1880 - 1886 - The Police Gymnasiums - Motto

Among those who have watched the rapid progress in efficiency of the police force during the last few years, there is no dispute regarding the leading influence which systematic physical training has had in bringing about the present great results. The idea of establishing gymnasiums for the use of the police was one that lay in the practical brain of Deputy-marshal Lannan for years before the opportunity finally arrived for him to realize his plans. Mr. Lannan having joined the force as a patrolman, and having passed through all the active grades of the service with many years of experience in each of them, had every opportunity of knowing the needs of the men and the difficulties they had to contend with. The immediate necessity for remedies for the many evils that existed was apparent. The patrolmen had long beats and many hours of service. They were on their posts twelve hours in the day, and put through a burdensome drill night and morning. Being always subject to duty's call they were often denied social pleasures. " But," says Deputy-marshal Lannan, " the worst evil that I noticed among the men was their lack of physical prowess. Now, my ideal of a police force is a body of powerful, athletic, quick-witted fellows, conscious of their great strength and not afraid to undertake any hand-to- hand struggle demanded in the course of their duty. Time after time I have seen a policeman come into the station after a hard struggle with his prisoner, so completely exhausted that he was scarcely able to speak, while the prisoner, probably a vicious young giant, showed scarcely any signs of weariness. " One afternoon, on the occasion of some civic demonstration — I forget the occasion — a scaffolding was erected for the accommodation of those who wished to see the parade. The structure ex tended to the rear of the top of a board fence some seven or eight feet high. Suddenly a part of the scaffolding behind the fence cracked, and a number of people fell inside the enclosure. I was on the street with four men. There being no opening through the fence near by, except a gate of which the latch was inside, my men began to try to scale it. They struggled awkwardly for a few moments endeavoring to climb over, but without success. An athletic looking young man was standing close by, and turning asked me : " ' Shall I get over and open the gate, Captain ? ' " ' Go ahead ! ' I replied, though rather chagrined at the idea of my men being outdone by a citizen. " The young man gave a leap, and catching the top of the fence, clambered over in a moment ; then he opened the door and let us in. Nobody was hurt by the accident, luckily. But that incident kept before my mind and bothered me. That young man, had he been a thief or a murderer, with half a minute's start ahead of those policemen, could have escaped from them all without the slightest trouble. And how many criminals have escaped capture because they have been too fleet or powerful for the pursuing policeman will never be known. I don't say that the Baltimore police were at all unlike those of other cities, and perhaps they were better than some, but I felt they were far from being what they should be and could be if some provision were made for their better physical and social development. I thought over a scheme for a police athletic club at first, something like the one in New York, but this presented many difficulties, and besides I was not sure it would be popular. But in the later part of 1880, when I was Captain of the Central district, I was told that the Lafayette Turn-verein, a German athletic organization which had a good gymnasium at Charles and Fayette streets, the same hall in which Professor McGraw now has his school for physical training, was about to disband and that their material was for sale. The top floor of the Central station, a large and lofty room, nearly ninety feet long by forty feet wide, was at that time used as a drill-room for the patrolmen of the Central squad. I thought it would be a good idea to buy out some of the most useful paraphernalia of the Lafayette gymnasium and set it up in the drill-room. Marshal Frey, who was then Deputy-marshal, cordially approved of the plan, as did Marshal Gray and Judge William H. B. Fusselbaugh, General James R. Herbert and Mr. John Milroy, who were then the Police Commissioners. The men did not respond at first as heartily as I had hoped they would to my call for an organization. The trouble was they had no interest in each other nor in the police force after their day's work was done. Twenty out of the one hundred and fifty men in the Central squad came into the scheme, however, and we named the organization the ' Central Police Athletic Association.' I bought the most necessary articles for our new gymnasium, such as mattresses, clubs, dumb-bells, horizontal bars, etc., from the Lafayette Turners for $42, which was afterwards paid back to me by the association. The twenty men who first joined were among the best of the squad. They took a lively interest from the start, and in a short time began to make a most gratifying progress in athletic skill. Of course as the hall was still used as a drill-room, and for that matter it continues to be so used, the attention of the rest of the men was drawn night and morning to the work of our members. One by one they began to be interested. The first meeting of the organization wa3 on the evening of November 9, 1880, and before the close of the year about one-half the men belonging to the station began to systematically exercise. The expenses were small and our dues were only twenty-five cents every other week. The initiation fee of $1.50 was returned to the member if he left the force. As the enterprise grew the men became more ambitious. It was proposed that somebody be engaged to give regular instruction in gymnastics. Whom to get was a difficult question. Finally detective Adams, of New York, who happened to be down here, very highly recommended an acquaintance of his in New York, a first-class all-around athlete, named Silas Kimball. Some of the men had heard of Kimball before, and a resolution was passed authorizing Deputy-marshal Frey to arrange with him to move to Baltimore and become the regular instructor in the gymnasium. After some correspondence they came to an agreement by which the association was to pay Professor Kimball $1,400 for a one year's engagement. He proved to be a competent man and we engaged him for the two subsequent years, the latter engagements, however, being at a lower salary." It seems that besides being a good athlete Professor Kimball was useful to the association in many other ways. He was a carpenter by trade and made and erected the greater part of the excellent stationary paraphernalia now in the gymnasium of the Central station, consisting of