Cottonwood report. [volume] (Cottonwood, Idaho) 1893-1901, 1894-02-23
AT THE FRUIT STAND.


thing of Importance on his beat. He is held
personally responsible for everything that
goes on in the district under his charge, and
if anything is wrong he must be prepared
to explain it. If dozen ''toughs" armed
with clubs, brass knuckles. knives razors,
beer mallets, revolvers and other means of
defense and offense get into a general fight
in low saloon he must be prepared to
rush in single handed, and at the risk of his
life attempt to quell the disturbance and
arrest the brawlers.
Nor do his troubles end here. His place
is generally regarded as SO desirable that
from two to a dozen men are all the time
earnestly engaged in the effort to get him
put out in order that they may have
chance to get in, and he must accordingly
keep on good terms with his superiors and
with men of influence on his beat in order
that he may not become unpopular and SO
be marked for dismissal when the first COM
plant is entered against him.
But the policeman does not generally
take his troubles much to heart. His open
air life tends to promote cheerfulness, and
cheerfulness promotes digestion, Diges-
ton in turn helps on his appetite, and the
frequency with which he satisfies his hun
ger at apple stands and free lunch counters
by and by gives him an amplitude of waist
proportional to the length of time he has
been on the force. Year by year he increases
the size of belt which incloses his manly
form. Year by year the amount of mate
rial which enters into the regulation uni
form is greater and as he becomes more
comfortable his views of life enlarge and
he becomes more charitable.
He regards with more lenient eye the
capers of the street boys, listens with philo-
sophie patience and without interference to
the quarrels Of truck drivers and answers
with equanin.ity the questions of bewil-
dered old women who have lost their way
and find it impossible to understand his di-
rections. With increasing benevolence
comes augmented popularity. He becomes
a favorite on his beat. If it lies in resi-
dence district, he knows all the young and
and handsome cooks, and numerous are the
delicate little suppers of which he is the
beneficiary at their charitable hands. If
on down town beat, he is welcome at the
back door of any saloon, and sandwich
and glass of beer are always at his service
The most serious drawback to the police
mans complete happiness is the fact that
oinconsiderable portion of the community
regards him as natural enemy. Among
the dissolute and criminal classes this an
tagonism is active and perpetual among
other people it is occasional, but not the
less pronounced. He is to nine-tenths of
the people the only embodiment of the law
they know anything about-even to the law
abiding the restraints of law are some
times irksome.
The policeman on the beat comes round
promptly after the first snow falls in the
early winter and notifies the householder
to have it shoveled off the pavement. He
comes at irregular but too frequent inter-
walls to allude to the condition of the alley
or to mention slop barrel in the back
yard or to inquire if there are any vehicles
or dogs on the place on which taxes have
not been paid.