An Old Policeman Talks of Early Days--The First Arrest--Jim Moran’s Eyes and Ways.

"The police department of Grand Rapids was organized originally in 1871, with old Jim Moran, God Bless his memory, as chief," remarked Tom McLain. A veteran wearer of the blue and brass buttons, a brave-hearted Irishman who never flinched in time of danger, who never avoided a free fight or fled from a scrimmage, and who retired from the force after a long service to engage in business for himself. "I was one of the first men on the force, and Charlie Saunders was another.. I remember the first arrest that was made by the new policemen-Charlie and I made it. At the time I was a pretty spry young man, and could go over a five-rail fence as easy as I can go up a pair of stairs now, and Charlie was tolerably lively, too. The day after we were appointed and sworn in, Moran called us in. It was the first time we had seen him, and we sat in the office and he walked up and down the floor pulling his whiskers, as he was in the habit of doing. ‘Boys’ he said at last, ‘go down to Sweet’s hotel and find a couple of chairs in the office, and if Hawley Lyon asks you to make an arrest, do it; but if he says nothing, you keep quiet and do nothing,’ Charlie and I did as ordered, and we waited in the hotel for an hour or more. It seems the porters were on a strike about something, and Mr. Lyon feared trouble. They were colored men and not very good natured. At last we saw a couple of the strikers, big, burly fellows, considerably heavier than either of us, go through the hotel rolling up their sleeves and talking savage. There was a racket in the back room an then Mr. Lyon came out and told us to arrest those two men. We didn’t wait for further instructions but waded in. We didn’t have our uniform then, and the two strikers didn’t know us and they fought hard, but Charlie and I were much for them. We got them down and then they gave up, and we took them over to Justice Bement’s office, that was before the Police court was established, where they received their punishment without delay. As soon as the people found we were the new policemen they praised us to the skies, and after the fight was all over everybody volunteered to help us. But speaking of Jim Moran, he was one of the kindest hearted men on earth, and even if he had led a rough life and looked rough he was a perfect gentlemen. I have seen him shed tears when a little child was suffering or in trouble in his presence. Old mother Haley and Elliott were on earth then and their boys were continually getting into the jug. The mothers would come around and swear their sons could not be bad, that it was the fault of the policemen and they would fairly make police headquarters blue with their talk. Old Jim wouldn’t say anything, but would go into another room and remark that it was mother’s love and let the women talk. I remember one night Jim led half a dozen of us out to raid a bawdy house in the north end of town which was pretty wild and at that time full of lumbermen having a spree on their way home from a winter in the woods. We captured them, about a dozen in all, and they were French Canadians. They were talking among themselves in French and had arranged at a certain corner to make a break for liberty. Then Jim spoke up in French, he was a Frenchmen you know, and advised them not to try it. This amused the prisoners immensely and the leader got to talking with Moran and all the rest kept as close as possible to hear what was being said and forgot all about trying to get away. Old Jim was a mighty kind man to those in trouble, but when it came to the criminals or the toughs he was a holy terror. He had a pair of eyes in his head that would look right through a guilty man and he made a good many of them confess simply by looking at them. His eyes alone would scare an ordinary man if he had been doing anything wrong, and it was a tough case who would think of resisting when once Jim’s eyes were on him. I remember once there was a wicked gang holding out near Holland and terrorizing the whole neighborhood. None of the officers in the vicinity dared to meddle with them and they seemed to have everything their own way. Jim was asked to go down and arrest them and he went, taking a couple of his own men along. He got there after dark and had no trouble in locating the house where the gang were stopping. He left his men on the outside and he walked right into the house without knocking or saying any thing, and he found himself in the room where the terrors of the neighborhood were all together playing cards One of the gang afterward told me that Jim simply looked them over and they didn’t dare to move a muscle. He told them he wanted them to go along with him, and the thought of resisting or objecting never occurred to them. They got ready to travel without any discussion or arguments and he didn’t show any weapons or warrants either, but just said he wanted them and that was enough. They would have made it interesting for any other man who invaded their premises like that and made a demand for their liberty, but they couldn’t resist his eyes and his manner. I could spend half a day telling stories about Jim Moran, but I haven’t time now."