Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1884-1886, 1886-03-07
ARRESTING DRUNKARDS. |
PECULIAR FEATURES OF ONE BRANCH
OF POLICEMAN'S DUTIES.
High-Toned Inebriates and Those Who
Spree Occasionally-The Quiet Fellows
and the Noisy Observation-Disclosures
Made by the Prudent Copper" :,

One of the hardest and most frequent duties
which a policeman has to perform is that of
looking after drunkards In every CITY of
moderate size, the older members Of the
police forces will know a certain number of
habitual drunkards, their names, their occu-
pations, and the popularity Of their weak
nesses
There are always a number of heightened
inebriates, a larger number of those who go
upon spree occasionally, and a still larger
collection of common drunkards. Each of
these classes the policeman of any experience
knows just how to handle There is as great
variety of drunken dispositions as there are
OF natural Compartments, and it is in dealing
with each phase Of the disease or the sin that
The good judgment of a policeman is as often
as well displayed as in any other of his
multifarious duties
THE DISSEMINATING "COPPER""
In every city there is an ordinance against
drunkenness, and every offender against an
ordinance is supposed to be liable to arrest:
but if the newly appointed "copper" should
start out with the intention of arresting every
person who happened to be drunk, he would
soon find that he had his hands full of work,
and that jails everywhere would have to be
enlarged to accommodate the multitude So
he confines himself to the boisterous ones
Drunkenness is similar to insanity in that it
generally reverses'the ordinary appearance of
its subjects. Some people claim that it
changes mems dispositions, while others ad-
aere to the belief that drunkenness only I'M
les a natural or acquired reserve or restraint
and brings to the surface the natural DISPOSE
lion or the real character of the person .un-
der the influence
sullen, stolid, quiet, or thoughtful man
Will often be frightened by liquor, and there
are many linen who are simply human blocks
when in a natural condition, but who will be-
come quite entertaining companions when
little elevated by the ardent A stage or two
'arther down in the path of inebriation, and
hey will become disgIstingly maudiin, or
may degenerate into sleeping stupidity
Little, mild hammered, inoffensivc men will
sometimes become raying maniacs when
drunk, and while the inspiration Of sour
mash is upon them their highest ambition is
20 do up whole town" They want to fight
anybody from man the size of a church down.
and are very fond of proclaining their belief
that no policeman can arrest them. They are
generally doubled up when arrested, and look
very feeble when they appear in the dock at
police court the next morning
Men who go from day to day the very
pinks Of propriety and the embodiment of
poiiteness, often become profane and foul
mouthed 10 terrible extreme when intoxi-
Gated. Lisping dudes, feeble ordinarily
that the act of buttoning a collar viii make
them sigh with WEAKNESS, bear a striking re-
semblance TO an invalid Bengal tiger when
they gel upon spree.
MANAGEMENT OF THE UNRULY
There Is no general rule for a policeman to
follow in regard to arresting drunkards. The
nearest approach to a rule is to allow all
quiet drIinkards, who know their own names
and who are not making disturbance, TO go
10 their homes, if their appearance indicates
that that they are likely to get there all right
A drunken man is often under great obliga-
ion to policeman for not arresting and
locking him up in Jail. He was perhaps
noisy, or more probably he was in a locality |
or with companions who were likely to rob |
him. Possibly the policeman knew him as an |
ordinarily good citizen, or knew that he be- |
!onged to family which would feel keenly |
The disgrace of having one OF its members |
jailed. So the policeman took the man home, !
and, perhaps, got abused all the way for |
Ioing so.
Men who make n speciality of getting drunk |
generally have one or two policemen who are
tlis-ii urliflhslfu WHO
is making n bar room tremble, or who has
subdued an entire street viii he like a lamb |
ut the approach Of his favorite copper" Any
other member of the same force would still /
make him more belligerent; but this par
ticular viii quiet him on sight, and he
will suffer himself To he led away and placed !
IN a dungeon cell without murmur.
Some drunken men who are brave in
standing or n crowd wilt like a wet rag
when they see n blue coat and brass buttons
To Others the sight of a police uniform has
the same effect as the waving of a red flag
before an angry bovine, and he will fight
harder than ever
Hacks and express wagons are often called
into play to assist in the arrest of a wild
drlInkard. The latter vehicle is easier to
access while the former secures greater
security after once the subject is inside The
last named mode Of conveying a drunkard is,
however, often accompanied by bills for
broken hack windows. Drunken women are
the hardest of all inetriates 10 arrest. They |
will generally throw themselves down and
scream and kick, and scratch and bite, and
the rapidity and variety with which they
kick will remind the observer of the antics of
a sprightly centipede. Common drunkar,ls,r
.hose who lay around city and get drunk for
a living. are picked up like chips from time
20 time and are fined or put upon the chain
gangs in punches. as radishes are sold in
market.-Denver Tribune Republican.