policeparade1908

See

See

At far left of group visible in the reviewing stand is Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain). At far right is a James Farley, who had been a policeman for 50 years.

See New-York Tribune. May 10, 1908, Pp. 1 and 5
- chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83030214/1908-05-10/ed-...
chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83030214/1908-05-10/ed-...
"But while the squads of men, afoot and mounted, and the little squad of police dogs that made it look like the parade of a "Tom show." were gathering, the reviewing stand at the Worth monument began to fill with spectators. Besides Mayor McClellan, who was to give out the medals of honor, there were present Cardinal Logue, Primate of All Ireland; the Rev. Michael Quinn, administrator of the diocese of Armagh; Archbishop Farley, the Rev. P. J. Hayes, chancellor of the archdiocese of New York; President McGowan of the Board of Aldermen, and Controller Metz.
Naturally, Commissioner Bingham was on the job and more or less in a silk hat.
-- MARK TWAIN ALSO THERE --
Likewise be it known that one Mark Twain was present. He admitted that this was an alias and that Lieutenant "Jimmie" Dunn, at Headquarters, knew all about him and that his name was really S. L. Clemens, and that he made a living by writing. "Yes," said Mr. Clemens, who saw the disguise was useless, even though he was dressed in dark clothes, "Yes, I've always liked the
police, but I suppose that's because they've always seemed to take such a deep, abiding interest in all that I do. The policeman is my friend; I know he is. Of course, it must be a
-- (continued on page 5) --
sure sign that he wants to know all that I do since he watches me every time I appear on the street and sometimes follows me in a casual gumshoe sort of way."
Before the parade started Mark Twain and Cardinal Logue had a long conversation together, and though the crowd in general could not hear what was said the laughter of both men seemed to indicate that the Irish wit and the American humor were being rubbed together and were throwing off sparks.
Afterward Mr. Clemens said: "I found his eminence a very nice old gentleman. He told me he had read my books. He didn't say that he approved of them, but I didn't need to have him tell me that. He looks like an intelligent man, so I take it for granted he approves of high class literature."

Note to LoC: "McGowen" in transcribed caption should be "McGowan"

According to the article quoted above, the location is
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_William_Jenkins_Worth_Monument
in
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Worth_Square
"Worth Square, or General Worth Square, is a public square in Manhattan located at East 25th Street between Broadway and Fifth Avenue directly west of Madison Square Park. The location was designated as a public park in 1847, and since 1857 the square has served as both a memorial to and the burial site of William Jenkins Worth."

For Patrick F. McGowan, President of the Board of Aldermen, see
www.nytimes.com/1906/01/02/archives/a-new-hearst-scheme-t...
spectatorarchive.library.columbia.edu/?a=d&d=cs191011...
www.nytimes.com/1911/10/17/archives/columbias-students-of...

Thanks swanq, we'll add that info to the catalog and fix McGowan's spelling.