the horizontal bars, the trapezes, the rowing and pulling machines, the vertical poles, etc. The first governing body of the " Central Police Athletic Association," which was elected at the meeting on November 9, 1880, consisted of a president and treasurer, a secretary, an assistant secretary and twelve directors. Captain John Lannan was chosen for the first two offices, lieutenant James II. Busick was elected secretary, and lieutenant William II. Frazer assistant secretary. The board of directors was as follows : sergeants William B. Rowe and D. P. McClelland, and patrolmen Thomas O'Brien, C. P. Chaney, H. Shoemack, J. A. Riley, J. Mitzbower, L. D. Cole, M. Dolan, F. J. Toner, B. Burns and C. H. Price. Since 1880 the annual elections have been held in July of each year. Thus nearly three-fourths of the total membership of the association obtained office at the first election. This was apparently a wise step, for certainly no organization ever succeeded more signally from the start than this one. The members took a most lively interest in its welfare from the beginning. The social element of the association progressed as rapidly as the athletic element. There were chairs and tables in the gymnasium, and the men stopped a while after coming in from their patrols and enjoyed a friendly chat before going to their homes, or they arrived at the station a little earlier than the roll call, and looked over the New York illustrated and sporting papers which the association sub scribed for. The drill-room gymnasium began to assume the aspect of a social club, the purposes of which it in fact answered. It was not long before the effect of the social intercourse began to show itself in the officers' personal appearance and in their deportment. As their gymnasium exercise made them healthful and good-natured, the springing up of the new fellowship and athletic rivalry seemed to brighten their wits and smooth the roughness of their manners, besides inciting them to observe more propriety about their dress. Finally Professor Kimball suggested that a public athletic exhibition might add considerably to the gymnasium fund and give the citizens some idea of the strength and agility of the members of the force. The suggestion met with prompt approval and rehearsals were begun. The first exhibition given by the association was at Ford's Opera House on July 16, 1883. The house was crowded from the orchestra to the last seat in the gallery. Among the spectators were the members of the police board, the city councilmen, nearly all the court officials of the city, and scores of the most prominent business and professional men. A large number of ladies were also present in bright toilets and made the occasion a most brilliant one. Judge William A. Fisher, State's Attorney Kerr, Mr. George Savage, who was then as now, Secretary of the Police Board, James A. L. McClure, Esq., President Colton, Mr. John Milroy, General James R. Herbert, and John S. Bullock, Clerk of the Criminal Court, occupied boxes. The various exercises were keenly appreciated, and the participants warmly applauded. The officers exerted themselves with an earnestness that won the admiration of the assembly. The citizens in the audience gave expression to their surprise and gratification upon witnessing the unexpected skill and prowess of their police protectors, by round after round of applause. The wrestling matches were the features of the evening. In the match between officers Meehan and Spellman, the former won after a long and exciting struggle, in which almost every detail of the art of Graeco- Roman wrestling was brought more or less frequently into use. The Greco-Roman wrestling match between officers M. Dolan and L. D. Cole was quite as scientific as and possibly more exciting than the former. It was won at last by patrolman Dolan. Patrolman Thomas McGraw won a catch-as-catch-can over patrolman Emcrine. The Doyle Brothers, John and William, electrified the audience by their collar and elbow wrest ling. The contest ended in favor of William. Patrolmen Chaney and Kaufman caused great laughter by an amusing wrestling match. Chaney at that time tipped the beam at 249 pounds. He was introduced as the " Oak of the Rhine." Kaufman, who weighed scarcely half as much as his opponent, was presented to the audience as the " Willow of the Patapsco." After a funny struggle Kaufman succeeded in throwing Chaney, after which the latter arose and taking the victor up under his arm walked off the stage with him amid roars of laughter and applause from the audience. Patrolmen Brennan and Finnerty were the victors in the running high jump, each clearing the string at four feet and nine inches. Policeman John Doyle gave a hitch and kick jump of more than eight feet, and patrolman Finnerty vaulted eight feet and two inches. Astonishing and novel feats of strength were performed by policemen L. D. Cole, John Doyle, McCroey, and Hardesty. The entertainment closed with a tug-of-war between the fat men and the lean men. The latter won. After the exhibition the policemen enjoyed a banquet with music and speeches at Schaefer's on Eutaw street. Marshal Frey, then deputy-marshal, was the leading spirit in the conception and management of this exhibition, in which he was aided by sergeants Toner and Reinhardt.

The gymnasium at the Central Station is at the present time the best equipped of the four now established. It occupies the entire upper floor of the building on North street near Lexington street, and is composed of two sections of about equal size, each  measuring forty feet wide by nearly forty-five feet long. When private exhibitions are given one of these sections is used as the auditorium and the other, in which all of the stationary paraphernalia of the gymnasium is built, as the stage. Audiences of fully 200 persons have frequently witnessed exhibitions in the hall. The front section of the gymnasium proper is lighted at night by three full sized Brush Company electric lights. As the visitor enters the apartment from the stairs the most prominent object that meets his eye is a large and handsome shield on the front wall, upon which is painted in great golden letters

"The Central Police gymnasium, organized 9 November, 1880, ' Ever on the Watch.' " In the center of the shield is a large round wooden plaque upon which is a representation in wood carving of two gladiators engaged in mortal combat, and framing the plaque a representation, also carved in' wood, of the regulation patrolman's belt, upon which are inscribed the Latin legends "Semper Paratas" and "Semper Fideles," "Ever Ready" and "Ever Faithful." The wood carvings are excellent examples of this branch of sculpture, in which modern American artists lead the world. The shield was presented to the "Central Police Athletic Association" by Mr. John Convery on November 10, 1886."

