaced switch at a trestle near the bottom of Leaden Hall Street, Spring Garden, partially destroyed a freight train of 18 laden cars coming from the West and headed for Locust Point. The engine and a number of the cars were flung into a gulley. Two firemen were shot during a scuffle in Martinsburg, according to the news. The Baltimore and Ohio Company employees convened a meeting at early light and decided to support the strikes but first try to reach a settlement with the business.
Conciliation fell through, and the strike continued. The West Virginia government requested troops from President Hayes on Wednesday [18 July 1877], the third day of problems for the B&O, and a proclamation was immediately made by the President. Quickly, troops were dispatched. Naturally, all of this had an impact in Baltimore, but on that particular day, there were no aggressive protests there. The passenger trains arrived and left as usual, but the freight industry was essentially nonexistent.
The Business made the decision to stand firm in its position and offered a $500 reward for information leading to the capture of the person or people responsible for the Spring Garden wreck. The disturbances in Martinsburg persisted on the fourth day [July 19, 1877], but there was no outburst in Baltimore. Any excitement would have to wait for almost a full five days to occur here. Baltimore, though, was more ecstatic when it came than it had been since the war.
When it was learned that the strike in Cumberland was about to take on a national scale at around 3 p.m. on Friday, Governor Carroll met with the officials of the Baltimore and Ohio Company and concluded that the military's presence in Cumberland was essential to maintaining peace and order. Half an hour later, he gave Brigader-General Herbert, who was in charge of the First Brigade, M. N. G., the order to travel to Cumberland. At the same time, he issued a proclamation urging the rioters to stop. The military should be called to their various armories by a "military call" from the bells, General Herbert and Governor Carroll discussed shortly after. Governor Carroll opposed to this, and General Herbert again requested that the bells be rung after trying unsuccessfully to summon the soldiers at the armories through the conventional methods. This was carried out, and a serious mistake was demonstrated.
The City Hall fire bells rang the 1-5-1 call at twenty minutes to six. People quickly packed the streets around the armories with men and boys of all ages who supported the strikes after realizing what it meant. About that time, the factories had finished their job, and all of the workers contributed to the growth of the crowds. The mob, which numbered at least 2,000 people, was gathered in front of the Sixth Regiment's armory at Fayette and Front streets. Oddly enough, the regiment's officers requested that police officers be deployed to clear the area so that the regiment may march on to Camden station in a message to the police headquarters.
Due to the outdated system that was in use at the time, not enough police officers could be gathered in time for the job, and after two hours, the throng had grown so huge that no force could manage it.
Around seven o'clock, the Sixth Regiment Armory started experiencing problems. One of the windows received a brickbat.
Officers Albert Whitely, James Jamison, Oliver Kenly, and Roberts, four policemen stationed at the door, bravely manned their risky vigil despite the stones, missiles, and jeers that followed, even though the four militiamen who had been with the cops had been called in. Around 8.15 o'clock, when the march was scheduled to begin, the crowd was enraged and hostile. Yet, the businesses destemmed in order to pass the rioters. When they first appeared on the street, there was such a widespread uproar that it forced the men to retreat back inside the structure. The next time they emerged, they were instructed to open fire. The first company opened fire in the air, but the subsequent companies were under such intense fire that they were forced to fire their weapons into the crowd. From that moment on, there was constant and widespread firing along the march to Camden station, which led to the deaths of roughly a dozen individuals and the serious injuries of many more.
Although being badly attacked and having every opportunity to fire, the Fifth regiment chose not to utilize its weapons. The men marched through a hail of stones and other projectiles admirably. They numbered 250 in total. At the intersection of Eutaw and Camden streets, a substantial group of unkempt guys barred their path. As the bricks were falling quickly when they came to a stop, Captain Zollinger advised his men not to open fire.
Then he gave the order for them to be ready to charge the depot with their fixed bayonets. Captain Zollinger drew his sword and yelled at the crowd to move aside so the order could be carried out. The Captain faced a strong man who swiftly knocked him to the ground. Among the cries and cheers, the Captain fired several shots.
Inviting the regiment to charge the depot was the crowd. The building was set on fire shortly after the regiment arrived at the station. The rioters tried to stop the firemen from doing their jobs, but fortunately their attempts failed and the flames were reduced to embers and eventually to ashes.
With the exception of a few brief newspaper articles, the brave duty of the police during these rebel raising times has never been adequately acknowledged. Every time, they intimidated the crowd while the soldiers made everything worse.
Twelve soldiers were equal to one police officer. The police kept an eye on all the storage facilities and guarded the military until well after midnight. When our police guarded the fire fighters, their apparatus, and the hoses they utilized, the buildings were spared. The mob opened fire on them, inflicting some casualties. In response, they wounded many of the mob members and made numerous arrests.
The order sending the soldiers to Cumberland was afterwards revoked as a result of this enormous commotion, and Mayor Latrobe made a proclamation to that effect.
These were the days when the police force's effectiveness was put to the test. Jacob Frey, a deputy marshal, was in charge of the area around Camden Station. He didn't sleep for almost 70 hours while working alone to keep the crowd under control. On that Friday, before any of his officers could gather and before the military showed there, Frey had purged several hundred ecstatic and rowdy men off the platform and the front sidewalk. But as soon as further help was on the way, Deputy-Marshal Frey jumped into the crowd and quickly apprehended two of the troublemakers. They were taken into his custody without incident and brought to the Southern District Station House, where Frey himself made the arrests.
On Saturday night, people gathered once more near Camden Station. Around nine o'clock in the evening, a fire alarm roused the rioters, who raced towards the police lines that had been set up. The rioters opened fire with shots, injuring numerous officers in the process. The troops were then instructed to maintain their composure by Deputy-Marshal Frey, and a second later, with their pistols drawn, the order to "Take Aim, Fire" was given. Each officer seized a prisoner as they pushed forward and fired low shots. Fifty people were detained; several guys died and numerous others were injured. At 11:00, there was another outbreak, leading to 53 additional arrests. On Sunday morning, enormous masses gathered once more at Camden Station and pressed up to the Fifth Regiment's picket lines. Because of how things appeared, Deputy-Marshal Frey requested a squad of twenty police officers. The Deputy-Marshal personally took responsibility of them when they arrived. He urged everyone who had been disposed of peacefully to return home and warned the audience that he would "clean that street." Several of them did so, but a large number stayed. The Marshal ordered "Advance" to his men as he turned to face them, and the rioters were quickly chased away. They were terrified of the Deputy-Marshal because they knew him.
Every attempt was made to defend the city once the violence had grown so dangerous. The United States immediately ordered soldiers from New York and other locations to Baltimore. Eight companies of soldiers from New York Harbor arrived with General W. S. Hancock, who also had two fully manned warships with a combined crew of 560 men docked in the Patapsco. The Police Board administered oaths of office to several hundred special policemen. William M. Pegram, Alexander M. Green, C. Morton Stewart, Frank Frick, E. Wyatt Blanchard, James H. Barney, J. L. Hoffman, Robert G. Hoffman, W. Gilmore Hoffman, John Donnell Smith, William A. Fisher, Frederick von Kapff, and Washington B. Hanson were some of the well-known residents who were among them. With regular badges provided, they performed admirably. The majority of the regular police officers worked more than fifty hours straight without taking a break from their duties. The massive display of force by the police and army overwhelmed the rioters, and the unrest eventually subsided. The following Saturday, ten troops were stationed at each freight train as it traveled along the road.
More or less, the strikes in other places persisted, but they ended in two weeks. Thankfully, there was no trouble on the Northern Central railroad. The inquest jury for the man killed by the Sixth Regiment was highly thorough in its investigations, and after spending several days gathering testimony, it reached a conclusion that found the rioters responsible for the unrest but accused the regiment of firing too quickly and randomly. It found fault with the lack of additional police presence in and around the armory. Nonetheless, this was all the Marshal's fault for not receiving enough notice from the military authorities. The police department's contribution to the illustrious struggle will always serve as a testament to its valor and effectiveness.
Jacob Frey's Watch
Union Soldiers Attacked
In a border city with strong Southern sympathies, Baltimore's police had the difficult task of guarding union soldiers passing through on their way to the southern battlefields. Unlike other passengers, the soldiers were transported slowly to the streets in the course cars during the early months of the civil war. The billing masses, who were yelling in support of Jefferson Davis, noticed the wrapping tape to assault, and they put on a show in the best riding Baltimore has to offer. Against the automobiles, they hurled stones and other projectiles. Yet, on April 19, 1861, the mob tried to obstruct the soldier's progress, and it was a crucial day for the Baltimore police force. Tamales stacked a dray load of sand, a pile of cobblestones, and some light anchors on the track near Gay and Pratt streets in order to block it.
