The Lake County star. [volume] (Chase, Mich.) 1873-current, 1873-09-11

a risky Que. If there's any one
as thinks it amt risky, just ask
any policetnan's wife as cares for
her husband how often she has
lain awake, fearing something
might happen to him, when he's
been on night duty in bad quar-.
ter.
What class Of criminals are the
most dangerous for policemen to
have to deal with? Well, l hard
ly know; the regulars, or "hahitu.
al criminals" MS they are called,
arc much Of n muchancss. A sneak.
thief may turn TUX upon you,
while n burglar or garroter, as
you might think likely to show
fight, will often let himself be
took rs quietly rs lamb. The
chances cases are often rough
ones. A mnd.drunk sailor amt
a nice customer to handle, and
mad.drunk soldier - especially
when he takes To the belt lis IA
decididlynasty one;..and sometimes
| unn. <,l,,.I, aIenonJ
ing bankrupt will show his teeth
pull his pistol, or pick up a de-
caDter or clair, and talk Of
knocking your brains ont if you
lay hands on. him; though OF
course wo do lay hands on 'c,n
f'r all that. Ifyou dash in bold
ly at them thoy generally knock
under.
Com,ners used to be about the
worst, but there's not many about
now. There is one customer
however, as is more likely than
not to make Il fight of it before
he'll be taken aud ms is generally
rough I'm TO fight, and that is
the escaped, convict. It's gener-
ally a rough and desperate hand
that docs manage to escape and
one that's drcadf ully fond Of his
Liberty. and knows that if he is
took again he may bid a long
goodbye to it. A gentleman of
that stamp gave ne the toughest
tnsslc ! ever had, and the one
I'm proud of, for fought him
fair aud took him single. handed.
When he made his csc ,pc he gui
clear away, AMI lie had sense
enough not to Turk back again
to his old London hannts while
the search was hot but abont
Il year afterwur,l he did venture
hack, and accidentally got wind
OF it.
| know that there was five
pounds for any one that took him
and | had pretty good irca that
the governor Of the prison he
had broken ont of would stand
something more then all that, |
well, ] may as well say i'll
had not been long in the force at
the time, and wanted to show
that | had something in me; and
so, though l could have asked
for help, | made up my mind to
try and take him myself. / was
twenty.sevcn at the time, stood
five foot eleven, weighed twelve
srone-good fighting weight ht-and
though | cay it that shouldn't, the
convic', escaped or uucscaped,
didn't breathe that | feared to
take sinele-handcd.
1t was not of ,he man himself
that | was afraid, though I knew he
was Tartar; what made the job
go risky was the danger of being
set upon by the whole OF the
gang TO which be belonged, and
who always went about togather
and would, I knew, think nothing
of numbering policeman. 1
wanted few weeks to sec what
chance might turn up, and at
length one afternoon | heard that
the glng had picked up some
sailors and were sprceing with
them in a public house some little
distance from their regular lurk
and thinking to myself that
might wait long enough without
finding any mnch better oppor-
tun'ty, determined to try my
luck there and then, and down to
this public house | went.
There was no one then particu
ular in the bar, and So | passed
through to the back, and there
in n shnt-in skittle alley 1 caught
sight Of the gane,eight in number,
and with three sailors in tow. ii
felt qualmisb, but | knew that it
wouldn't do to give way to that
feeling, and 50 seeing my gentle.
man there in tho ridst as large /
ne life, | put on my boldest face,
bounced into the alley, and shut