Ranged along the north wall of the gymnasium is a series of racks for Indian clubs, in which are more than a hundred clubs of all sizes, weights and shapes. In the north-east corner stands the large rowing machine which was erected by Professor Kimball during the time he was trainer. It is the most approved style of rowing machine and gives the actual oar motion. This is one of the most frequently used apparatus in the gymnasium. In front of it stands a machine for exercising the muscles of the back and neck. It is composed of a cap fitting over the back of the head and attached to weights of various sizes hung by cords over pulleys. Swaying the body backward brings the weight upon the muscles of the back and the rear of the neck, developing that strength which is so important in wrestling. In the same corner of the room is erected a pair of excellent parallel bars. At the west end of the gymnasium is the vaulting apparatus, with large mattresses and springing carpets. Hung upon the wall nearby are four fencing foils. The ceilings being scarcely high enough for much trapeze work, this part of the mens' training has been necessarily neglected, but there is suspended from the ceiling a swinging turning-bar, a pair of turning-rings and a vertical pulling machine. One of the favorite apparatus, in the gymnasium is the "Tambourine" or "kicking gallows," for registering high kicking. This machine is merely a gallows- shaped frame, seven feet high, from which is suspended a drum head which can be raised or lowered as desired. Professor Kimball recommended high kicking as one of the most valuable kinds of leg exercise, and the men of the Central station now number among them some of the best high-kickers in the country. On the south side of the room are the vertical poles, the horizontal bars, the various climbing and high-jumping apparatus', hoops for hoop exercise, and a number of additional swinging clubs. A large and handsome revolving stand for dumb-bells, which the association purchased in 1885, is in the south-western part of the room. It contains thirty-six pairs of dumb-bells of all sizes and weights. Next to this are platform scales, by the aid of which the men in training are able to keep constant watch upon their physical condition. Lastly, but perhaps the largest and most interesting machine is the "rack," an instrument used for expanding the muscles of the chest. It resembles a quarter section of a large, wide wheel. The person using it throws himself backwards upon the wheel, and reaching upwards over his head finds the handles of a pulling-machine. The proper action is to pull in a circular motion, with stiffened elbows, until the hands rest beside the thighs, and then allow the hands to return slowly to their original position. Of all the great quantity of paraphernalia in the gymnasium there is not a single piece not in regular use by one or more of the 170 members of the association. By no means the least important feature of the establishment are the lavatories. In the "rubbing-down room" there is a large raised bath-tub, around which a dozen men at one time can stand and sponge themselves after exorcising. Besides there are all the facilities for ordinary bathing, and a large proportion of the men seek it in the gymnasium instead of at their homes. The rear section of the hall is fitted up more after the style of a social club. It contains a fine Brunswick and Balke pool-table, which the association purchased from the receipts of its first exhibition in Ford's Opera House. The table is one of the best styles manufactured, and cost with balls and cues about four hundred and fifty dollars. Some of the men are expert pool- players, and matches and tournaments are of frequent occurrence. At the same time that the pool-table was purchased a small grand piano of the celebrated "Knabe" make was bought. In some respects this is the most important feature of the gymnasium. A few of the policemen, particularly patrolmen Miles and Coffin, are good performers. There are several excellent voices in the squad and impromptu concerts often take place, lady visitors frequently adding to the enjoyment of meetings and exhibitions by playing. About the walls of the rooms are many handsome engravings of martial subjects, and photographs of prominent citizens and persons connected with police matters. A somewhat melancholy yet reassuring reminder of the riots through which the city has passed in other times is the provision that has been made for arming the police with rifles. In different parts of the gymnasium are three revolving gun-racks, each hold ing thirty improved Springfield rifles, which are kept constantly in perfect order. It is to be hoped, however, that the day is far distant when the manual of arms, through which the men are periodically put, will be brought into practical use.

The Northwestern District Gymnasium

Although the second station to organize an association for building and conducting a gymnasium for the use of its squad, it is claimed for the North-western district that it really had the first exercising hall belonging to the Baltimore Police Department. In the winter of 1874, Captain Earhart procured for the use of Lieutenant Watkins, then recovering from a long and severe illness, a pair of Indian clubs and instructed him in the use of them. Captain Earhart was a skillful all-around athlete, and he has now the reputation of being the most athletic police. captain in Baltimore. While Lieutenant Watkins was practicing under the Captain's tuition a number of the policemen became interested, and the project of getting up a club and starting a small gymnasium was suggested. The movement was by no means a general one, but a few of those particularly interested in athletic training joined, and contributed assessments into Captain Earhart's hands amounting to about twenty-five dollars. This was expended for Indian clubs, dumb-bells and a few other simple articles. At that time there was no part of the building set aside as a gymnasium, all the practicing done in the station taking place in whatever room was most convenient, the paraphernalia being gathered and put away in a box when the exercises ended. Many of the men procured Indian clubs and exercised at their homes. In fact club-swinging became quite the fashion for a number of years, and several first-class club-swingers were developed in the district. Meantime the reputation of Captain Earhart as an athlete rapidly grew. He met nearly every "professional" who came to Baltimore, and in many of his feats of strength defeated some of the most noted strong men of the country. The captain performed several feats with his heavy clubs that no other club-swinger has ever been known to accomplish. In this primitive way those policemen who were interested in the subject continued to exercise and train themselves without any endeavors in the direction of a more extensive gymnasium being made. But in the latter part of 1881, seeing the success that had attended the gymnasium in the Central station, Captain Earhart started a scheme to build a similar establishment for his squad. He called several meetings of those he knew were interested in athletics, and finally a plan was settled upon. The captain, lieutenants, and several policemen subscribed five dollars each to make a fund upon which to begin work, and the approval of the Police Commissioners having been secured, preparations were made for erecting the apparatus in the large drill-room on the third floor of the station. A few subscriptions to the building fund were received from citizens, but the bulk of the- total cost was paid out of the pockets of the policemen. All the joining work and painting was done by men connected with the squads. They turned the Indian clubs, erected the ladders, built all the stationary apparatus, and even made some of the mattresses. As many of the policemen had formerly been artisans, the work was of course done in a skillful manner. When all was finished it was found that the lumber, ropes, carpets, hair, and other materials used in outfitting the gymnasium had cost nearly two thousand dollars. This was entirely exclusive of the labor expended, which was given by those who did the work. It was some time before all the bills were paid, but filially the twenty-five cents a fortnight which was collected from each member of the association, together with the proportion of the receipts from the Police Athletic Exhibition, amounted to enough to clear away the last of the debts. Since that time no dues have been collected from the men, the receipts from the annual exhibition being sufficient for all needs of the treasury. When completed, the gymnasium was thoroughly equipped with everything appertaining to the practical work of training the men. No instruction in fencing either with swords or with sticks seems ever to have been given in this