NEW YORK: The Bite Before Christmas

Just in case any of New York City's 19,000 cops should be planning to do their Christmas shopping early, the city's mustachioed new Police Commissioner Thomas F. Murphy last week warned against an old coppers' custom. He would fine, suspend, fire or prosecute any policeman caught, as three captains were last year, soliciting gratuities, handing out lists of expected presents from saloon and store owners on the beat or for that matter, even accepting gifts.