Police Heads Imprisoned
Following their exit, 220 union soldiers made an attempt to march on Camden station. It served as the command to attack. During the subsequent melee, the rioters made an attempt to steal the soldiers' rifles. Police attempted to defend the Union soldiers with guns drawn and threats to fire, but their efforts were ineffective. 36 soldiers were hurt, and four soldiers died. Similarly, 12 people were slain. Some weeks later, General Banks, who was in charge of the Union forces in Baltimore, made the decision to seize control of the police force. Marshal Kane was taken into custody and lodged in Fort McHenry. He detained the final three commissioners in the later hours. They were sent to prison and kept there for over a year. Those with union sympathies were named to the new department's commissionership and placed on the federal payroll. After the war, the agency started implementing ideas that have now spread throughout the whole American police force. The patrol van, the helmet, and the police telegraph box were among the new inventions. Police had to carry highly inebriated prisoners to the station house on their backs until about 1885, at which point they commandeered a wheelbarrow. Baltimore is thought to be the second American city to use patrols after Chicago. Deputy Marshal Jacob Frey learned about police patrol wagon history while reading an illustrated magazine in the gymnasium of Central's station. The Board of Commissioners (BOC) expressed a passing interest when he presented the concept to them. Frey didn't give up on issues he was passionate about; a few weeks later, he brought the issue back to the board's attention; they had previously forgotten about it but had made a commitment to look into it. According to Frey, the Police Telegraph Box System and Wagon represented the future of policing.
Telegraph Box System
Deputy Marshal Frey intervened on its own when the BOC did nothing. He dispatched department representatives to Chicago to observe the operation of the "New Fanged" patrol wagons. According to an old record, "they were charmed." They also investigated Chicago's innovative "Police Telegraph Box" system while they were there (the Call Box). Both of these instruments arrived in Baltimore by the fall of 1885 as a result of Baltimore's journey. Baltimore became the second Department in the nation to deploy the Police Telegraph System after Chicago, according to accounts in the Baltimore Sun newspaper. From 1885 until 1986, when Baltimore established a 1-800 number for police to use when radio use was undesirable, these boxes were still in use there. By 1988, all boxes had been retired from service.
The Police Helmet
A rule was created in Baltimore in 1886 and had already been worn in other places. Alford J. Carr, a commissioner, presented it. It replaced the derby that police officers previously wore. Commissioner Carr stipulated that the helmet should be pearl gray in the summer and black in the winter. During that time, only sergeants and patrolmen wore helmets, which were symbolic of rank. The marshal, his assistant, the captains, and the lieutenants were there. At the time, it was reported that the home's hygienic conditions were first-rate, allowing the policemen a chance to arrange adequate ventilation.
Friday, Aug 20, 1886, New Badge
New badges for the police captains: Today, the city's police captains will be visible wearing new badges. A directive to that effect was issued by the police board. According to Marshall Frey, the captains had long grumbled that their old badges were the same as those worn by almost every watchman or private detective in the city. The ancient badges were simply a circle with a star inside it, along with the wording "Captain of Police." The new badges are really attractive and much more elaborate. Around 2 12 inches long and 2 inches wide, the form is shaped like a shield. and silver. On the face, the Maryland Coat of Arms is prominently shown. Above the coat of arms is inscribed a "eye." Underneath, the word "Capt." can be seen. John W. Torsch, the maker of the new badges, Because the force is a state organization, according to Marshall Fray, he believed it fitting to include the Maryland coat of arms on the badge. He continues by saying that the "eye" is meant to serve as a reminder to the captains to remain vigilant at all times.
Jacob Frey served as Marshal from Oct 15, 1885 - Jul 12, 1897
Marshal Jacob Frey was no longer actively associated with the Police Department as of July 12, 1897. Capt. Samuel T. Hamilton was chosen on October 7th, 1897, to take Marshal Frey's place as Marshal of Police. Marshal Hamilton was a distinguished Civil War officer with unquestionable courage and moral rectitude. He had served on the Western frontier for many years after the American Civil War, taking part in the never-ending wars against the Sioux and other Indian tribes as settlers and pioneers pushed toward the setting sun, constructing towns and railroads while attempting to subdue the wilderness and its native inhabitants. Captain Hamilton and his troop made a fruitless attempt to re-enforce Gen. George A. Custer and his severely undermanned men during the Sioux campaign of 1876 when they were outnumbered ten to one by the Indians in the valley of the Little Big Horn. The Seventh United States Cavalry died on June 26, 1876, and the day after that, on June 27, the reinforcements came, worn out from their fantastic journey across the nation. The remainder of the campaign was fought by Captain Hamilton and his troop, and as a result, Sitting Bull, the legendary Indian war leader, was forced across the Canadian frontier.
The Harbor Thieves
The Sun (1837-1987); Jul 27, 1886; pg. 4
The criminals who plundered multiple vessels early on Sunday in the harbor have not yet been apprehended by the police. The burglars are thought to be the same ones that looted a ship near Washington late Friday evening. All along the coast, there have been reports of thefts. The authorities have reason to believe that a group of professional criminals are carrying out the thefts since they have been carried out with remarkable skill and organization. Police Marshall Frey stated that he had submitted the following written recommendation to the board of police commissioners regarding the need for better facilities for apprehending thieves: "There exists a necessity for a harbor police boat, as many depredations and other offenses are committed on vessels and along the shore by persons in small boats, the policeman on land being unable to see or hear them in many instances, and in many cases when seen or heard, in many cases when they are not." About 18 years ago, we had a yawl boat patrolling the harbor, and it did a good job, but the need for police officers on the ground forced us to forsake even that basic harbor security system. The police board acknowledged the significance of this suggestion and included a clause in an act to more precisely describe the special fund under the control of the board and to fund a harbor patrol boat, but the clause was removed when the act was ratified by the previous legislature. The special fund, which is used to construct station houses and pay for patrol vehicles and pensions, is funded by fines levied by police magistrates. The Marshal claims that harbor police boats in New York, Philadelphia, Boston, and other places are very helpful in protecting the property of vessels, and he claims that Baltimore needs a steam yacht with around four rowboats. All through the night, the yacht could move up and down the harbor, and rowboats could patrol the docs at its command. The yacht should have a regular police captain. In his estimation, it would take an additional 15–16 police officers to complete the task completely. The Marshal added that the inhabitants of the city are unaware of how many thefts take place at the harbor. The sole ship Jewelry, clothing, and money are the types of thefts that are typically covered in the news, but produce thefts account for by far the biggest losses because it is done so skillfully that neither the ship's captain nor the owners of the products are aware of the theft until the Produce is removed and a shortage is noticed. The Marshal suggested the installation of the port police boat in order to stop these crimes and to apprehend the professional thieves. According to the board's president, Mr. George Colton, the board would need special legislation to build the harbor system. The board acknowledges the need for a patrol boat, along with the Marshal and Deputy Marshal.
Guarding The Harbor
Reported for the Baltimore Sun
The Sun (1837-1987); Jul 31, 1886; - pg. 6
Police officers on rowboats are on patrol as the police cars move forward. Marshall Frey, operating as directed by the police board, has set up a unique police protection system for the Baltimore harbor. Twelve police officers and four flat-bottomed boats are currently working for him. Each boat will have three police officers attached to it, and each boat will have two pairs of oars so that two men can pull if there is a chase. A dim lantern will also be supplied for each boat. The police officer chosen for this task was chosen from among those with the most familiarity with the harbor and its immediate surroundings. To have three of the four boats in the Eastern District, one in the Central District, and one in the Southern District. The boats will go on duty at night and work till dawn.
According to Police Board President Colton, starting this experiment was the best course of action the board could do given the situation. without the necessary enactment of relevant law. The board was unable to activate a normal steam patrol boat. He had requested a police boat during the previous session of the legislature, but they refused. The expense of the current trial will be minimal because boats may be rented out for a few dollars per night. There is a good reason to think that it will succeed.
A steam launch is unquestionably the greatest way to patrol the harbor, according to Marshall Frey, who is referring to police security of the harbor. Although he was unable to say with certainty what kind of boat would be best, he had the opinion that it should be constructed with all the amenities required for the service. He estimated that a decent compliment would be roughly 25 men. He said that the current experiment would be a wonderful step toward port protection and that nothing more could be done until the legislature's next meeting, when the request for a police boat will be reiterated.
All of the polls have been set up in their proper locations, and the wires have been run, making the preparations for the introduction of the patrol wagon system practically complete. The new wagon for the southern area is ready, therefore the boxes will likely be placed in position the following week. Mr. John F. Bunter of Baltimore constructed it. Although it has a few upgrades, it is somewhat similar to the wagon utilized in the Central District. The wagon's body is 7 feet long. There is a small apartment to the left that the stretcher can fit into with no problem at all. In case of necessity, heavy weapons can be stored in the comparable apartment to the right. Steps in the back lead to the entryway. Each step is completed and made of brass. The wagon's body is painted in a dark color. Carmine wheels with yellow borders are used. One horse will pull the wagon. The effort to improve the system in the Eastern District is likewise moving quite quickly.
The Harbor Patrol
Reported for the Baltimore Sun - The Sun (1837-1987); Aug 7, 1886; -pg. 6
Sites are revealed by the dim lantern during a ride in one of the police boats. How about Your Light? A dark lantern flashed after the words, creating a halo of light around the head of a man of color who was scuttling a boat at night toward a fleet of Bay vessels that were ahead and facing Henderson's pier.