district. Club- swinging under the tuition of Captain Earhart at first, and later under that of Lieutenant F. II. Scott, since transferred to the Western district, and still later under that of officer Ackerman, has always been the favorite style of athletic exercise among the men. The first meeting of the North-western Station Police Athletic Association was held on New Year's eve, 1881. The business accomplished is briefly described in a circular which was after wards printed and now hangs framed in several parts of the gymnasium. The circular is as follows : "A gymnasium was organized at the North-western District Police Station, December 30, 1881, and the following members of the association were appointed as a board of directors for the period of three months, for the purpose of conducting the business of the association, viz. : Captain George W. Earhart, Sergeants John A. G. Shultz, Frank J. Flannery, Officers William G. Scott, VV. A. Harrigan, W. E. Lafferty, John Connery, James Hammond, Thomas McCormick. They organized by electing Captain George W. Earhart, president; Sergeant John A. G. Shultz, secretary ; and Officer William G. Scott, treasurer. The following rules and regulations were adopted by the Board of Directors : Rule I. — Each member shall pay into the treasury the sum of twenty-fire cents each pay day, for the general expenses of the association. Rule II. — The members of the Board of Police Commissioners, the Mar shal, the Deputy-Marshal, and George Savage, Esq., Secretary of the Police Board, are appointed honorary members. Rule III. — No member shall handle any of the tools during the time that the instructor is instructing a member, or interfere with him. Rule IV. — Any member shall have the right to invite any one into the hall, but the member so inviting the visitor shall be responsible for his or their conduct while in the hall. Bule V. — Smoking in or spitting upon the floor of the hall will not be allowed, under a penalty of twenty-five cents. Rule VL — The secretary shall collect the sum of twenty-five cents every two weeks or each pay day, from each member of the association, and pay the same over to the treasurer. Rule VII. — No member shall go upon the mattress with his heavy boots or shoes on. Rule VIII. — Any and all members of the police force of the Northwestern District are respectfully invited to become members of this association as early as they may deem proper, upon payment of one dollar and fifty cents initiation fee and the regular dues. Rule IX. — No member of the Northwestern District police force not a member of the association will be permitted in the hall unless on police business. Ruie X. — The directors shall, with the approval of the Police Commissioners, convene at the Northwestern District police station to transact such business as will become necessary for the benefit of the association, the time to be regulated by the captain. Rule XI. — Each director shall act to the best of his ability to preserve order, and to see that the above rules and regulations are strictly carried out in the hall." Among the equipments of the gymnasium is an excellent set of double horizontal bars, the ones upon which officer Ackerman, whose skill in horizontal bar turning has repeatedly excited so much admiration at the police athletic exhibitions in Ford's Opera House, has done the principal part of his training. Another prominent feature of the establishment is the large hair wrestling mattress, for which about two hundred dollars was paid. It i3 sixteen feet square, and is covered with a handsome Axminster mat of the same size, which cost one hundred and fifty dollars. There are six mattresses in all in the room, five of which are of hair. Wrestling is now studied by the men under the leadership of officer James Doyle. Lieutenant Scott, one of the finest wrestlers in Baltimore, was formerly the instructor. The Doyle brothers, James, John, and William, are undoubtedly the best wrestlers who have ever been on the police force. John and William were connected with the Central station, but John resigned in April, 1887, to challenge the great Japanese wrestler Matsada Sorakichi. He was obliged to resign in order to do this, as it is contrary to the rules of the department for a police man to enter an athletic contest with a professional. In other branches of athletics, officer Ackerman is the leader of the North western gymnasium. He was a member of a number of turning societies long before he was appointed to the police force. Along the walls of the gymnasium are the racks for dumb bells, Indian clubs, wands, etc. Nearly one hundred sets of clubs of different sizes, many of them fancifully decorated, are ranged about the room. In one corner stands Captain Earhart's "museum," consisting of the material he bought in 1874 for the first athletic association connected with his squad. There are two enormous clubs weighing sixty pounds each, which the captain himself used, about half a dozen sets of smaller ones with which the other men practiced, and a number of heavy dumb-bells, one pair weighing sixty-four pounds. The contents of the "museum" are seldom used now, unless somebody wishes to try the heavy clubs — a thing which few are able to do with success. Seven pulling machines of various styles are built in different parts of the hall, and ladders, vertical bars, parallel bars, vaulting standards, wheel-racks for chest expansion, trapezes, and swinging rings all find their places among the paraphernalia. There are also a swinging sand-bag and a springing-ball for spar ring practice. The gymnasium is lighted at night from the center by a powerful incandescent light. The lavatories, which were set up, like the rest of the gymnasium, by members of the association, are on the floor below. There are two bath-rooms and a large dressing-room, with boxes for the men's clothing while they are exercising. The entrance to the gymnasium is through a handsomely-furnished little ante-room, the walls of which are decorated with a number of engravings and photographs of prominent persons now or formerly connected with the police department. The most important work done in the line of athletics in the North-western district, however, is the drilling in the manual of arms. In this department Captain Earhart himself is the instructor, and his men have acquired a proficiency in all the tactics in Upton's manual, which distinguishes them beyond those of any other district in the city. They are also trained in the riot drill. These tactics have not yet been introduced in the other police districts, though instruction will doubtless be begun in them within a short time. The superiority of Captain Ear- hart's men over the rest of the Baltimore police in manual of arms drill has been acknowledged for some years. In 1833, on the occasion of the Oriole parade, the North-western squad won great applause from the citizens by their exhibition of maneuvering and were awarded a heavy silver punch-bowl for their skill. The men afterward voted to present the prize to their instructor, Captain Earhart. The captain now has the punch-bowl in his parlor. Captain Earhart, speaking of the advantages of gymnasium practice for policemen says : " Of course the primary object of such work as we do in athletics is to make the men lithe and muscular. To make a good policeman a man must be a good runner, a skillful wrestler and a man of powerful muscle and great endurance. Without these qualities an officer is little better than a walking uniform. Gymnasium practice, I contend, and I have preached this same doctrine as long as I have been connected with the police department, is the true secret of physical superiority in a police organization. I have never heard of any substitute for it, and I don't believe there is any. But another point that I have noticed is that besides making the men stronger and more active, muscularly, their exercise serves in a remarkable degree to quicken their understanding and sharpen their wits. Now a dull, stupid fellow could not possibly be a first-class wrestler or sparrer. I know of few things that require more rapid and logical thinking than sparring or wrestling with an expert. It has often been noticed when cases of outrageous clubbing on the part of policemen have been brought to the notice of the public that the clubber was either a weak or a stupid man, who resorted to his weapon to avoid personal injury to himself, a thing he would not have done if he had felt himself physically capable of managing his prisoner without the use of the club. In Baltimore, clubbing is rare, though there are occasions, of course, when the locust is absolutely necessary, but everyone on my force has remarked how much less frequently the club has been called into requisition of late years than formerly. And I assure you nobody is more pleased at noticing this fact than the police themselves."

