The Irish standard., 1890-08-16

eoMBAY's n Poll cE oRcE ~
Duties ana of tire !. Filaest'
Perhaps some members 81 ire ~ -. u
Louis police force would like 10 Know NOV
how their confreres in India look ana
| how they perform their duties, writes s
correspondent Of the st. Louis Globe
Democrat from Bombay The Indian
police force consist OF both white and
Sepoy members, the latter forming the
| rank and file and the overwhe Ginning
! majority Of the constab ularJy, as the g
| Europeans are mainly officers. u IS 8 with
the Sepoy Finest, = however, that this laI
| letter has to do, and a picturesque figure
he cuts, If not to the native, TO tne
! European eye. The Bombay police
man, for example, dresses in q dark b4ue
uniform with bright yellow facings, vel
low cap and cuppa1s. He is also pro-
| vided with brass number, a leather4
| belt, whistle and baton. During the
nonsoons or rainy season, humane gov
i eminent allows him an umbrella, Gov
cred over with oilskin Of that peculiar
| shade of green which would have de-
! lighted the heart Of Bunthorne; but yet
| a policeman's umbrella is not pretty
article. When a drunken native IS
charged before magistrate the remains
Of an umbrella are always shown by the
Sepov which the ''charge" is said 20
have broken. 7
The ..sepoy finest is required to do
good many things, and he is also en-
! Joined not to do good many things; but
he exercises his own sweet Will ana
pleasure in keeping out OF trouble Like
his American colleague, he never inter-
| feres in free fight; he shuns an inebr1-
| ated white mariner as he would pest
house, and has the same faculty OF ap-
pearing on the scene when the trouble
is all over as the St. Louis ''tinest."
Some of the restrictions placed on the
| Sepoy's actions are invidious in the ex-
IRENE, and proof of his innate good
| nature lies in the fact that he does not
complain of them, but accepts them with
apparent readiness, while he discovers
some means of rendering the m inopera-
tive. For instance the Sepoy policeman
is forbidden to purchase the articl es he
consumes at dinner while he is dressed
| in uniform The authorities are aware
that native has a great respect for
| police uniform, and they are also aware
that native is apt to try and win the
protection of such gifted beings with
| little offerings in the shape o. ghee,
dial and rice. The Sepoy does not re-
| sent this reflection on his class. he
| makes no purchases when dressed In
uniform. During the day, while in uni
form, he. goes round to the shop and
after impressing the shopkeeper with
his varied and extensive powers says he
will purchase what he needs on his way
home This he does with as much salts
faction and profit to himself after his
| uniform is dotted as though he were ar
rayed in his full panoply.
| Besides going on duty, or para
| Sepoy is called upon to perform many
other functions. He has to beat
! 1otakl When any thing special has to
be communicated to the public by the
police authorities Sepoy is intrusted
| with copper utensil and is told to go to
the principal places in and around his
| section, where, after collecting as large
a crowd as possible with beating on his
copper plate, he is to impart to them the
requisite information. When Sepoy
| is intrusted with the beating of 6dtaGs
! a great sadness seems to steal over him.
! He walks with his head bent down, the
| copper utensil under his arm. Suddenly
| he seams to recollect what he is required
! to do, and with startling sudd enness be-
| gins beating his instrument long enough
! to arrest the attention Of four boys and
| q girl who are playing marbles. When
these are gathered around him he be.
gins reciting in monotonous and
wholly unintelligible manner what he
has to say. The boys and girls listen to
him for few seconds and then go back
! to their marbles, and the Sepoy is left
to address the wall opposite to which he
! is standing. When he has finished he
| walks sorrowfully away, and again re-
|. peats the performance further down the
street.
There is brisk trad carried on by
petty vendors in the streets Of Bombay.
1t has been sought lately to discourage
this street traffic and the Sepoy has
! been told to arrest as many OF the
vendors of fruits, vegetables, etc., as he
can. Now the Sepoy knows that if he
does so be will discourage trade, and he
knows that trade is good for country,
so he walks up to a street vender, say OF
! green-skinned plantains, and gently in
sinuates that he has received orders to
| take her into ssody-to the s'chowkey."
| He then talks On Indifferent topics for
| few minutes, when the vender remarks
| that she has some particularly fine speci-
| mems of plaintains that day on which
she desires the Sepoys opinion. After
tasting two or three plantains he gives
his opinion, which is valuable to the
woman, as the Sepoy has cultivated
| palate in the matter of green-skinned
| plantains. Sometimes he meets with
vendors who are defiant and insulting
when he first introduces himself. These
| people he arrests.