"Boss, I just took somebody to the coast," the shocked man said, winking and blanking in dread of the questioner who was not there. The man covered his eyes and attempted to block out the lantern's glare, but each attempt was met with the dazzling light in front of him.
Three cops were visible to the terrified individual in one of the Eastern District's port patrol boats after a brief burst of light was cut off. Sheets were put in the Stearns for a Sun reporter who was serving as the cutter's temporary coxswain. After explaining to the Charon why he was being challenged, he was given permission to leave and was ecstatic.
An intriguing aspect of the branch of police work recently established by Marshall Frey for the protection of property on wharves and on ships is a cruise with a port patrol. Hence, there are boats on duty every night, each with three officers who have been chosen based on their prior familiarity with the harbor and boat operating skills. Four boats make up the division of the work. The central crew begins its patrol with the Steamboat Peer at the southernmost point of Light Street Wharf, then moves to the north side of the basin and ends at the drawbridge. From there, the Eastern District's number one crew begins patrolling and moves on to Henderson's wharf, where the number two crew picks up the task and carries it out to the Lazaretto light. The southern district and Capt. Delanty's crew control the shipyards, coal wharves, and steamer piers all the way to Fort McHenry on the south side of the harbor.
Capt. Auid chose two attractive cutters that were formerly part of Mr. T. Harrison Garrett's yacht Gleam with the foresight that comes from experience with ships and boats. Due to their small weight and ease of movement through the water, they are especially well suited for the job. Two officers pull, and a third officer caters to the filler, bundles the light, or provides guidance. There is an established order and regularity system. To prevent confusion, each guy has been given a specific responsibility for the boat or his charge over a piece of equipment.
The patrol boat that watches over the Canton Hallow on the night in question was delighted by the change from the smooth water that predominated beneath the ice of wharves and ships further up. However, the strong southerly breeze that night made the harbor a little lumpy, causing the motion of the patrol boat to leap and jump over the waves.
Polls that were strong and durable sliced or skimmed over the water like a recently formed shell. Some of the unforeseen events during the journey were downright absurd. A wharf suddenly approached the ship's stern and began to inspect it. The dark lantern quickly indicated that the officer in the bow was alert, and when the lantern was used to illuminate the pier, two lovers were politely taken aback. Romeo himself appeared to be very perplexed as the head that had been resting on his shoulder suddenly sprang up straight as if it had never known any other position. After the lantern's light was turned on, everything in the boat and on the dock went back to being pitch-black. Perhaps this is when the old, old narrative was once again recounted while being observed by the waves gurgling beneath the pier.
Passing through silent, empty wharves and warehouses, under the sterns of large ships loading for C, and almost brushing the bow of some small craft then up and into the shadowed pier, looking beneath peers; finally, chasing after a boat with a lone person to see out what he was doing: The little boat met softly and quickly with the Lazaretto, which is marked by two red lights and delineates the area where the police patrol will go after passing steamers, banks, ships, factories, and furnaces.
The city lights could be seen off in the distance, and the regularity of the gas lamps, which resembled a procession of torches, revealed the street's boundaries. The only sounds coming from the water were the waves crashing against the seawall or a late tug returning to its starting place. The crew occasionally took a break on their oars and drifted with the current, or they paused to scan what appeared to be a boat.
The patrol's responsibilities are extensive. Before boarding a vessel, crew members are advised to lock all doors and to keep an eye out for any property that may be lying around on the decks. The patrol is now familiar with every rowboat and sailboat. They are aware of its ownership and connection points. His absence prompts a search, and its location is established. The patrol's path is determined by the situation, but every hour, the entire beat is twice covered. Vessels that arrived during the day are found and informed of my responsibility to keep a lookout prior to the general cruise.
The other night, a case study of the ship's master's negligence was presented. Through the schooner cabin's open door, a light could be seen at what seemed like an odd hour. The patrol stopped the ship as it approached on all sides. After several minutes of silence, no one spoke until the oars had struck the cabin, at which point a guy swiftly entered the companionway, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He was informed that he might receive an invitation from seeds, so he closed his cabin out of prudence. The officer remarked that chloroform would not be necessary if all Mariners slept like that man and his crew did.
Police Call Box
Saturday (16 October 1885) Box 63 was the 1st used
It was located at the corner of Franklin and Charles Streets
History
Based on the following Baltimore got its first Call Box in 1885
After Chicago, Baltimore is thought to have been the second city in the nation to deploy patrol wagons when its first one entered service on October 25, 1885. Marshal Jacob Frey read an illustrated magazine in the gymnasium of Central's station and came across information on police patrol wagons being deployed for the first time in Chicago. The Board of Commissioners (BOC) expressed a passing interest when he presented the concept to them. Frey didn't give up on issues he was passionate about; a few weeks later, he brought the issue back to the board's attention; they had previously forgotten about it but had made a commitment to look into it. In Frey's opinion, the Police Telegraph Box System and the Wagon represented the future of law enforcement, therefore when the BOC did nothing, Marshal Frey acted on its own. He dispatched a department employee to Chicago to observe the operation of the "New Fanged" patrol wagons. According to an old record, "they were charmed." They observed Chicago's brand-new "Police Telegraph Box" system while there (Known now as the Call Box). Both of these instruments arrived in Baltimore by the fall of 1885 as a result of Baltimore's journey. Baltimore became the second department in the nation to employ the Police Telegraph System after Chicago, according to accounts in the Baltimore Sun newspaper. From 1885 until 1985, when Baltimore established a 1-800 number for police to use to phone back into the station when radio use was improper, these boxes were still in use there. By 1987, all boxes had been retired from service.
Ad for the National Telephone Company's "Glasgow Style Police Signal Box System" from 1894. In Albany, New York, the first police telephone was set up in 1877, one year after Alexander Graham Bell created the technology. First police call boxes for public usage were installed in Washington, DC in 1883. Chicago, Detroit, and Boston then installed police call boxes in 1884 and 1885, respectively. They were direct-dial telephones that were mounted on a post and frequently required a key or the breaking of a glass door. In Chicago, the telephones could only be used by the police, but the telephone boxes also had a dial that the general people could use to signal eleven different alarms, including "Police Wagon Needed," "Thieves," "Forgers," "Murder," "Accident," "Fire," and "Drunkard."
In Glasgow, England, the first police telephones for the general public were installed in 1891. Large gas lanterns were mounted on the roof of these tall, hexagonal, cast-iron boxes that were painted red and had a system that allowed the central police station to light the lanterns to indicate to nearby police officers to call the station for instructions.
Sunderland and Newcastle both used rectangular wooden police boxes in 1923 and 1925, respectively. Between 1928 and 1937, the Metropolitan Police (Met) deployed police boxes across London, and Gilbert MacKenzie Trench's 1929 design for the Met is now widely recognized. [6] [7] The original MacKenzie Trench designs state that the material for the box's shell is "concrete," with only the door being made of wood, despite some sources (such as) asserting that the initial boxes were constructed of wood (specifically, "teak"). The concrete boxes were exceedingly cold, the police officers remarked. The inside of the boxes often included a stool, a table, brushes and dusters, a fire extinguisher, and a tiny electric heater for use by the police. The London police boxes, like the Glaswegian boxes from the 19th century, had a light at the top of each box that would flash to alert police officers to call the station. At this point, the lights were powered by electricity.
There were 685 police boxes on London's streets by the year 1953. Until the introduction of personal radios in 1969–1970, police boxes were a vital part of police activity but were gradually phased out. There are now very few police boxes in Britain because their primary use was replaced by the development of portable telecommunications devices like the walkie-talkie. High Street coffee shops have been created in a few of them. These are typical in Edinburgh, but the city also contains dozens more uninhabited structures, the most of which are in varying degrees of deterioration.
The boxes in Edinburgh were designed by Ebenezer James MacRae, who was motivated by the city's wealth of neoclassical buildings. They are relatively large and have a rectangular layout. There were 86 of them distributed across the city during its height. Lothian and Borders Police sold a further 22 in 2012, leaving them with 20. Local police continue to operate one police box in the Leicestershire community of Newtown Linford.
Seen at the Glasgow Museum of Transport is the red police box. The remaining Glasgow police boxes were scrapped in 1994 by Strathclyde Police. Nonetheless, several police boxes were saved and are still standing today as a part of Glasgow's architectural legacy because to the involvement of the Civil Defense & Emergency Service Preservation Trust and the Glasgow Building Protection Trust. There are still at least four, including one in the corner of Cathedral Square, one on Great Western Road (at the intersection of Byres Road), and three others on Buchanan Street (at the intersection of Royal Bank Place), Wilson Street, and Glassford Street (at the corner of Castle Street, also recently restored). The Glasgow Museum of Transport also kept a red police box, however the Glasgow City Council determined it did not go with the new Transport Museum, therefore it was given back to the Civil Defense Trust. Glasgow's police boxes on Great Western Road are leased as a coffee and donut stand, the "Tartan Tardis" in Cathedral Square sells Scottish souvenirs, and an ice cream shop with Glasgow roots is currently operating on Buchanan Street under a license. The Civil Defense & Emergency Service Preservation Trust has put limitations in place as of November 2011 to ban external box modifications that go beyond the patented design.
