CHAPTER  XXVI.

THE POLICE DEPARTMENT OF NEW YORK—THE DETECTIVE
FORCE AND ITS WORK—SHADOWS AND SHADOWING —
SLEUTH-HOUNDS OF THE LAW.

A Building that is Never Closed — Police-Station Lodgings — Cutting his
Buttons off — A Dramatic Scene — Teaching tlie Tenderfeet — Tlie Duties
of a Policeman—Inquiries for Missing Friends — Mysterious Cases —
Clubbing — Night-Clubs and Billies — Scattering a Mob — Calling for As¬
sistance— Watching Strangers — "Tom and Jerry" in a Soup Plate —
The Harbor Police — The Great Detective Force and its Head — Cliief
Inspector Thomas Byrnes — Sketch of liis Career — A Proud Record —His
Knowledge of Crooks and tlieir Ways — Keeping Track of Thieves and
Criminals — Establishing a "Dead Line " in Wall Street—Human De¬
pravity and Human Impudence — Tlie Rogues' Gallery — Shadows and
Shadowing — Unraveling Plots — Skillful Detective Work — Extorting
the Truth — Tlie Museum of Crime — What May Be Seen There —Disap¬
pearance of Old Thieves — Rising Young Criminals.

ON Mulberry Street running through to Mott Street, in
a quarter of the city that is neither fashionable nor at¬
tractive, stands a plain solid building of four stories and a
basement. Its appearance is so ordinary that it would not be
likely to attract special -attention were it not for the blue-
coated policemen that are constantly ascending and descending
the steps. This is the police Headquarters, the most important
building of its kind in America. Here are the offices of the
Police Commissioners, Superintendent, Inspectors, Detective
Bureau, Health Department, etc. In the basement is the
police telegraph office, the right arm of the service, connected
by telegraph with tli^ fire department headquarters, Brooklyn
police headquarters, all elevated railroads, all the leading hos¬
pitals, the prisons, the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to
Children, and many other institutions. Anything of import¬
ance that is taking place at the farthest poUce point of the city

(498)