The morning times., 1896-10-11
CONsTABLEs' MANY TRIALS
Adventures and Experiences
of the Writ Servers.
CHASED AND BEATEN
They Force Doors, Climb Rain
Spouts and Otherwise Incur
Hatred of Debtor Glasses.

The official life OF a constable in this city
is not pleasant experience by any means.
The functionary whose duty il is 10 serve
writs OF eJectment and then eject delinquent
tenants; to levy on household goods tor
debt or serve writS of replcvin and seize
upon articles To satisfy the Judgment, Is al
ways heartily hated by tie debtor class,
which is goodly-siZed part OF every corr
munity.
The policemanis an Unpopular person With
the lawbreaking element. huh the con-
stables unpopularity with the classes lie
has to deal with can bc given at tie ratio
of I6 to 1, with the unit in favor of the
patrolman. The server Of writs, ejccfIneniS
and replevins has to endure Jites. iiisLi,s
and very often he is assaulted while in
the performance OF his duty.
In the States constables have roiioc pow
ers and can arrest those who Insult or as
sailthem. Not so In this District. In order
to bring about an arrest here ii is neoes-
sary for the abused law officer to first
procure warrant, which must be servedby
a regularly commissioned policeman.
William Swinburn. whose headquarters
are at Squire o'Ncal's office. has probably
had the most varied and exciting experience
of any member OF the Washington constah-
ulary. Mr.. Swinburn is fifty-siX years of
age, aud naive of Toronto, Canada. AL
though OF medium stature, he is man OF
iron
HE WAS A FIGHTER.
He was drill sergeant in the Fifty-fith
Ohio Volunteers during the war, aud
participated in fourteen hard-fuught bat
ties He lined-up with Mai. Mckinley,
the Republican Presidential nominee. in
the desperate fight at the Wilderness, or
Chuucel llorsyille, where Swirburn was
shot through the right lung within five
rods of the spot where - nncw.Ill Jackson
was mortally wounded hy his own men.
Upon his recovery H. returned 10 his regi-
ment in time to take part in the hattie,
above the Clouds on Lookout Mountain.
Constable swinburn yesterday related 10
The Times some of the stirring Grama. in
real life. in which he played the star role
while acting in his capacity a.; oGfiter of
the law in this city. One al ttrs" was the
seizure, upon an attachment, uf SS,cuo
worth Of furniture and bric-a i'r:l,' M tie
political residence of eN -Tutt.rai BCSs
JohnI Davenport. on Columbia Heights
Inorler to gain an entrance intuthC NJ ZEN
port mansion Swinburn had to Climb. as
best he could. 10 third-stury window, as
described exclusively in The Times when The
seizare was made.
Several weeks ago Constable Swinbum,
accompanied by his drpr;' :. went Ia the
shanty of a colored rau,ily al Eleventh and
I streets northeast 10 execute a Writ OF
replcvin and seize n Iaiiur organ Which
the wife.a tall. mU cuiar woi au. had heen
buying on the instalI-ucut plan Ut FOR sew
eral months Past had faI.d ." make the
prescribed payment. Trc Unstable and his
assistant succeeded in gaining an entry TO
the room in which tt, zan was kept.
few mon cnts lat.r tiIne powerful col
ored women rushed into the apartIi.cnS.
They Were armed, enc with Ioker an
other with Tar + iI"-I. whil- The. third
welded baseball hat. Tie ceputy, being
nearest the door. received the first on
slaught. He was struck "u the head and
had his scalp badly Ea,hCd
HE WAS MAULED.
Constable Swinburn was also mauled
about the body. They mana ged, however,
TO pick UP the organ and start for the door.
Thethree Amazons charged the law officers
ical instrument. -Swinburn again got po-,
session OF It,
The fight had by this time attracted
large crowd in front OF the house and the
gathering in turn attracted a policeman
The constable requested him to arrest his
assailants, but he refused to do so.
About that time the women were re-
enforced by crowd of colored men and
elected from the house, Swinhurn being
severely assaulted during the melee. To
add to the excitement one of the women
unloosened a big. black dog and set him
on the law officers.
The vicious animal first sprang upon the
policeman and bit him on the leg. The
brute was knocked senseless by cne blow
from the officers baton. After lie had re-
vived, while the constable was rarleyirG
with the occupants of tie house. the fe-
rocious animal sprang at the constahle's
throat, but was again knocked into a state
Of lnnocuous desuetude by swinburn's load
ed cane, which he calls his ''cooler.''
The colured men and women then put
the officers out of the place by main force.
Warrants were sworn out for the men and
women and when taken before the police
Soon after this exciting episode Con
stable swinburn had another writ of
replevin to serve at the residence of q col
ored family in the "Bloodfieldr district
,f South washington. This was also the
case OF parlor organ being bought on the
installment plan.
The constable and his deputy quickly
got into the sbanty through a rear door.
only to be confronted by two colored
women, one of them veritable giantess,
over six feet tall, and whose weight, solid.
bone and muscle, was at least $50 pounds
Swinburn forced the door, against which
this mountain of flesh had placed herself,
only to find himself In a human wise
The big female wound her muscular right
arm about his neck and nearly squeezed
the breath out OF his body Finally, as
she mad nearly succeeded in shutting Off his
wind, the constable wriggled loose from her
grasp.
He then yelled "Polioer and two pa
trolmen came to his rescue They rushed
In, and the battle for possession of the
organ commenced. Swinburn came out
victor. He secured the property, placed
itin a wagon, and returned it TO its lawful
owner.
While trying to get into a house In the
southeast section to execute a writ of
replevin, Constable Swinburn and his deputy
were attacked by colored women armed
with natirons. They had just scaled a
back fence, when one OF the females
shouted.