Eleven of the final "Gilbert Mackenzie Trench" Police Signal Boxes in the UK are presently under the management of the Civil Defense & Emergency Service Preservation Trust on behalf of a private collector. The National Tramway Museum in Crich, Derbyshire, has a second blue police box that is kept in this design. Outside the Chatham, Kent, Kent Police Museum and the Grampian Transport Museum are boxes belonging to the Trust. On the grounds of the Metropolitan Police College (Peel Centre) in Hendon, there is an authentic MacKenzie Trench box. Although there is no public access, a Northern Line tube train traveling from Colindale to Hendon Central may plainly view it (on the left-hand side).
There are now eight Grade II listed police "call posts" in the City of London that are not in use. The City of London Police used rectangular cast iron posts instead of full-sized boxes since the streets are too narrow for them. A first aid kit was kept in a secured box, while another compartment held the phone.
In the "Square Mile," fifty posts were put in place starting in 1907; they were in use until 1988.
A new police box with CCTV cameras and a phone to call the police, modeled after the Mackenzie Trench, was unveiled outside London's Earl's Court tube station on Thursday, April 18, 1996. When London's phone numbers were changed in April 2000, the telephone stopped working, but the box remained even though money for its upkeep and maintenance had long since run out. The renovation and upkeep of the box, which is now somewhat of a tourist attraction because to the Doctor Who association (see below), were once again funded by the Metropolitan Police in March 2005. In 2005, Glasgow unveiled a new style of police box. The new boxes connect callers to a police CCTV control center operator through digital kiosks rather than booths. They have a chrome finish, are 10 feet tall, and have three displays that display information about crime prevention, police force recruitment, and even tourism attractions. Similar to Glasgow, Manchester features "Help Points" that are equipped with sirens that sound when the emergency button is depressed. The siren also draws the attention of neighboring CCTV cameras to the Help Point. Police "Help Points," which are essentially an intercom box with a push-button positioned below a CCTV camera on a post with a direct line to the police, are buildings that resemble police boxes and are located in Liverpool.
Currently on loan to the BPD Museum
It shows where Marshal Frey ordered some engraving's on our pistols circa 1886
This shows where Marshal Frey rented a rowboat for the Southern District 1886
This is a pic of Marshal Frey's watch and what follows are various shots from various angles
Without prior knowledge about Marshal Jacob Frey, no one could infer from a cursory glance at him that he was one of the best and bravest law enforcement officials in the nation. Although he has the appearance of an uncommonly educated and affable person whom a complete stranger would not think twice about choosing as a friend, he is much more than that. He is the coolest and most avid gamer man alive. Although being shorter than average in height, he is so powerful, quiet, and sincere that good citizens generally revere him and bad citizens deeply dread him. He is the one person out of 100,000 who is familiar with what to do and how to do it in an emergency. At Annapolis, Hollohan attacked him and sustained injuries that would have rendered the average person incapable of maintaining composure. Marshal Frey just restrained his attacker and graciously begged the courtroom's wildly enthralled spectators not to hurt the prisoner. Yet, Mr. Frey did not grow up with any aspirations of being a police officer. He attended public schools, graduated from high school, and started a stove company. After that, he started making stoves. On April 23, 1867, Jacob Frey was made a captain and given leadership of the Southern district. High effectiveness did not set its force apart. As one of the least deserving of the four districts, workers were dispatched from the Central office to investigate anything of extraordinary importance. The Southern district police were never given responsibility for significant cases. Captain Frey recognized this and was quietly resolved to make amends. He was determined to demonstrate that both he and his troops could perform their tasks to the fullest. He didn't brag, but instead let his track record speak for itself. The Southern District force quickly displayed increased vigor and competence. The low estimation of its relevance that had been held at headquarters completely vanished as a result of its ability to handle every situation. The men from the Southern district earned as much trust as any of their rivals. Captain Frey was in charge of several excellent projects, which he handled well. One of these cases involved four men of color who had shipped on board an oyster boat at Baltimore killing Captain Johnson and his mate in cold blood in Tangier Sound. In the spring of 1867, it happened. As Mr. Martin was from Somerset County and served as the Police Commission's secretary, it was only natural that the locals looked to him to find and apprehend the murders. Naturally, he wanted to focus all of his efforts on the case. Two of the black men made it to Virginia's eastern shore before being apprehended, but Frank Rounds and George Bailey were able to bury their tracks more successfully. No information concerning their whereabouts was discovered for weeks. Yet Captain Frey persisted in his zeal, and many months later he found Rounds in Guilford's alley, where he was quickly apprehended. Bailey was imprisoned as a common thief to the Baltimore City Jail, where Captain Frey later discovered Bailey. The two captives were found guilty after being transported by the Captain to Princess Anne. The execution date was March 5, 1868. The attack on Captain Clayton, whose ship was docked at Smith's Dock, by a black man named "Joe" Woods was another case that Captain Frey successfully handled. The arrest was made by Captain Farnan, the current commander of the Central area, and his life story includes a description of the crime. Captain Frey was unusually successful in his career, but he wasn't completely happy with the financial side of things. The salary was only $22 per week, which was significantly less than his previous business income. He discovered that his business interests were disregarded after handing over control of his establishment to an employee. As a result, he made the decision to quit his job as a police officer and go back to his more mundane, more successful stove manufacturing business, but the Police Commissioners would have none of it. Captain Frey was eventually persuaded to stay after President Jarrett's particularly vehement protestations. The Commissioners chose a Deputy-Marshal on April 19, 1870. Captain Jacob Frey received a unanimous vote of support. He accepted the position, gave up his personal business, and immediately committed his considerable talents and resources to the duties of his important position. Since that time, he has played a significant role in every significant incident in Baltimore's police history. The violent attack on Mrs. Carlotta Sarracco, the Italian music teacher's wife who resided in a delightful little cottage just outside the city lines, east of Charles Street and close to the Blind Asylum, on Monday night, April 24, 1871, deeply incensed Baltimore residents. The Sarracco house was surrounded by a flowery bower. Mr. Sarracco was a native of Tuscany and brought with him many of the culinary traditions that make the inhabitants of that lovely region of Italy so creative and endearing. He was deeply committed to his wife. His line of work allowed him to spend a lot of time at home, and he spent all of his free time with his wife and his flowers. He had a number of students spread out around Baltimore County, so he occasionally had to spend the night away from home. One of these happened the night of the attack. Mr. Sarracco left his wife behind when he travelled for Hagerstown to fulfill an obligation. The only person left in the house was a capable black young man named Jeremiah Mahomet, who was only approximately seventeen years old. Mrs. Sarracco spent the day cleaning the house, and since the rooms in the upper part of the house were still damp, she made the decision to spend the night there. She set up a couch in the dining area using some mattresses before going to bed. She was a sound sleeper, so she made sure Mahomet knew before bed that he needed to react right away to any noise he might hear within the home. The boy pledged to carry out this. When a large hand was silently pushed through the vines that partially covered the dining room's windows, the sash latch was carefully forced back with a thin-bladed knife, and the form of a negro silently entered the space. It was almost midnight. There was moonlight outside, and the man stood out against that beautiful backdrop with his intense black clothing. The black man advanced with his hands outstretched in the darkness of the room and his eyes wide open. He tapped the rocker of a chair with his bare feet. He exhaled a low curse that made him feel better, and he started walking again with his gaze fixated on the corner of the room where Mrs. Sarracco was laying. The negro passed across that ten feet of floor in a number of minutes. The negro would stop and look tremblingly over his shoulder out of fear that he would be seen as the mice ran around inside the wall, startling him at every creak of the boards beneath his feet. He finally rose over the bed. There wasn't much of a pause then. He reached under Mrs. Sarracco's pillow, but found nothing of value there. Then, thinking that she might be wearing neck jewelry, he placed his hand on a necklace that Mr. Sarracco had recently given his wife. The dozing woman was roused by the searing touch. She caught sight of the black person's low forehead and bright eyes near to her face. She jumped up and yelled out, "What do you want?" with a horrified scream. Her attacker screamed, "Hush or I'll kill you." The ruffian's intent might be inferred from that threat alone. Mrs. Sarracco jumped out of bed and started to wrestle with the black man. She had a huge build and was more powerful than most women of her sex. It was a horrific conflict. The black man and his intended victim were rolling around the room's floor fighting like monsters. The man was bit and scratched by Mrs. Sarracco until blood began to pour from his face and neck. As the black man realized he was no longer stronger than his victim, he pulled out a razor, a weapon that was then becoming popular with outlaws of the time. He slashed his victim's face severely while she valiantly held on to him and screamed for help. The man managed to free his hand once more, and he slashed at the woman's throat once more, slashing down into the breastbone and barely missing her windpipe. Then, he forced himself to break free and sprang out of the back window, the same window he had used to enter. But before he left, he struck his victim with a closed fist and knocked her to the ground. At this point, the screams of his victim and the sounds of the fight had woken up the young black kid who had been sleeping in the basement. He ran upstairs