“The friend (Leupp) found the Commissioner at the appointed place and hour, armed only with a little stick and a written list of the patrolmen’s posts in the district which was to be visited. They walked over each beat separately. In the first three beats they found only one man on post. One of the others had gone to assist the man on the third, but there was no trace of the third man’s whereabouts. They came upon a patrolman seated on a box with a woman. “‘Patrolman,’ asked the Commissioner, ‘are you doing your duty on post 27?’ “The fellow jumped up in a hurry. This pedestrian, though unknown to him, was obviously familiar with police matters; so he stammered out, with every attempt to be obsequious: ‘Yes, sir; I am, sir.’ “‘Is it all right for you to sit down?’ inquired the mysterious stranger. “‘Yes, sir--no, sir--well, sir, I wasn’t sitting down. I was just waiting for my partner, the patrolman on the next beat. Really, I wasn’t sitting down.’ “‘Very well,’ said the stranger, cutting him short and starting on. “The officer ran along, explaining again with much volubility that he had not been sitting down--he had just been leaning a little against something while he waited. “‘That will do; you are following me off post. Go back to your beat now and present yourself before me at headquarters at half-past nine in the morning. I am Commissioner Roosevelt.’ “Another three blocks and the strollers came upon a patrolman chatting with a man and a woman. They passed the group, went a little way, and returned; the woman was gone, but the patrolman and the man were still there, and deep in conversation. The talk was interrupted to enable the officer to answer the Commissioner’s questions. The man seized the opportunity to slip off. “‘They were drunk, sir, a little intoxicated, sir,’ was the patrolman’s excuse, as he caught an inkling of the situation. ‘I was just trying to quiet them down a bit. I’m sorry, sir, very sorry.’ “‘That’s enough. Come to Commissioner Roosevelt’s office at half-past nine.’ “In search of the roundsman the Commissioner started to call him to account for all this laxity in discipline. The roundsman was found gossiping with two patrolmen on another beat. “‘Which of you men belongs here?’ demanded the Commissioner, addressing the patrolmen. “They and their companion met the inquiry defiantly. One of the trio retorted: ‘What business is that of yours?’ “The Commissioner made no response except to repeat his question in another form: ‘Which one of you is covering beat 31?’” It was now plain that they were in trouble. By the light of a neighboring gas lamp the roundsman recognized the interrogator’s face. He cast a significant look at one of his companions, who answered meekly enough: “It’s me, sir.”