. The American metropolis, from Knickerbocker days to the present time;. Mayor Fernando Wood. the law which was in force when he became mayor,he assumed control of the police department andused it for political purposes; so in 1857 the Legis-lature organized a new police department, which in-cluded not onlj the City and County of New York,but the adjacent counties, and was controlled bycommissioners appointed by the governor. The law 3Ji8 NEW YORK CITY LIFE was settled as constitutional, but the mayor wasnot willing to lose the political power which thecontrol of the police gave him, and he su
. The American metropolis, from Knickerbocker days to the present time;. Mayor Fernando Wood. the law which was in force when he became mayor,he assumed control of the police department andused it for political purposes; so in 1857 the Legis-lature organized a new police department, which in-cluded not onlj the City and County of New York,but the adjacent counties, and was controlled bycommissioners appointed by the governor. The law 3Ji8 NEW YORK CITY LIFE was settled as constitutional, but the mayor wasnot willing to lose the political power which thecontrol of the police gave him, and he succeededin holding a large majority of the members of theMunicipal force. The new police board promptlyorganized a force of policemen, and that gave theCity two complete but independent and antagonistic. Georgk \V. Walling. sets of policemen, who frequently quarreled and as-saulted each other. That was a great time forthieves and other law breakers. The Metropolitancommissioners proceeded to extreme measures, andobtained an order for the arrest of the mayor. Thewarrant was put into the hands of Captain Wall-ing, who afterward })ecame chief of police. Captain 329 THE AMERICAN METROPOLIS Walling endeavored to arrest the mayor, but wasthrown out of the building by the Municipal offi-cers. Recorder James M. Smith directed the sheriffto execute the warrant with a posse. While thiswas going on a body of Metropolitan policemen en-tered the City Hall with another warrant for thearrest of the mayor in a damage suit. These po-licemen were promptly attacked by a much largernumber of Municipal policemen who were in thebuilding, and they were severely clubbed and weresent tumbling down the Citj^ Hall steps. After thisfracas Captain Walling, the sheriff, and the sheriffscounsel again endeavored to
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