to help Mrs. Sarracco. The burglar was leaving through the window when he walked into the dining room. While walking, he dropped his hat. As soon as the young man raised the alarm, help was on the way. When called, doctors Page and Grindrat arrived right away to treat Mrs. Sarracco's injuries. She probably wouldn't have survived had they not intervened so quickly. The injuries she sustained during the incident healed after a protracted sickness. After learning about the incident early in the morning, Deputy Marshal Frey stepped outside and arrived to the residence around five in the morning. He discovered the room where the altercation took place in a substantial state of chaos, illustrative of the awful ordeal Mrs. Sarracco had undergone. The furniture was knocked over, and the bloody wooden floor showed where the fight had taken place. Large amounts of blood were left on the window sill through which the burglar escaped, and the walls were covered in blood. Deputy-Marshal Frey quickly dispatched his men to the scene to investigate. The hat the black man abandoned during his flight was a clear indicator of his identity because it belonged to a person of color named John Thomas who had just finished working for Mrs. Sarracco a few days before. Together, the boy Mahomet and the man had worked in Mrs. Sarracco's garden, and the child claimed that Thomas had told him that he assumed Mrs. Sarracco must be quite wealthy based on the way she spoke. The first questions Mr. Frey asked were about Thomas' home. Nobody knew where he lived, other than the fact that each night after work he headed in the direction of the city. There were at least twenty "John Thomas's" listed in the Baltimore directory, so the initial search for the thief had a depressing feel to it. The man fit the following description: He was a young man, perhaps twenty-two years old, approximately five feet six inches tall, dusky brown, with very attractive features, woolly hair, and short side whiskers. Detectives were placed close to each address where a John Thomas was listed as residing, according to Deputy Marshal Frey. They kept an eye out day and night. Three John Thomases were detained on Wednesday, but none of them turned out to be the right one. The Deputy-Marshal personally set up watch on the residence of John Thomas, located at 28 Ross Street, on Wednesday evening. He was rewarded when he saw a man who fit the description of the would-be murderer enter the residence around eleven o'clock. This man turned out to be the best choice. He was kept behind bars in the Central District station house until his hearing before Police Judge Haggerty at 5 o'clock the next afternoon. By presenting the man with the evidence against him—his hat and the razor used in the crime—Deputy-Marshal Frey was able to extract a confession from him in the meantime. After a thorough search on Tuesday night by policeman Widdefield, the razor was located close to Mrs. Sarracco's home. It was found in the dust right outside the gate, where the man in his flight had flung it, and it was coated in blood. When called to the witness stand, the prisoner demonstrated that he had not emerged from the fight with his victim unharmed. He had deep bruises and scratches on his face and eyes. In court, his attire from the night of the assault was displayed. They had huge blotches of blood all over them. He was asked if he had the razor after being shown it. He affirmed, "Yeah, it is mine; it belonged to my father. While the prisoner's head was covered by the hat from the dining room, the boy Mahomet recognized him as the coworker from the previous week's garden work. Thomas requested a jury trial despite having admitted the crime. He was found guilty and given a sentence of twenty-one years in the Maryland State Prison, where he passed away after serving roughly a third of it. Mrs. Sarracco experienced a tragic accident during the trial. She once suffered a skull fracture after falling down the Court House's stone steps as she was exiting the building. Shortly after, she passed away as a result of her injuries. A famous case that Deputy-Marshal Frey cooked up involved Mrs. Ellen G. Wharton, who was accused of murder by tartar-emetic General W. Scott Ketchum. It caused a sensation on a national scale. The wife of a US Army officer, Mrs. Wharton was married. About 1863, she arrived in this city. She gained entry into the best social circles in the city regardless of her husband's status because of her character, her impeccable manner, and her devotion as a wife and mother. She has never been associated with any scandals of any type. The details of a terrible crime from Connecticut that occurred during the end of June 1871 shook the entire nation. Sherman, an educated woman who was well-connected, had poisoned three husbands and several families. As Baltimore's interest in the case was at its peak, rumors that a tragedy with a fairly identical plot had taken place near North Eutaw Street started to circulate. The newspaper reporters were all lost for days." The police had the matter under control, but they would not reveal anything until they had thoroughly investigated the mystery. The following information then surfaced: General Ketchum, a retired United States Army officer, departed Washington on June 24 with the declared intention of traveling to Baltimore to retrieve $2,600 that he had lent to Mrs. Wharton, the widow of a fellow officer for whom he had the highest regard. He did travel to Baltimore, where he fell ill at Mrs. Wharton's home just a short while afterwards. He was seen by renowned doctor P. C. Williams, who identified the signs of metallic poisoning. General Ketchum lived until June 30 before passing away. The body was relocated to a location where the cause of the death could be determined on the advice of Doctor Williams, who was sure that there was foul play involved in the situation. Twenty grains of tartar-emetic, a potent metallic poison, were discovered in the stomach after body parts were examined. A few days later, Mrs. Wharton returned to Washington and requested $4,000 from General Ketchum's administrators, which she claimed to have deposited with the General. She was politely but vehemently repulsed, and the topic of why she hadn't returned the $2,600 General Ketchum had borrowed her was raised. She retorted that she had ripped up the note and paid it on June 17. But, records kept by the General indicated that she had made an interest payment on the 25th of that month. Mrs. Wharton appeared to be condemned by other factors. General Ketchum was poisoned on the same day that Mr. Eugene Van Ness, Mrs. Wharton's confidential advisor, called to see her and fell ill with the identical symptoms. He lingered between life and death for six days, but thankfully, his wife's sharp eye allowed her to spot silt in the glass that contained his food, saving his life. The investigation into this case by the police, led by Deputy-Marshal Frey, was so comprehensive that the chain of evidence was complete. They displayed the locations and dates of Mrs. Wharton's tartar-emetic purchases, and Mr. Frey detailed his interviews with Mrs. Wharton in-depth on the witness stand. The trial took place in Annapolis and lasted forty days. The courtroom was always packed, and the events were followed with tremendous interest across the nation. Practically every specialist medical resource in Baltimore was requested, and the renowned attorneys on both sides looked into every possibility. The dean of Washington Medical College and its founder, Dr. Edward Warren, testified during the trial that General Ketchum had died of meningitis of the cerebrum. In Baltimore, this was the first time the public had ever been made aware of this illness. The fact that it is being known in these situations has sparked a lot of discussion. The outcome, an acquittal, was undoubtedly a huge disappointment to the public because Mrs. Wharton was at the time viewed as guilty. The Lampley murder was a tragedy that rocked Baltimore to its core in a way that had never been done before. On the evening of January 2, 1873, it happened. The elderly John Lampley and his wife lived in the city's eastern region. The elderly man had accumulated a substantial wealth. He typically kept $1,000 to $1,500 in his home, and his family was aware of this. Joshua Nicholson's wife was the granddaughter of his wife, and because Nicholson was close with the Lampley family, he knew where the money was stored. Working together in a can factory was where Nicholson and Thomas R. Hollohan first met, forging them into complicity in a horrific crime and a disgraceful demise. For the first time in thirty years, Mr. Lampley left his wife, who was 70 years old, alone in the house the night of the murder and went to the theater. Later that evening, some of the family members found her dead, and they had stolen $1,155 in cash and silver coin from the residence. The only hint was a chisel discovered in the alleyway that had been used to crack open a trunk containing the money. On the assumption that the pastry had been made for his two children by Mrs. Lampley, their great-grandmother, a bundle of cakes, two pieces of pie, and two apples that were located on a table wrapped up led to Nicholson. Deputy-Marshal Frey handled the investigation of this case, and the care and diligence with which he carried it out was a superb testament to his talent. The elderly victim's undamaged body lay in the parlor of its former tidy but basic home in Mulligan Street near Bond Street the day after the horrifying incident. Women were sobbing, and men were silent, as the abrupt, violent death of the eldest neighbor had left more than just a shadow of grief throughout the neighborhood. In the late afternoon, Detective Pontier, who had been given the case by the Deputy-Marshal, entered the group and carefully examined the many faces that made up the group closest to the casket. A young woman calling to him caught his attention as he was about to turn away. She asked in a quiet voice, "You are the detective, are you not? The cop gave a positive response. "I'd want to have a private conversation with you now. Join me as I enter the yard." The young woman asked the investigator to follow her, so he did. "Walk into the room again; at the head of the corpse you will notice a good-looking young man; if you are following the killer of Mrs. Lampley, keep your eye on him," she instructed after they were out of earshot of the other people. indicating that she withdrew. Pontier went back into the salon as the detective. A young man who might fit the definition of attractive was sitting at the head of the coffin. While the detective was looking at him, he had his serious gaze fixed on the ground and did not avert it. A little while later, a man Detective Pontier knew well entered after the door opened. He was John English, one of the "Plug Ugly" gang's commanders, and had a reputation for being a terrible guy. He was the slain woman's son-in-law. English was called over by the detective, who then asked him while pulling him aside: "Who is the young man standing at the coffin's top? English paused and took a time to contemplate nothing. He then impressively responded while facing the detective: "I'm afraid you're headed in the right direction. Josh Nicholson is the spouse of the elderly woman's granddaughter." Though