LEGENDARY COMMENTS BY GEORGE CHEVALLIER 11-5-16

GHOST FROM THE PAST



The recent discovery in an old Maryland Manual of 1930 is almost like reading from a diary. Although most of the text is not something you would read as a novel, it does have some interesting facts and figures. Along with the general information is the hand written notations by a former member of the Maryland State Police.

The officer’s name was C. E. Minnick and he joined the force on July 15, 1930. After joining the force and given the rank of Officer, he achieved the rank of Officer 1/C on January 18, 1931.

After serving at the Randallstown Barrack “G” for a time, he was promoted to the rank of Corporal. From there he went to Barrack “F”, which is in Northeast, MD. From there he was transferred to Barrack “E” in Salisbury where he attained the rank of Sergeant, and then the Commander of Barrack “E”. He was also the driving instructor to the students at Wicomico High School. He served in this capacity until 1942 when he went to the State Police Training School in Pikesville as an instructor. According to his notes in the Manual, he was placed on pension on May 15, 1944.

According to the information in the book, all of the State Police rode motorcycles. The total force at that time was 50, including such positions as “sergeant mechanic” and “supply sergeant”. In 1930, the starting pay was as follows: Private $100.00/month, 1st Class $107.50/month, Corporal $115.00/month and Sergeant $122.50/month. In 1932, salaries were cut 11% from these meager numbers.

It has been 65 years since C. E. Minnick was Barrack Commander here in Salisbury, but his notations in an obsolete manual have left us with a look into the past. And for that, I thank him.