Apprehending Darkness in the Shadows

Edward Savage. Police Recollections or Boston by Daylight and Gaslight. Boston: John P. Dale & Co., 1873.

Edward Savage was not only a successful law enforcement officer, becoming Chief of Boston Police in the early 1870s, but also a prolific author. His works chronicle life in the American city after the Civil War from his unique perspective, capturing the complicated and often competing roles of police officers to both maintain order and see to the public’s welfare. In 1851 he led the raid on Boston’s vice district along Ann Street in the North End (commonly known as the “Black Sea”). Later in his career, his force collected and distributed over $1,000 to “poor persons who were overlooked by others.”