Oxford eagle. (Oxford, Lafayette Co., Miss.) 1876-current, 1898-02-10
POLICEMEN FEAR BADGE NO. -.
E.fI Fate kss~sas the Mss " no " ear.
tho tais~ky N..s~r.

Even Chicago's fearless guardians %
ID. peace are sunjret 20 sup-sstitiou-
Brave officers grow SICK a; heart IL a
black cat crosses their path But there
Is nothing Of which policeman Is more
.n dread than the numbsr IL. ard this
n SPECIAL rrfrfsrcs & the star Ct fb-t
number- Order him out 70 face q mob
Of risscrs aud be cheerfulIy ob-yx: ssnd
him into a dark buiIdirg y here . gang
= desPrradoes are hiding aud be will
rot hesitate. but offer him the iuuocent-
icoking badge IA ard he draws back
10 horror This posa, i bes; illustrated
By th- fact thai the STAR on which tha;
Inflated nu=tsr Is engraved rvpozrs
most e the time IN a drawer az the city
As.L II does not show much sign %
80. !, vas last worn oy a member Of
the detective force who ~as after. ard
Transferred TO a station in one Of the
outlying preciucts Of the city. Since
then il has rested In drsk az police
headquarters. and u will most likely
remain there unti, the police force Is
so much enlarged as to make !; neces-
AIRY 70 bring ali the stars in use
No officer viii wear badge ia IL he
has the option Of selecting any other.
Furthermore no prudent guardian Of
the peace viii % his own accord choose
star that in any way suggests Number
IA MultiPies u that number as we'll
as figures TIA; make a total % u when
added together are declined with
thanks II you see a policeman with
star No ~Iss- or -I525- on his breast
you nay set him down as a marked
mn The hand % fate hangs over him
aud he will one day b shot down in his
tracks By a desperate hizhwsymsn. or
perhaps summoned before the trial
board for some of,suse Of bis own. At
airy rae. his path IS beset with difficult
sies Of all kinds The man Who wears
such an omiuous star either has had no
choice IN the matter or be knew not
the traditions Of the police force when
he picked cut that humber One Of the
inspectors tells OF Al ineideu; in COR
lection With 4 star Of which the last
two n-urrs IN the numerals were IL
some such number as -2sI3- This
badge bad been declined BY several Of
fc-rs. but when Il Was offered 70 a
certain inexperienced or uEwise 20
iie~mln he declared tia; he vas not
a. all sap~rstitious-No- y had 10 ter
ror< for him Within the fr<t month
the same Individual was called before
the police trial board OF two occasions
He had challenged the evil destiny.
An of'iesr az the Central station told
a story that should inspire any person
With a proper drrad Of policeman.
badge No. n \ few years ago the
police force Of Springfield. Ill. had a.
one Of lis memO-rs a certain Officer
o'>hauxhnessy. brave man with a rec,
ORD that anyone might b. proud to PCS
sess- But the -evil eve Vas upon him
he wore star No. "a One tav hs
vas sent out % queIl disturbances il
a hospital ot that city. He entered the
place alone. rushed up the stairs-ane
was shot dead by one Of SpringfislG'
most prominent citiz-ns. who was con
fiusd in the hospital with deIiriuu
frcmens- After thar the uulucky badgs
was carefully rejected by all aspiraut.
for police houorS- At the present day
any visitor 20 the station 20 which OF
fiesr OShaughnessy belonged will 81,
a frame containing that policeman,
picture and his srar-No- -I3--Chf
eago T.mes-Herala-