The Eastern District Gymnasium

The Eastern district police station was the third in which a gymnasium was established. Soon after the athletic associations in the Central and the North-western districts were organized, the Eastern district men began discussing the establishment of a similar institution in their station. There were several athletes of no mean ability in the squad, and Captain Benjamin F. Kenney, who died during the following year, was himself a great lover of athletic sports. The Eastern station-house was somewhat smaller than the more modern buildings in the other districts, yet the drill-room on the second floor was large enough for such a gymnasium as the men had in view. Finally, the approval of the Police Commissioners having been secured, Captain Kenney called the men together on the evening of August 4, 1882, and laid before them a plan of action similar to that which had been followed by Captains Lannan and Earhart. The men gave their approval to Captain Kenney's plan at once, and a discussion followed as to the scope of the association and the extent of the gymnasium's objects. Some of the men wished the association to assume the proportions of a social club, with apartments outside of the station, which would include billiard and card rooms, library, etc., while others were in favor of going no further than to purchase a few dumb-bells and Indian clubs. The majority thought it best to rely upon tlio successful experience of the other two gymnasiums then in operation^ and to erect one similar to those. A second meeting was held on the evening of August 9, at which a permanent organization was effected under the name of the " Eastern District Police Athletic Club." Officers were elected and a set of by-laws under the title of "Rules and Regulations " was adopted. Nearly every man of the 100 or thereabouts in the squad was present either personally or by proxy, and paid in his initiation fee of $1.50 to Captain Kenney, who was elected president and treasurer. The secretary's report of the first meetings of the club was ordered to be printed. This report embraced the rules and regulations. It was printed in the form of a large circular, and a number of copies were framed and hung up in various parts of the gymnasium for the guidance of the men. The report was as follows : THE EASTERN DISTRICT POLICE ATHLETIC CLUB. An athletic association was organized at the Eastern police station on the evening of August 4, 1882, and on the 9th day of August, 1882, appointed the following members of the association as a Board of Directors for the period of sixth months, for the purpose of conducting the business of the association, viz.: Captain Benjamin F. Kenney, Chairman (ex-offieio) ; Sergeants J. Andrew Roycroft and Henry Paole ; officers William H. Bishop, Jacob Manister, Peter W. Nelson and J. W. W. Taylor. They convened and organized by calling Captain Benjamin F. Kenney to the chair, to act as president and treasurer of the association, and Lieutenants Benjamin F. Auld and William R. Johnson, vice presidents ; and officer W. Francis Beall, secretary. The following rules and regulations were adopted by the club : Rules and Regulations. First. Professor William Spohr is appointed instructor and teacher for the association. Second. That each member of the association pay into the treasury the sum of $1.50 as the initiation fee and 25 cents each pay-day, or every two weeks, for the general expenses of the association, which includes the tuition fee for the instruction of the members. Third. That the members of the Board of Police Commissioners, the Marshal and Deputy-Marshal, and George Savage, Esq., are appointed honorary members of the association. Fourth. That no member shall handle any of the tools during the time that the instructor is instructing a member, to interfere with him. Fifth. That any member who may leave the police force of the Eastern District shall have returned to him the sum of $1.50, the initiation fee, for which he. shall relinquish all claims against the association.

Sixth. That any member shall have the right to invite any one into the hall, but the member so inviting the visitor shall be responsible for his or their conduct while in the hall. Seventh. That smoking or chewing in, or spitting on, the floor of the hall will not be allowed. Eighth. That each sergeant shall collect the sum of 25 cents every two weeks, or each pay-day, from each member of his squad who shall be a member of the association, and pay the same over to the treasurer. Ninth. That no member shall get upon the mattress with heavy boots or shoes on. Tenth. That all and any of the members of the police force of the Eastern District are respectfully invited to become members of this association as early as they may deem proper by the payment of the initiation fee. Eleventh. That no member of the Eastern District police force, who does not belong to the association, will be permitted in the hall unless on police business. Twelfth. That the directors shall, with the approval of the Board of Police Commissioners, convene at the Eastern police station to transact such business as will become necessary for the benefit of the association, the time to be regulated by the captain. Thirteenth. That no person will be allowed into the hall during the time of the regular practice, which is on Tuesday mornings, Tuesday nights, Friday mornings and Friday nights, unless he is a relative of a member. Fourteenth. That no person will be allowed to practice on the regular practicing nights except the members. Fifteenth. That the directors will act to the best of their ability to preserve order, and to see that the above rules and regulations are strictly carried out in the hall. Work was immediately begun. The drill-room was cleared and newly painted, and a large quantity of lumber and other mate rials was purchased with the §150 received by the treasurer from the initiation fees. In the squad were two or three good carpenters, and they at once began erecting benches, etc., in the hall upon which to work while making the various paraphernalia. At first they gave their own time after coming in from duty, but the attention of the Police Commissioners having been called to the situation, the men were afterward put upon the work as a regular detail, subject to call at anytime to more important police duty. It was about two months before their work was finished. The funds at their command were not so large as those with which the two other gymnasiums had been erected, and they were not able to do quite so much as had been done in the Central and the North-western. Yet they built a gymnasium suitable for all practical needs at the time. As soon as it was ready for use, classes were formed for gym nastic training under the direction of Professor William Spohr, a competent and enthusiastic athlete who was employed for that purpose by the club. Under Professor Spohr's tuition the men made rapid progress, and in the exhibitions of the Police Athletic Associations the following year some of the most interesting contests were won by men from the Eastern district. After some months the club felt able to dispense with Professor Spohr's services. This expense being removed, money soon accumulated in the treasurer's hands, until it was deemed advisable to suspend the collection of dues. In the summer of 1885 the use of police patrol-wagons having been decided upon by the Board of Com missioners, a three story stable was erected at the side of the station. The latter building was but two stories high and it was afterward determined to make the two symmetrical by adding one story to the station. This work was finished in the latter part of 1886. The upper story thus added to the station formed a large hall, fifty by thirty-eight feet, which dimensions were considerably larger than the hall below, in which the gymnasium was built. It was lighted on three sides by twelve large windows, one of which, in the front of the building, was