he had never seen Nicholson before, the detective had heard that he was a person with a bad reputation among the police. He spoke in English once more, saying: "I'll walk into the backstage and have a talk with a lady. Come inside to meet her, and when I emerge, tell me who she is. Moreover, Detective Pontier spoke with the young woman he had previously spoken to in the back room. English informed him that he had been speaking with Nicholson's wife when he entered the parlor. The officer questioned her, asking if she was sure because she had mentioned her husband in such a negative way. "Absolutely certain I have a good understanding of her "replying in English The detective maintained his silence but called Mrs. Nicholson the next day to have a second conversation. He entered the house, and the woman herself answered the door to let him in. She then asked him to follow her to a room on the second floor where he would be out of earshot. The woman's first words were, "I think my husband and a man whom he brought home to supper with him yesterday are the murderers of my grandmother." She spoke with authority but her voice was unshaken. "Now descend the stairs to the parlor where you will discover him by himself. Have him talk loudly so that I can hear what he says, and ask him who the man is who was with him yesterday. I'll keep an ear out the door." As his wife had claimed, the detective walked to the parlor and discovered Nicholson there. The policeman said, "This is pretty bad business, ain't it, Josh? Nicholson answered, "Awful," with a heavy sigh. She treated me like a nice old granny. The detective abruptly changed the subject by asking, "Who was the man you brought home to supper with you yesterday?" Nicholson's hue. He stumbled, "I brought home with me?" "Well I—oh, that was, er—er, that was Tom Callahan," he said. Where does he live? Mr. Pontier asked, seemingly oblivious to the man's distress at the inquiry. Nicholson answered, "I don't know. Where does he work, you ask? I don't know that either, the young man replied. The investigator looked away at that point, and Nicholson left the room and entered the kitchen in the back, clearly happy to avoid further questioning. His wife, who had been listening to the talk, emerged from behind the door as soon as he was gone and exclaimed with delight: "He has lied to you about everything! Josh shares a bench in the canning factory with a man by the name of Hollohan." The following day, Pontier detained Hollohan on suspicion, but Marshal Gray refused to keep him in custody because he thought the evidence against him was insufficient. The detective kept looking for hints. The strange-handled chisel that a police officer discovered in the snow and was thought to have been used by the killers to open the desk drawers and closets in search of the loot was the only one that was discovered for a very long time. In the hopes of finding someone who would recognize it, Deputy-Marshal Frey had this chisel transported to every hardware store, blacksmith, carpenter, and shipbuilder in town. Nevertheless, useless. After almost a month of looking, its owner was finally discovered. He was a young boy who was deaf and dumb and was the son of the woman who ran the boarding house where Hollohan resided. After receiving a toolbox, the young man replaced the chisel's original handle with one made from a piece of new growth. Prior to the man moving in with his mother, he had resided in the room that Hollohan now inhabited. When he left the room, he left his toolbox and a few other items in the closet. The Deputy-Marshal ordered Pontier to arrest Hollohan once more after bringing the chisel so close to him. Hollohan was then imprisoned. Also detained was Nicholson. There were attempts made to coax one or both of the men into making a confession. Mr. Pontier has success working with Nicholson. The man detailed the entire cruel crime's horrifying history. Hollohan admitted that he was one of the murders after hearing that his friend had come clean, only offering a different account of what happened. Here is Hollohan's narrative: "I met Nicholson last fall while working at No. 99 South Bond Street, where I practiced my craft. A month later, he extended an invitation to visit his home and introduced me to his wife. I was thrilled to meet this new person at the time. About a week later, he invited me to travel along with him on a trip to Lower Canton; he was using English's horse and buggy. Then he told me about an elderly man named Mr. Lampley who had $3,000 or $4,000 in his home. "Tom, we can make a good increase without any trouble," he continued. He explained to me the process. Mr. Lampley, according to him, went fishing in the country on Sunday and didn't get home until late at night. He claimed to have formerly resided there and to have aware of the whereabouts of the money. He was not shy about asking me to help him, even though he was aware that I had previously been in trouble. I agreed to accompany him. It was a Sunday night, the day set aside for carrying out his plans. He explicitly mentioned that we would have to "croak the old woman," so I offered an alternate course of action. I warned him that he would be taking a bigger risk if we injured the elderly woman. I advised him to disguise himself so that we could convince the elderly woman to part with her cash without resorting to violence. Nicholson refused to agree, stating that if the elderly woman were robbed, all of her relatives would suspect him, but if he "croaked her," nobody would suspect him of doing it. We decided to give up that day because I could not concur with him. But he told me about it a week or so before Christmas. He was still planning to "croak" the elderly woman. We abandoned the matter at that time since I did not concur with him. I informed him that we could obtain the money without taking such a big risk. He claimed that the elderly woman would identify him and that I couldn't do it safely on my own. On that matter, Nicholson didn't speak to me until the afternoon of January 2, 1873. He and I happened to cross paths at 99 South Bond Street. I was invited to his home by him. I visited there. Mrs. Nicholson introduced Mr. John Lampley to me when I was there. After that, Nicholson and I traveled with his father to a home on Forrest Street close to Central Avenue. He informed me how great a chance we might have tonight to get that money when we were on the way there. He anticipated that John English, his wife, and their young son would accompany the elderly man to the theater. Mr. Lampley might not go, but if I agreed to go with him that evening, he said he would meet me at Bond and Baltimore streets at half past six. At the scheduled hour, we gathered there. I consented to accompany him in order to assist in carrying out his intentions after he informed me that the old man had left. At around 7, we got to Mr. Lampley's place. There was just this elderly woman there. She was sewing while seated in her office chair. Nicholson didn't knock; he just walked in. She was quite sweet in her speech. I went after him. Josh introduced himself to me. He claimed that I was a mutual friend and that I needed her son John to handle some paper work for me. Inquiring about John's location, Nicholson posed this query. After a short amount of talking, Mrs. Lampley got up, went to the cabinet, and pulled out a brown paper bag filled with cakes, informing Nicholson that she had saved them for his young children and that she was planning to deliver them to his house that morning. She then served wine to Nicholson and myself, claiming it was homemade. There behind her was Nicholson. I was standing next to her. Josh signaled for action. I took hold of her throat. Nicholson then punched her in the stomach with his fist. She was already dead when we moved her into the adjacent room and lay her on the floor. Nicholson hurried outside to secure the gate and close the blinds. Before we entered the house, Nicholson and I had organized everything. Josh grabbed the torch and ascended the stairs to retrieve the cash. In case John Lampley entered, I was to flee with him while staying with Mrs. Lampley in the dark. I was carrying my pistol." Nicholson's effort to pry open the trunk generated a lot of noise. In order to tell him to stop making so much noise, I ran upstairs where he was. "Tom, I have got it opened," he remarked. Then he gave me the silver and collected the bills. I was just upstairs for a minute before we both descended together. The light was dimmed as he set the lamp on the table. The money was subsequently given to me in full. He brought his umbrella along. We entered the stable in the pitch-black downpour. Josh unlocked the gate that opened up to a 10-foot-long alley. He said he was really sorry that the cakes were left on the table after we exited the car in Dallas Street. I requested him to show me the chisel. He claimed to have tossed it into an alley. At Eden and Fayette streets, we split off. He claimed to be returning home. After that, I descended to my boarding house. The silver was never divided, and the money wasn't split up until a week later. At the time, we believed it to be risky property to handle. On the evening of January 8th, I gave him $515 in dollars. I instructed him to have one of his friends retrieve the $300 I had stashed in this city since we had been arrested. They attempted to find it but said they were unable. I'm happy they managed to get it. I wanted it to include a lawyer's cost. Mrs. Lampley, the elderly woman, would still be alive today if I had my way. There is one person who has received false accusations, and his name is Albert 0 Tucker. He had never had any of the money and knew nothing about it. I would put my trust in him. I have no doubt that if he had been aware of it, he would have convinced me otherwise. In an effort to do him justice, I say this. I have not pre-screened. I have stated all I have done. I am willing to surrender my life because I am aware that I have transgressed both moral and legal laws, but I also want Brother Nicholson to be heard." This allusion to Nicholson was brought on by his vain attempt to shift the blame to Hollohan. One of the most significant and exciting trials ever held before the Maryland courts took place in this case at Annapolis. The testimony was of the most shocking nature, full of heartbreaking occurrences, and with enough in it to produce the strongest emotions in the courtroom. When all of the evidence had been presented to the court and Mr. Revell, who represented the State, was making his closing argument, Hollohan kept his attention on Deputy-Marshal Frey, who was speaking with several newspapermen while sitting close to the attorneys' table. Even the court officers were drawn to Mr. Revell's passionate speech, and as a result, they failed to keep a close eye on the convicts as they were supposed to. Without making a sound, Hollohan jumped out of the prisoners' box, jumped over the tables and chairs, and dashed up to the Deputy-Marshal, striking him fatally in the top of the head with a stocking stuffed with iron and stone. Mr. Frey briefly reeled backward, although it was only for a split second. Hollohan and Nicholson both sprinted for the window as the courtroom's audience surged forward in the midst of the craziest commotion. Both thugs were being pursued by the