The Republican journal., 1873-06-05

sailor amt q nice customer to handle, ana
a mad-drunk sodier-especially when he
takes to the BELTS a decidedly nasty
one; and sometimes your swinaling clerk,
or absconding bankrupt, will show his
teeth-pull out pistol. or pick up u de-
canter or chair, and talk of knocking
your brains out it you lay q hand on him;
though of course we do lay hands on em
for all that. II you dash in boldly at
them they generally knock under
Coiners 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 before he'll
be taken, and is generally tough one
to fight. and that is the escaped convict
It's generally desperate hand that does
manage to escape, and one that's dread
fully fond Of his liberty, and that knows
that if he is took again he may bid a long
goodbye to it. A gentleman of that
stamp gave me the stiffest tussle | ever
had, and the one Pm proudest of, for |
fought him fair, and took him single
handed. When he made his escape he
got clear away, and he had sense enough
not to bark back to his old London haunts,
while the search was hot; but about a
year afterwards he did venture back, and
| dCciuenlalIy gOt W1nu or 1t.
| knew that there were five pounds for
any one who took him, and had a pretty
good idea that the Governor of the prison
he had broke out of would stand some
thing more, but more than all that, i
well, may as we'll say it; had not been
long in the force at the time, and wanted
to show that had something in me; and
so, though | could have asked for help.
made up my mind to try to take him by
myself. | was twenty-seven at the time,
stood five feet eleven, weighed twelve
stone-good fighting weight-and, though
L say it myself the convict, escaped or
unescaped, didn't breathe that | feared
to tackle single-handed.
1t was not Of the man himself that
was afraid, though | knew he was u Tar
tar; what made the Job so risky was the
danger OF being set upon by the whole of
the gang to which he belongs. and who
always went together, and woud, knew,
think nothing of numbering policeman
waited few weeks to see what chance
might turn up, and at length one after
noon heard that the gang had picked up
some sailors, and were spreeing with
them i'll u public house su1ue little distance
from their regular lurk and thinking to
myself that | might wait long enough
without finding any better opportunity,
determined to try my luck there and then,
and down to this public house / went
There was no one then particular in the
bar, and so | passed through to the back
and there in a shut-in skittle alley caught
sight of the gang, eight in number, and
with three sailors in tow. | felt qualmish
but | knew that it wouldn't do to give
, to that Il
gentleman there in the midst as large as
J life, put on my boldest face bounced in
to the alley, and shutting the door, placed
my back against it. Though the gang
were taken by surprise; they didn't know
, one of them said word or moved an
: inch, but | noticed my man pick up beer
pot and make a pretence Of slipping at it.
though | could see easy enough that his
real move was to be ready to fling il al
my head if it shonld turn out that he wa,
the man wanted.
I caught his eye, and in an oft handed
tone said:
ooh, you know it's you I've come for
then but take my advice don't do any
thing in the pot-throwing line Ii will
only make things worse for you. tor the
, house is surrounded, and there are mef
enough in reserve to take q houseful o
YOU"
81 shall make it death or glory this
, time" he answered, ''and SO here goes =
and as he spoke the words he threw the
pot as hard as he could. and then made I,
dash tor a window at the end of the alley.
The pot Just skinned my ear, and ther
L was on to him like Il panther, and
} dragged him back lust rs he got about
half way out of the window. | downe(
him, and had all but mastered him, when
one OF the gang, that had popped out as
J soon as my back was from the door, came
running back to tell the others that it wa>
all CANNON about there being a reserve
This was enough for them. Without an
other word saids they made 4 rush towards
me; and, though | still held my man, my
heart grew cold and q prayer flashed
through my mind, for | felt that | was
face to face with death. | knew that
they'd stick at nothing, and that the very
same gang had kicked q man to death
only few months before But | was in
luck.
l would have called to the sailors for
help, but they looked helplessly drunk
and two of 'em was, but the third, as il
happened. was only half-seas over. He
was a big lump OF a fellow, Yankee
mate, as | knew after wards, and about as
cool and bold q card as there well could
be. As they sprang forward, so did he,
and whipping out q revolver, says he, in
an aggravated sort of way. "Gentlemen,
fair play IS jewel, and like to see it re-
spected-and so | will. They are man to
man, and pretty fairly matched, and if the
officer can take him, he shall" Whether
or not he would have fired at them, they
must have believed so, for they skunk
back. All the same they had done a good
thing for their mate.
While this had been gong on | had,
without knowing it slackened my hold,
and my man, putting out all his strength
in a sudden move, threw me off. and got
on to his feet, and before | could close
with him again, had drawn a life pre-
. server. He made a dash at me with it,
and aimed a crushing blow at my head
Fortunately it only reached my shoulder,
but even there i was a crippler for the
time being, for | felt my arm drop use
less at my side. He stag ggered bit from
partly missing his blow, and before he
could recover himself | was along side of
him, and he went over like a ninepiL, and
held up his hands to have his bracelets
put on.
1t was only about two minutes job al
together. but it was a mighty tough one,
} l can tell you, and dangerous one, too
and what l say is, that when people talk
about policemen, they should remember
that they never know the day nor houl
when, in the way of duty, they may have
to tackle a job in which their life is at
stake.
A most susceptible young gentleman
was Frank Chandler, late of Fryeburg,
First of all he fell in love with his fathers
young housekeeper and secretly married
her. But upon the avowal Of this union
old Mr.. Chandler declared that he did not
approve of it, and so the wife went home
to her family. Chandler straightway fell
in love with another young lady, and
wanted to marry her before the divorce
proceedings were finished. To this the
old gentlemen naturally objected, which
SO discouraged the youth that he took a
dose of laudanum and is no longer in the