a triple window, glazed hand somely with stained glass. As there was much dissatisfaction with the old athletic apparatus, it was determined to erect a new gymnasium in the new hall. The work has recently been completed. It has been done by members of the police force who were assigned by the Commissioners to that duty. One man turned more than one hundred and seventy-five Indian clubs of all sizes and all the approved shapes,- and made the handsome and convenient racks for them that now ornament the walls on one side of the hall. The center rack is composed of two wings, each containing fifty clubs. Between the wings of the rack is a tall mirror. Another rack at one side holds seventy-two clubs, and still another is built for ten clubs of the heaviest sizes. The painting of the clubs and other paraphernalia in the gymnasium was done by officer Scherer of the North-eastern, the same "who did the admirable work in the gymnasium of his own station. The club racks are also arranged to hold the dumb-bells, of which there are more than one hundred pairs. They are mostly of two or three pounds weight, but the assortment includes a number of heavier pairs, running up to twenty-eight pounds each. One feature of the new Eastern gymnasium that is not found in any other station is the wrist exercising machine. This is composed of a roller, graduated as to circumference, set horizontally about three feet from the floor. The exercise consists in rapidly turning this roller and winding up a weighted cord which is attached to one end of it. The weight may be regulated at will and as many as three men at a time can use it. There are also nine pulling machines of various styles, two of them being for neck and shoulder exercise and two for ankle and leg exercise. The latter are designed with canvas pantofles or heel-less slippers attached to the pulling cords. The exercise consists of a walking motion against which the weights pull. The effect is very similar to that experienced in walking through a shallow stream against a powerful current, and it develops the muscles used in vaulting and jumping. Six new swinging rings covered with leather are hung from the ceiling, as are also the trapeze and the turning rings from the old gymnasium. The same parallel bars that were used before have been brought up to the new hall, but instead of being fixed to the floor as formerly they are now built upon a portable platform. The same excellent set of ladders, the kicking gallows, and the single horizontal bar used down stairs have been brought up. A new set of double bars has been added to the collection, and new vertical bars have been built, the old ones not being long enough to reach the higher ceiling of the new hall. Insets have been built for the old tug-of-war braces upon which the Eastern men did so much good work in their old quarters. There are five new mattresses, of which three are of hair, and the old and excel lent hair wrestling mattress which cost $175 in 1883. As completed the Eastern gymnasium is perhaps the most extensive as well as the handsomest of the four in operation. Connected with the athletic club is a base-ball nine, which plays at stated intervals and occasionally arranges an interesting match with a nine from some other district. These games are always well played and never fail to attract a large audience of base-ball enthusiasts. Captain Auld, who since Captain Kenney's death on September 29, 1883, has been in command of the Eastern district, is a leading spirit in athletics among his men. Speaking of the ad vantages of this training of the police, he said: "The change in the character and the deportment of the officers in this precinct since the introduction of a gymnasium has been most marked and gratifying. Those who exercised at first all remarked how much better they felt physically than before ; and in a short time the increase in their strength and agility, as evidenced by the feats they became able to perform, was something marvelous. Now, the value of such results to a police force cannot but be evident, and they are especially valuable in this district, which covers some of the roughest quarters of the city. In this district more arrests are made than in any other in Baltimore, and generally the prisoners are of a rougher and more muscular class. Many an arrest is made now where previous to the introduction of the gymnasium the criminal, by his greater strength or fleetness or staying powers, might have escaped. Another and all import ant advantage gained, too, is the fact that the officers, having learned how to handle rebellious prisoners skillfully, rarely use their clubs, and complaints of violent clubbing are now very rare. To their gymnasium exercise the men owe not only their greater strength, fleetness, and endurance, but their increased self-reliance and self-respect."

The Northeastern Gymnasium

The most attractive of the four police gymnasiums is said to be that of the North-eastern Police Athletic Association, in the station in Chew street near Broadway. The hall is not so large as those occupied by the other associations, measuring as it does about fifty feet by thirty-five feet ; but as there are only eighty-three men connected with the North-eastern district (and every one is a member of the association), no inconvenience has ever been experienced by reason of limited room. In the autumn of 1884 Captain Philip J. Barber of the North-eastern station under took to establish a gymnasium like those of the Central and the North-western stations. He was cordially supported in his endeavors by the Police Commissioners and by the Marshal and Deputy-marshal. Nevertheless it required some time to get all the men interested in the enterprise, and the latter end of the following winter arrived before material progress was made. It was then that the drill-room on the third floor of the building was set apart by the Police Commissioners for a gymnasium, and work was actually begun. All the men who joined the association paid to Captain Barber various assessments, amounting to about eleven dollars each. Three months were consumed in completing the arrangements after the plans were drawn up. Most of the labor was performed by men belonging to the squad. Much of the material, such as lumber, iron, and lead was contributed by merchants of Baltimore interested in police progress, and the remainder was bought. Mr. J. Regester presented nearly all the piping used in the water connections, and Mr. Henry McShane, the bell-founder, gave some brass and bronze castings. The large mattress cost more than $300. It contains about 400 pounds of hair, for which fifty cents per pound was paid. The remainder of the cost was for the labor in the making, which the policemen themselves were unable to do. The covering of rings and other iron work with canvas and leather was also done outside ; but beyond this scarcely a dollar was paid for work upon the gymnasium. On May 19, 1885, the first meeting of the organizers of the gymnasium was held in the station and the following officers elected to serve one year : President, Captain Philip J. Barber ; vice-president, Lieutenant Daniel Shettlo; treasurer, James D. Carroll ; and secretary, patrolman A. P. Caldwell. The following directors were chosen for the same period : Sergeants Thomas H. Hogan, Henry Mittendorf, F. S. Crate, William J. Carrick, Augustus Chaillou; J. N. Winchester and George W. Schafor, and patrolmen B. S. Wellener, Jr. Shadrack Street, George H. Tienken, John N. Ford, and Henry C. Jones. At the same meeting the Police Commissioners, the marshal and deputy-marshal of Baltimore were elected honorary members of the association. Some practicing was done in the gymnasium before it was finished, but the public was not invited to inspect it until the beginning of May, 1885. when completed, the hall was one of the handsomest and most thoroughly equipped in the State. It contained many improvements that its older competitors, the gymnasiums of the