public, with those after Hollohan shouting, "Kill him! kill him!" Mr. Frey leaped towards Hollohan and put his hand on his shoulder while blood was running down his face and clothes from the wound the killer had inflicted "Gentlemen, back off; this man is a state subject; he has not yet received a punishment. Don't strike him." The people of Maryland thought that the deputy-generosity marshal's was unusual. He received a lot of acclaim, with even Hollohan praising him moments before his execution: "I was angry with him, but as they yelled, "Kill him! Murder him!" all around me and I was being overcome, I overheard him say, "Do not hit him." I regret hitting him since it showed him to be a bold and kind man." Hollohan added that the target of his attack was chief-detective Crone. The trial was over when the murderers were found guilty, and they were executed by hanging on Friday, August 1, 1873. The railroad riots of July 1877 were the incident that more than any other highlighted the capabilities of the Baltimore police department. Police officers in general, and deputy marshal Frey in particular, were cool, brave, and resolute during a period when the populace lost their minds. The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad's firefighters aboard freight engines had their salary reduced by 10%, which sparked the walkout. The men argued that they could not afford to work for less money because they already made below-subsistence rates. The corporation said that the decline in the nation's overall economic interests forced the cut and prevented it from being able to pay high wages. On Monday, July 16, 1877, in the morning, the firemen quit their jobs. At first, there were roughly 100 of them. They frequently departed the city on their trains, but when the engines stopped to take coal, they vacated their positions and refused to go any further. The strike first appeared to be manageable, but as the first day went on and word spread that the unrest had reached Martinsburg and that the militia had been called out there, things started to get more serious. The police arrived right away. A squad of twelve was at Camden Junction, and they were stationed in groups of two and three at various locations between Baltimore and the Relay House. Although few freight trains left the city on the first day, it went by without incident. On the second day, Tuesday, the excitement started in the late afternoon. A freight train from the West with 18 laden cars headed for Locust Point was partially destroyed at a trestle near the bottom of Leadenhall Street in Spring Garden due to a missing switch, and the engine and a number of the cars were flung into a gulley. Additionally, news of the fight in Martinsburg, in which two firefighters were shot, arrived. The Baltimore and Ohio Company employees met late at night and resolved to back the strikes, but only after first trying to reach a settlement with the employer. Negotiations fell through, and the strike continued. President Hayes immediately signed a proclamation in response to the West Virginia authorities' request for troops on Wednesday, the third day of the unrest. Quickly, troops were dispatched. Naturally, all of this had an impact in Baltimore, but on that particular day, there were no aggressive protests there. The passenger trains arrived as normal, but the freight industry was essentially nonexistent. The Business chose "It warned people not to budge from their positions and offered a $500 prize for information leading to the capture of those responsible for the Spring Garden accident. Martinsburg's problems persisted on the fourth day, but an outbreak didn't occur in Baltimore until the next day. Since the end of the war, Baltimore has never been more enthusiastic. When it was learned that the strike in Cumberland was about to take on a national scale at around 3 p.m. on Friday, Governor Carroll met with the officials of the Baltimore and Ohio Company and concluded that the military's presence in Cumberland was essential to maintaining peace and order. Half an hour later, he gave Brigader-General Herbert, who was in charge of the First Brigade, M. N. G., the order to travel to Cumberland. At the same time, he issued a proclamation urging the rioters to stop. Soon after, General Herbert and Governor Carroll met again to discuss whether a "military call" from the bells should be used to summon the military to their various armories. Governor Carroll opposed to this, and General Herbert tried to summon the soldiers at the armories by conventional methods but failed miserably before once more requesting that the bells be rung. This was done, and it turned out to be a very bad decision. The call—1—5—1—was made from the City Hall and fire bells at twenty minutes past six o'clock. People quickly gathered in the streets surrounding the armories to show their support for the strikers after realizing what it meant. About that time, the factories had finished their job, and all of the workers contributed to the growth of the crowds. The mob, which numbered at least 2,000 people, was gathered in front of the Sixth Regiment's armory at Fayette and Front streets. Oddly enough, the regiment's officers requested that police personnel be dispatched to clear the area so that the regiment may march on to Camden station in a message to police headquarters. Due to the outdated system that was in use at the time, not enough police officers could be gathered in time for the job, and after two hours, the throng had grown so huge that no force could manage it. By seven o'clock, the problems at the Sixth regiment armory started. An object made of bricks was hurled at one of the windows. Officers Albert Whitely, James Jamison, Oliver Kenly, and Roberts, four police officers, were stationed at the door. Despite the stones, missiles, and jeers that followed, they bravely maintained their dangerous guard, even though the four militiamen who had been with the policemen had been called in.- Around 8.15 o'clock, when the march was scheduled to begin, the crowd was enraged and hostile. The businesses, however, were adamant about passing the protesters. When they emerged into the street, a widespread commotion forced the men back inside the structure. When they emerged the following time, they were told to fire. The first company opened fire in the air, but the subsequent companies were under such intense fire that they were forced to fire their weapons into the crowd. From that moment on, there was constant and widespread firing along the march to Camden station, which led to the deaths of roughly a dozen individuals and the serious injuries of an equal number more. Although being badly attacked and having every opportunity to fire, the Fifth regiment chose not to utilize its weapons. The men marched through a hail of stones and other projectiles admirably. They numbered 250 in total. At the intersection of Eutaw and Camden streets, a substantial group of unkempt guys barred their path. As the bricks were falling quickly when they came to a stop, Captain Zollinger advised his men not to fire. Then he gave the order for them to be ready to charge the depot with their fixed bayonets. Captain Zollinger drew his sword and yelled at the crowd to move aside so he could give the order. The regiment surged into the depot amid shouts from the audience, numerous shots from the crowd, and a brawny man being opposed to the captain being swiftly pushed down. The building was set on fire shortly after the regiment arrived at the station. The rioters tried to hinder the firemen, but fortunately they were unsuccessful and the flames were put out. Except for a few sentences in the newspaper, the police's brave work during these exhilarating hours has never been appreciated in public. Every time, they intimidated the crowd while the military enraged it. Twelve soldiers were equal to one police officer. The police kept an eye on all the storage facilities and guarded the military until well after midnight. The buildings were preserved because the police kept the firemen, engines, and hoses safe. The mob opened fire on them, injuring some of them, but they also made a lot of arrests and wounded a lot of the mob. As a result of the intense commotion, Mayor Latrobe issued a proclamation canceling the order sending the soldiers to Cumberland. The effectiveness of the police was tested and demonstrated during these times. Command was exercised in and around Camden Station by Deputy-Marshal Frey. He was awake for about seventy hours. On Friday before the military arrived, he cleaned the platform and front pavement of several hundred eager men on his own, well before any policemen could be assembled. When reinforced, he then detained two of the ringleaders and personally transported them to the Southern police station. On Saturday night, people gathered once more near Camden Station. Around nine o'clock in the evening, a fire alarm roused the rioters, who raced towards the police lines that had been set up. Many police officers were injured as a result of the protesters' gunfire. The troops were then instructed to maintain their composure by Deputy-Marshal Frey, and a moment later, with their pistols drawn, the order "Take aim—Fire" was given. Each officer seized a prisoner as they pushed forward and fired low shots. Fifty people were detained; several guys died and numerous others were injured. At 11 o'clock, there was another outbreak, and this time 53 more people were taken into custody. On Sunday morning, enormous masses gathered once more at Camden Station and pressed up to the Fifth Regiment's picket lines. Because of how things appeared, Deputy Marshal Frey requested a squad of twenty police officers. They were given personal command by the Deputy-Marshal when they arrived. He announced to the gathering that he would "clean that street," and he recommended everyone who was in a peaceful disposition to return home. Several of them did so, but a large number stayed. The Marshal turned to his men and commanded them to "Advance," and the rioters were quickly chased away. They were terrified of the Deputy-Marshal because they knew him. As the disturbance reached such dangerous levels, every attempt was taken to keep the city safe. The United States immediately ordered soldiers from New York and other locations to Baltimore. Eight companies of soldiers from New York Harbor arrived with General W. S. Hancock, who also had two fully manned warships with a combined crew of 560 men docked in the Patapsco. The Police Board administered oaths of office to several hundred special policemen. William M. Pegram, Alexander M. Green, C. Morton Stewart, Frank Frick, E. Wyatt Blanchard, James H. Barney, J. L. Hoffman, Robert G. Hoffman, W. Gilmore Hoffman, John Donnell Smith, William A. Fisher, Frederick von Kapff, and Washington B. Hanson were some of the well-known residents who were among them. They were given the standard badges and performed a good job. The majority of the regular police officers worked nonstop for over fifty hours without rest. The massive display of force by the police and army overwhelmed the rioters, and the unrest eventually subsided. The following Saturday, ten troops were stationed at each freight train as it traveled along the road. More or less, the strikes in other places persisted, but they ended in two weeks. Thankfully, there