The Vidette-Messenger Centennial EditionThe 1936 special edition celebrating Porter County's centennial year . . . .
The following article has been transcribed from the August 18, 1936, issue of The Vidette-Messenger, published in Valparaiso, Indiana. This particular special edition focuses on Porter County's centennial celebration and contains a 94-page compendium of Porter County history up to that time.
Return to the index of articles from The Vidette-Messenger's Porter County Centennial special edition.
Source: The Vidette-Messenger, Valparaiso,
Porter County, Indiana; August 18, 1936; Volume 10, Section 3, Page 24.
Valparaiso Police Department History Goes Back Full Century of City's Life;
James Jones Was First Official Head
Valparaiso's law enforcement body, the police department, which had its
inception when Ruel Starr was elected justice of the peace, defeating G. Z.
Salyer and John McConnell in the community's first election on April 3, 1836,
has grown and become modernized with the growth of the city, and ranks with the
most efficient of any city of its size in the state, although operating with a
limited number of officers.
The city had its criminals and outlaws one hundred years ago. Crime was
different in those days. Outlaws did stage holdups, steal horses, and commit
other crimes, many of which are regarded as misdemeanors in the present day. The
usual weapon was an old muzzle-loading pistol or rifle, and the only
transportation was horses.
Crime has increased by leaps and bounds, probably more so in the last decade,
especially after prohibition went into effect. With the entrance of prohibition
came a new criminal, the bootlegger. He was regarded as "small fry" for a year
or two but when he gained wealth and power, the country was confronted with the
most dangerous type of criminal yet experienced.
Speedy automobiles, machine guns, sawed-off shotguns, and other modernized means
of overcoming the law drove police to use similar method to combat the dangerous
evil. They have been successful to a marked extent. The government stepped into
the war on crime several years ago and has fought a winning battle, either
killing or imprisoning most of the "big shots" of gangland.
Police now fight criminals with means which never were dreamed of by the officer
of a century ago. They have experts on fingerprints, ballistic tests, laboratory
experiments, lie detectors, truth serum and many other modernized methods which
now make it difficult for the criminal to escape detection for long.
The first law enforcing officer in Valparaiso probably had but little to do.
There were but few citizens in the community and they were probably of the
law-abiding type.
The first election in this community was held April 3, 1836, at the residence of
C. A. Ballard on grounds formerly owned by C. A. Tallcott, where W. B. Williams
resides on Brown avenue at the foot of Michigan avenue. On May 28 of the same
year a second election for justice of the peace was held at Ballards, and G. Z.
Salyer received eight votes out of a total of fifteen for justice of the peace.
Valparaiso's police in the early days consisted of a marshal who was supposed to
keep order, and was often times given help by civilians whenever the occasion
arose. Generally the man picked out for this important job was capable of
handling himself in most emergencies.
Anson Goodwin was the first marshal of Valparaiso. Many others served in the
same capacity. James Maxwell and William Sergeant were old timers. The latter
served more than twenty-five years in this capacity. Most every kid who played
ball on the streets knew this distinguished gentleman for he had the uncanny
habit of being about every place at once, especially when a ball game was on.
Tip Kyes, a big hulk of a man, and a terror to lawbreakers, also served in the
marshal capacity for a number of years. Many of those who transgressed the law
and clashed with the doughty Tip knew better the second time.
Terrence Billings, Claus Dreesen, Matthew Jones, Richard Lytle, Gregg Stansell,
Matthew Brown, Joseph Crowe and T. C. Thedens also wore the badge denoting the
rank of marshal.
In addition to the marshals, some of whom were elected by the people and others
appointed by the mayor in later years, there were also patrolmen.
Matthew Brown, former marshal, and still a member of the Valparaiso police
department, is the veteran of the local department. Mr. Brown was elected to the
police department by the city council on June 1, 1895, or forty-one years ago.
He has served only thirty-six years as a member of the department because of
five years employment with the Pennsylvania railroad which was necessitated
because of administrative changes.
Policeman Brown has had some thrilling experiences during this time, which have
brought him into the limelight. One of these was the sensational silk robbery on
the Pennsylvania railroad, west of the city, in 1897.
Four men broke into a car and dumped out $10,000 worth of silk along the
right-of-way, between this city and the Grand Trunk crossover, at Louck's
Crossing. Pennsylvania detectives, unable to cope with the men because of
inefficient numbers, called on the local department for help.
Though not duty-bound to do so, Policeman Brown accompanied the railroad police
to Louck's Crossing, and engaged the robbers in a gun battle. Bullets flew all
around the officers. One man was shot in the head, but no one killed. Three of
the robbers were captured, the fourth later apprehended in Chicago.
The assistance rendered by the Valparaiso man was never forgotten by the
railroad, and when he failed of reelection at the hands of a democratic council
years later, the Pennsylvania railroad placed him in charge of a fence gang.
Many other thrilling encounters were the lot of Mr. Brown during his long career
as a police officer. One meeting he still remembers to this day is a fight with
a man armed with a knife. The man flew at Mr. Brown as if to butcher him. Brown
stepped back from the thrust, shifted to one side and shot one to his ear which
toppled him to the ground. Then he jumped on him and the threat was over.
The local policeman is one of the most popular men ever connected with the
department. In his younger days he was a crack first baseman on the old
Valparaiso Maroons. The love of the pastime has never deserted him and he still
exhibits as much interest in the game as he ever did in the heyday of his
playing career.
James Jones, sergeant of police on the Pennsylvania railroad, and a veteran of
thirty years in police work, was the first chief of police in Valparaiso.
From 1906 to 1910 he was a member of the Valparaiso police force. Then he
resigned to enter the employe of the Pennsylvania railroad police department,
under the late Captain Henry H. Stoll, "grand old man" of the Pennsylvania
Lines.
After twelve years' service with the Pennsylvania, he returned to the Valparaiso
to become the city's first full-fledged police chief under Mayor Edgerton W.
Agar.
While his stay in this position was brief, due to the fact that he received a
most remunerative offer to return to the Pennsylvania, which he accepted, he
introduced many new features in local policing which are carried out at the
present time. One is the record system and the other is the presence of an
officer at the station at all time to receive calls.
Jones was succeeded as police chief by Robert L. Felton. He served two years and
then was succeeded by Charles Cook. When May W. F. Spooner came into office in
1926, William Pennington became chief of police. Scandal enveloped his regime
and he was ousted, and Robert L. Felton was again installed as chief. Felton
served until January 1, 1935, when Freeman Lane was named by Mayor C. L.
Bartholomew to head the department.
At the present time the personnel includes besides Chief Lane, A. C. Witters,
captain; Jerome Frakes, Matthew Brown, William Clark, Ralph Humphrey, James
Doran and Charles Gilliland, patrolmen, and Mrs. Anna Benson Cowdrey, police
matron.
Article transcribed by Steven R. Shook