North-western, the Eastern, and the Central stations, did not have, and with its brightly painted paraphernalia, its polished floor and its handsomely decorated walls it presented a charmingly neat appearance. The racks along . the walls contained row after row of gaily colored Indian clubs of every size from two to ten pounds. Some of these one hundred and fifty clubs were handsomely painted in various geometrical designs, and others were polished and varnished. Hung on convenient racks were fifty pairs of brightly painted or polished dumb-bells, weighing from two pounds up to eighty per pair. Guyed securely in one part of the room was a set of horizontal bars, with a thick felt mattress under them to protect athletes from injury in case of falls. The same pre caution was observed wherever there might be any danger from falling against the hard floor of the room. From the ceiling hung a row of six leather-covered swinging rings, two trapezes, and a pair of trapeze rings. Five pulling machines of different styles were ranged about the walls. One piece of furnishing in neither the Central nor the Eastern gymnasium was a lifting machine. Rows of boxing gloves, a springing ball, and other paraphernalia of sparring practice indicated that the men were prepared to learn the art of self-defense. Attachable to the floor were four sets of tug-of-war braces, and a large vaulting and turning standard was built from the floor to the ceiling. Directions for training were posted, some of the most important of them being marked for special observation. Vertical and horizontal ladders, primary features in every gymnasium, wands, hurdle-gauges, and every other equipment of a first-class gymnasium found a place in the hall. The most costly single article now in the hall is the large wrestling mattress already referred to. It measures eighteen feet square by about eight inches in thickness, and is regarded as one of the finest in the country. It is covered with heavy canvas, and when not in use is kept encased in a large linen cover. There are nine windows on three sides of the gymnasium, making it light and airy. At night five brilliant gas- jet reflectors light up every corner of the room. It is in the evening that instruction in gymnastics is given. After exercising, the men enter the lavatories, which are commodious and comfort able. The bath for "rubbing-down" is similar to that at the Central station, being set in the center of the bath-room and raised considerably above the floor level. Each of the eighty- three men in the athletic association has a separate locker in the dressing-room for his clothing. Every locker is fitted with a Yale lock and no two keys open the same door. When the gymnasium was started the members were assessed twenty-five cents a fortnight to pay the running expenses. In about two years, however, the expenses grew so small that the pro rata share which the North-eastern Association received of the receipts from the annual police athletic exhibition at Ford's Opera House sufficed to pay them. At the time mentioned, a resolution was passed suspending the collection of dues, and no assessments of any kind have since been paid by the men. In November, 1885, a fine pool table was purchased by the association and placed in a room adjoining the gymnasium. It is now N a popular source of amusement among the men. Previously to the introduction of this table, pool playing was almost prohibited to the policemen, because most of it occurs in saloons. It is considered a breach of police propriety for officers to frequent liquor stores. After the gymnasium had been in running order for some time, a great necessity was felt for some competent regular Instructor to direct the classes and to give individual instruction to such members as desired to do special work. The matter was laid before the Police Commissioners, and after some deliberation the board detailed patrolman Spellman of the Central station, one of the best all-around athletes on the police force, to do instructor's duty at the North-eastern station. Mr. Spellman was transferred on July 23, 1885. He at once entered upon his work with an earnestness and ability that proved the wisdom of his appointment. In a few weeks the men under his tuition showed remarkable progress, and at the police athletic exhibition the following year some of the most vigorous applause of the evening was won by the North-eastern squad. Instructor Spellman's specialties are wrestling and sparring, but ho is also skillful in all other branches. He appreciates the importance of practical work, however, and his endeavors are principally directed toward those kinds of athletics that seem most likely to prove of advantage to a policeman if he should be called upon to put his knowledge to practical use while on duty. Recently the instructor posted an address to the men containing some valuable hints about the use of police gymnasiums. He says : More attention should be given to wrestling and sparring, the two tactics mostly required in the arrest of unruly law breakers by the officers. It is much safer and less brutal to fell a man with the fist than by the use of a stout locust club. To know how to swing on the point of a man's jaw with the fist and thus 'put him to sleep,' as they say in the prize-ring, until the handcufls can be put on him, is a most important thing, because that is not only the most effective, but a less dangerous method of capture than by the use of the club. If the officers practice enough among themselves with the gloves, they will know exactly how hard and where to hit. Fortunately, Baltimore is so well regulated by the laws and the police force that the officers do not have occasion to practice much on its unruly citizens ; hence the necessity of learning among themselves, so as to be in trim when occasions do occur. In an address which occupies three sheets of foolscap paper, closely written, and is posted in a prominent position in the gymnasium, are many suggestions about wrestling with prisoners, avoiding knife-thrusts, blows from brass knuckles, etc. During the exercises by classes the strictest discipline is preserved in the gymnasium. Certain rules and regulations for the members of the association were drawn up by the board of directors shortly after Mr. Spellman was detailed to his present duties. They were printed in large characters and several copies were framed and hung about the hall, as follows :

Northeastern  Athletic Association

Rules and Regulations. I. Officer John J. Spellman is appointed instructor for the association, and must be respected and obeyed by all members of the association while practicing in the hall. II. No member shall handle any of the equipment during the time the instructor is giving instruction, except such as he may direct. III. No member shall enter the hall to practice with his boots or shoes on. A fine of 25 cents will be imposed on all members violating this rule. IV. Any member shall have the privilege of inviting friends into the hall, but he will be held responsible for their conduct while in the hall. V. No person will be allowed to smoke in the hall or spit on the floor. Members violating this rule will be fined 25 cents. Visitors will be reprimanded by the instructor. VI. No person will be allowed to enter the hall during regular business hours except members, unless specially invited by a member with the consent of the President. VII. No person will be allowed to practice or handle any of the equipment except members of the association without the consent of at least three directors. VIII. Each director will, to the best of his ability, see that these rules are strictly complied with. As adjuncts to the gymnasiums, base-ball nines were organized in the several districts. In 1882 the Central district formed a nine under the leadership of officer P. Brennan. Shortly after wards the nine of the Eastern district was organized by Officer David Edwards. These nines played against each other during the