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PAGE 14
| On March 21, 1800 the Cabildo found it
necessary to provide arms to the night policemen and resolved that eight lances be made--two for the
Corporals and six for the policemen. The upper portion of this document is the bill presented by master
blacksmith Francisco Marre for thirty-two pesos due him for supplying the weapons. The bottom portion is
Juan de Casteñado's certification that the lances were indeed made and delivered to the policemen
for their use.
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There appears to be no earlier mention of weapons for the policemen, nor is it clear what prompted the
Cabildo to order the lances in 1800. Perhaps there was simply a general increase in violent activity as the
port attracted more and more non-resident sailors and flatboat men into the city. Control of the city's slaves,
of course, was always a concern, but the local militia played more of a role in that effort than did the night
policemen who, after all, were primarily responsible for lighting and looking after the city's street lamps. Next page
of this document | Translation of this document
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