Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1873-08-14

facing him. my right hand holding
my staff ready drawn behind my back,
my left hand ready to collar him.
sob. it's YOU, is it ?" he grinds out
between his teeth, and before [ could
say word or move an inch, ne whipped
out large clasp-knife. I could see
murder in his eve, and [ dashed in at
once to seize, him but before I could
| lay hold of hun he had gashed my hand
to the bone-and then it was my turn.
He was drawing back to make a running
stab at me, when, quick as lightning,
and all the strength [ could put into it,
/ / swung around my right arm and
caught him with the staff in the face,
telling him like a bullock. He was
quite senseless, and by the time the
others got round / had him quietly
handcufed When we got him to the
station we sent for a doctor to dress his
wound, but he wouldn't have it touched,
and insisted on being taken into court
next morning without being washed and
his face all marked but though he GER
tainly looked horrible enough, he didn't
make anything by his move. He was
well known, and besides, though I
struck with a will, I struck in self-de-
|
tude, and didn't live to do his time
out
That is the sort Of a customer a po-
iceman has sometimes to tackle, and he
never knows the day or hour he may
have to tackle. Men as are wanted will
generally come quiet enough when they
find they are fairly dropped upon but
still you can never be quite certain of
them if the drink or the evil is in them
at the time, they may take it into their
heads to show fight, and when they do,
they're not particular as to trifes-the
first thing that comes handy they'll use.
But, as I said before, it's when they go
in for being revenged on you that they
are most dangerous. 1t isn't a case of
fighting then they don't give you the
chance to fight they creep upon you
in the dark for choice-and are up to
all sorts of cruel, eowardly ways OF lam
ing man. Many fine man has been
made a cripple for life, in doing, or for
having done his duty as a policeman,
and some have been killed outright.
! Then see how policeman has to go
| into row and take his chance of what
may happen from Interfering with wild
or drunken men with their blood up !;
again, see how he has to go into a house
| where ssmurderl'' is being shouted,
and where, perhaps, the first thing that
meets his sight is a man more than half
mad, slashing right and left with a
poker. Then there is being at fires, and
being out IN all kinds of weather, so
that what with one thing and what with
, another, a policeman is both a hard
job and risky one. If there's any one
as thinks it ain risky, just ask any po-
Gcemans 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, | hardly know the regu-
lars, or g habitual criminals as they
are called, are much of muchness. A
sneak-thief may turn Turk upon you,
while burglar garrotcr. you mi gint
think likely to show fight, will often let
himself be took as quietly as a lamb.
The chance cases are often rough ones.
A mad-drunk sailor amt nice custom
er to handle, and nlad-drunk soldier
especially when he takes to the BELTS
a decidedly nasty one and sometimes
your swindling clerk or absconding
bankrupt will show his teeth-pull his
pistol, OF pick up decanter or a chair,
and talk of knocking your brains out if
: you lay hands on him ; though of course
we do lay hands on EN- for all that. Il
!; you dash in boldly at them they gener-
ally knock under.
Corners 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 fight of it be-
> fore he'll be taken, and as is generally q
rough un to fight, and that is the es-
capped convict It's generally rough
and desperate hand that does manage tc
} escape, and one that's dreadfully fond
e of his liberty, and Knows that if he is
e took again he may bid a long goodbye
3 to it. A gentleman of that stamp gave
me the toughest tussle I ever had, and
7 the one Tn proud of, for I fought hin
| fair and took him single-handed. Wher
he made his escape he got clear away
e and he HAD sense enough not to harl
n back again to his old London haunts
y while the search was hot; but about /;
g year afterward he did venture back, and
p l accidentally got wind of it.
[ knew that there was five pounds fol
g any one that took him, and I had ;
: pretty good idea that the governor of the
y prison he had broke out of would stant
it something more but more than al
a that, well, l may as well say it
a had not been long in the force at thu
s time, and I wanted to show that I hat
e something in me and 50, though
:, could have asked for help, I made VI
h my mind to try and take him myself.
n was twenty-seven at the time, stood fiv
7, foot eleven, weighed twelve stone
Re good fighting weight-and, though I sa,
>. it that shouldn't, the convict, escaped o
e unescaped, didn't breathe that I feare'
d to take single-handed.
It was not of the man himself that
/ was afraid, though [ knew he was
'e Tartar what made the job so risky wa
= the danger of being set upon by til
lie whole of the gang to which he belonged
II and who always went about together