remainder of the season of 1882. At the opening of the season of 1883, officer Thomas Knox organized the nine of the Southern district. Later sergeant F. H. Scott formed a club in the North-western district. The different organizations comprised some excellent players and a number of games took place of which no record was kept, although a great majority were won by the Central district nine. During the next season (1884) the nines as constituted played a series of games, some of which were very interesting, the Central and Eastern district clubs making their headquarters at the Union base ball park, the North-western at the Monumental base ball park, and the Southern at Stowman's base ball park. The series resulted in the Central again winning the champion ship, with the North-western second and the Eastern and Southern in the order named. At the close of this season a most interesting game was played at Union park, between the regular nine of the Central district and a picked nine composed of players from nines of the Eastern and North-western districts. After a sharp contest, in the presence of the Board of Commissioners and a large number of spectators invited to witness the game, the Central district won ; score 10 to 9. Umpire, Capt. Cadwallader. Early in the season of 1885 the nine representing the North eastern district was organized by officer John Spellman, and in a short time developed strong playing, pressing the Central hard for first honors, but throughout this season there was much less interest manifested than previously and there was no regular schedule of games played. This was also the case during the season of 1886, and during 1887 there was very little playing done. The running expenses of the four gymnasiums now in operation are as a rule sufficiently met by the receipts from the annual athletic exhibitions given by the police at Ford's Opera House. These exhibitions have increased each year in excellence, and they have grown to be occasions that are looked forward to not only by the members of the police force but by a large portion of the citizens of Baltimore. The fifth and most recent exhibition given by the police athletes previously to the publication of this work was presented on Tuesday evening, May 14, 1887. The entertainment took place as usual in the Opera House. An unusually large number of tickets were sold and the great theatre was crowded from the orchestra to the gallery. Among the audience were many prominent business and professional men. Messrs. Schryver, Robson and Carr of the Board of Police Commissioners, together with ex- Commissioners Colton, Fusselbaugh, Major Ferguson, and John W. Davis were in the right hand lower proscenium box. The programme of events was long and was carried out, especially toward the latter end of the exhibition, amid a running storm of applause. As the evening wore on the dignity of the occasion bent beneath the general spirit of jollity. Personalities . of a good natured sort came down from the galleries at frequent intervals. Voices from the audience shouted cheers to the contestants on the stage, and approving exclamations echoed thick and fast through the hall during the exciting portions of the two- handed contests. Enthusiasm and good humor were the order of the hour, and it would be difficult to imagine a more generally "at home" audience anywhere than that which packed Ford's Opera House from skylight to stage on the evening of the eighteenth of May. While the people were still crowding past the ticket takers the entertainment opened with an exhibition of graceful and surprisingly skillful Indian club swinging by the large class in that form of exercise. This was followed by Grseco-Roman wrestling match between officers Brennan and Lutts, in which the former was victorious, after a severe struggle. Officer Mc- Graw then won against officer Dempsey at sparring, and an exhibition of vaulting and jumping took place in which Sergeant Wellener, and officers Brennan, Lutts, Finnerty, William Doyle, Webster, Carey, James Doyle, Dempsey, Ryan, Emery, Busick, J. Welsh, M. Welsh and Spellman participated. Next came another Graeco- Roman wrestling match, this time between officers William Doyle and L. D. Cole. Doyle won prettily but by no means easily. There was a sparring exhibition between officers Crawford and Carey and then a " catch-as-catch-can " struggle between officers Busick and John Doyle, which after an interesting battle ended in favor of Doyle. Sergeant Meehan and officer Spellman followed with a Graeco-Roman wrestling match. Both are heavy men and good wrestlers. Spellman won the first fall and in trying to get sergeant Meehan over on the second bout by a "half Nelson and arm hold," he sprained the latter's arm so badly that Dr. P. Bryson Wood, who was in the audience, was summoned to look after the injury. Officer Carey then outdid officer M. Welsh in sparring for points, and officers Kiggins and J. Welsh gave an exhibition of some remarkable feats of strength, and officers Ackerman, of the North-eastern district, Ryan and William Doyle performed on the horizontal bar. Officer Ackerman was as good as, if not better, than most professional workers on the bars. The way Ackerman brushes his hair and makes his bow and looks after the guy ropes, makes one think he must have faced an audience many a time. Officers Ryan, William Doyle, Emerine, Johnson, Costello and C. P. Chaneygave "exhibitions of strength" which seemed also to be exhibitions of skill, and were almost startling. William Doyle, after a very long collar and elbow wrestling match with his brother, James Doyle, succeeded in touching the latter's shoulders to the mattress. Then officer Costello showed that he could epar better for points than officer Grau, immediately after which he wrestled a catch-as-catch-can match with officer Johnson. Next to the closing exhibition, before the wind-up bouts in wrestling and sparring, was the pyramid exercise, in which the following policemen took part : Messrs. sergeant Meehan, whose arm still hurt him but which had grown considerably better, sergeant Wellener, and officers Chaney, Emerine, Spellman, James and William Doyle, Lutts, Brennan, Ackerman, Carey, Grau, Ryan, M. Welsh, Kiggins, Johnson and Costello. Some of these athletes at once entered the tug-of-war between the Central and the North-eastern districts which followed. The sides were composed as follows: Central — Finnerty, Emerine, Whittle and Busick; North-eastern — Johnson, Emery, Webster and Campbell. This was the last event on the program and it ended in the triumph of the boys from the North-eastern district. In the course of the entertainment an intermission was taken during which the orchestra played a newly composed symphony, per formed for the first time on that evening in honor of the occasion. The general result of the introduction of gymnasiums for the use of the Baltimore police may be summed up in the words of Deputy-marshal Lannan : " The competency of a police officer," says that veteran, " is often measured by the rarity with which he uses his club. To a limited extent this is a very good test, and reckoned by it I may say that in those districts in which the gymnasiums have been in use, the policemen have improved greatly since their establishment. In many precincts clubbing is practically done away with, for when an officer is sure he can hold his man he will rarely draw his club, and there are very few prisoners who can give much trouble to a policeman who has wrestled with such instructors as officer Spellman, lieutenant Scott or the Doyle brothers. It is interesting to notice the difference in the broadness and straightness of the shoulders and the expanse of chest between the squads marching out of gymnasium stations and those coming from the stations in which no gymnasiums have yet been established. The police force of Baltimore as a whole will not reach its highest perfection until after a gymnasium has been established in every district."