was no trouble on the Northern Central road. The inquest jury for the man killed by the Sixth Regiment was highly thorough in its investigations, and after spending several days gathering testimony, it reached a conclusion that found the rioters responsible for the unrest but accused the regiment of firing too quickly and randomly. It found fault with the lack of additional police presence in and around the armory. Nonetheless, this was all the Marshal's fault for not receiving enough notice from the military authorities. The police department's contribution to the illustrious struggle will always serve as a testament to its valor and effectiveness. The July 1880 bank case was one of the strangest in the city's criminal history. Expert burglars Cleary, Bell, and Wilson arrived in Baltimore in June with the intention of "cleaning out" the area as much as they could. They obtained the checks from reputable brokers by selling government bonds, and they used those checks to create fake lithograph blanks. There was only one thing left for them to accomplish, and that was to find out from each firm how many checks it actually had for the day, so that everything looked normal on the fake drafts. They achieved this by offering a different government bond to every company. The Merchants' National, located at Gay and Second streets, was the first bank to be attacked. A check for $2,630, drawn in the name of Mr. J. Harmanus Fisher, on his own peculiar blank, with a government stamp in the center, and all correct, was presented to Mr. Morris, the paying teller, on Friday, July 17, just before business hours ended. The elderly man was about fifty years old and was dignified and businesslike. The funds were swiftly transferred. The man came back early on Saturday morning with another check for $3,920. The payment for this was also made after careful consideration and after being approved casually by a clerk from Mr. J. IT. Fisher's office who just so happened to be in the bank at the time. Later on in the day, the same party received and cashed a third check. The checks were taken to Mr. Fisher's office, where they were declared forgeries, after the teller Mr. Morris' suspicions were raised. But, the scams did not end here. A young guy entered Messrs. Middendorf & Oliver's banking establishment that Friday morning and offered a $100 bond for sale. It was quickly purchased, and upon his request, a check for $50 and the remaining money were provided to him. A check was received as payment an hour later when another stranger sold another bond to the same company. A third person completed a comparable sale with the same outcome a half-hour later. A dapper young man entered the Third National Bank at around two o'clock, proceeded to the outer desk, signed his name on the check's back, and handed it to Mr. W. B. Medairy, the paying teller, to be cashed. Mr. Medairy gave it a look. It was signed on the back by W. Henry Murdock and issued by Middendorf & Oliver for the amount of $1,294.50. Everything seemed to be in order, but Mr. Medairy insisted that the young guy in the sharp suit be identified. The young man responded, "Well, then I will move aside to add the firm's endorsement to my signature." He did turn around, leaving just enough time to travel to the office and return. He brought back the purported endorsement, but the ink was still wet. The cash was given. A second individual hurriedly entered the same bank the same afternoon at approximately five minutes after three and requested to deposit some money. He presented a cheque for $1,396 made out in accordance with the law in his purported name (D. M. Kimball) and purportedly authenticated by Messrs. Middendorf & Oliver. Due to the man's persistent pestering, the teller eventually cashed the cheque even though he initially declined to do so because business hours had ended. The individual pocketed the entire sum and made no deposits. Mr. Medairy observed a disparity when he balanced his finances, so he went to Messrs. Middendorf & Oliver to inquire about it. Naturally, the forgeries were then found. The scammers attempted to use the same scheme at the Western National Bank, but they were stopped by Mr. Charles Nolting, the paying teller, who exercised extra vigilance. Deputy-Marshal Frey investigated this matter. As a result, on July 27 in New York, George Bell, Henry Clcary, and Charles Farren were detained, and the next day, they were arraigned. Bell and Cleary were acknowledged by the Baltimore bankers, but Farren was fired. Bell and Cleary both had intriguing criminal histories. Bell is still incarcerated in a Baltimore prison. On March 17, 1887, Cleary was allowed to go, and he headed south. Wilson, who was later discovered to have ties to the gang, is currently serving a nine-year sentence in Kingston, Ontario. On August 18, 1880, Deputy-Marshal Frey took Bell from New York, and the latter was soon tried and found guilty in this city's criminal court. The two other males had previously been accused in other cities. A later chapter contains a detailed account of this crime's history. Marshal Frey greatly benefited from his experience in the riots of 1877, and ever since then, he has made sure that the army is constantly ready for eventualities. Nearly all of the nation's major cities saw labor unrest in the spring of 1886, with street-car workers' strikes being the most challenging to manage. It became clear in April that there would be a strike in Baltimore. Three days prior to it starting, Mr. Frey anticipated it and was properly equipped for it. He had everything planned out to the last detail, and by the time the vehicles pulled into their depots at midday on the strike day, April 14, he had police officers stationed at the stables and all along the length of the highways. When they saw the officers, the populace was unaware that a strike had taken place. According to Marshal Frey, a crowd in Baltimore is fairly manageable as long as it is kept in good spirits and as long as hot-headed individuals are discouraged from gathering with the intention of causing excitement and trouble. During the strike, he put this principle into practice. The crowd was kept on the move. Every time there was a hint of excitement, the mob that was making it broke it up. In this manner, the issue was resolved without any significant flare-ups of any type, and despite the fact that it lasted for two weeks, normalcy was preserved. The Linger Trunk Mystery is still too recent in the public's memory to warrant a lengthy explanation. On January 23, 1887, a trunk was delivered to the Adams Express facility on North Street on a Sunday morning "Baltimore native John A. Wilson to be required." Since no one requested it, the scent was so awful on Wednesday that manager James Shuter decided to open it. He did so, but a terrible stench caused everyone to flee as a result. Mr. Shuter immediately dialed headquarters, and Captain Farnan dispatched the patrol wagon with officers Slaysman, Jefferson Lutts, and John Doyle to the office. To go to Central Station, they took the trunk. Captain Farnan and a few of the station's officers gave it another look to see what was inside. A calico shirt, a woolen shirt that was damaged, and a coat that had been slashed in half were removed. The thick brown paper was subsequently opened, revealing a scene that even the police officers found difficult to bear. The trunk of a human body was contained in the box. The corpse appeared to have been folded in half, with the legs under the back, in order to fit into the container. The left arm and the foot, which had been amputated, were on one side of the trunk. One arm was slipped beneath the other. The only hints to the mystery were cards on the man and writing on the trunk. Marshal Frey transmitted the next telegram: NEW YORK POLICE HEADQUARTERS INSPECTOR BYRNES: At the Adams Express office this afternoon, a headless body of a guy was discovered in a trunk. It originated from your city and was sent to Adams on Saturday by Westcott Express. Adams will be informed and will contact you. We'll keep the body here as long as we can. Several cards from Henry Siegel, 205 Throop Avenue, Brooklyn, were discovered in the trunk. The name C. Kaufhold appears on the shirt. Marshal JACOB FREY After Edward Unger was apprehended on January 27 for the murder of August Bohle, Inspector Byrnes and his team immediately got to work on the case. When Inspector Byrnes abruptly presented him with the bloodied proof of his crime, he was forced to make a confession. The trial that followed featured an intriguing element: Unger's account of the murder. He performed the entire tragedy in front of the jury, and it was really effective. Unger was spared with a twenty-year sentence, but given his advanced age, this effectively equates to a life sentence. Inspector Byrnes paid Marshal Frey this honor at the end of the case: "He is among the best police officers in the nation. The information he supplied me at half past nine on a Wednesday night was so thorough and covered every important element that, with their help, I was able to find my man and apprehend him 18 hours later. Marshal Frey leading Baltimore's police force is a fortunate development." Marshal Frey has had extraordinarily good luck persuading offenders to make confessions. His work in the "burking" case from the previous year, the specifics of which can be found in the following chapter, is well-remembered. Ross, the accused guy, was guided by him as he described the specifics of his crime. The case of the black man named George H. Williams, also known as William Henry, who attacked Mrs. Mary J. Ridley in Druid Hill Park on May 2, 1887, is somewhat comparable. Henry admitted to the Marshal that he had attacked the woman in order to rob her. There are hundreds more intriguing cases that Marshal Frey has successfully handled in the past. But the examples that have been given demonstrate the breadth and quality of his work and establish his claim to be one of the best and bravest police officers in the nation. Under Marshal Frey's guidance, the significant Udderzook-Goss insurance case was prosecuted. In this city, Udderzook worked as an insurance broker. He and Goss conspired to steal money from many businesses for whom he worked as an agent. Goss had a sizable insurance policy with Udderzook, and the two conspired to have a body burned at a fire on York Road, which Udderzook feigned to recognize as Goss. Marshal Frey uncovered the plot and gathered information that resulted in the arrest of the two men and Goss's confession. The Marshal position was given to Mr. Frey on October 15, 1885. In 1858, he tied the knot. He lives in a cozy house with four kids in one of Northwest Baltimore's most picturesque neighborhoods. There can be no question about the brilliance and use of his future because he is in the prime of his life and the past serves as a prophet. Since 1870, Dr. George W. Wentz has been the Marshal's clerk. He was chosen by Marshal Gray and kept in his position by Marshal Frey. On March 6, 1836, Dr. Wentz was born in this city. While he received his medical degree, he chose not to practice medicine and instead pursued a career in journalism. He did so until he was appointed Marshal's clerk, for which he left his post on the staff of the former Baltimore Gazette.
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