The Savannah morning news., 1901-08-14
HOW PATROLMAN LOAF.
Veteran Members Tell of Narrow Es-
canes of Former Members of Force.

canes of Former Members of Force.
"In the days when we did precinct
duty" said a member of the police
force at headquarters yesterday, 1.-THE
BOYS used to have all sorts of opportu-
mites to loaf, and you can bet they
took advantage of them. OF course,
some tall scheming had to be done.
and some of the stories that they used
to tell the street and desk sergeants
would put our old friend, the Baron,
to shame. Yes, sir; some of those yarns
would make these summer resort sea
serpent stories look like a dirty deuce
in a new deck.
Hes not on the force now, poor
fellow, but it's not because they were
ever able to catch up with him. re-
member when the anti-goat ordinance
was first passed he worked a game that
took the breath from the rest of us, but
it held water all right. He was pa
trolling Crawford Ward, which is the
Tenderloin district, and pulled box
every hour. One box was at West
Broad and South Broad sJreets-it
wasn't Oglethorpe avenue then-and
the other was at East Broad street.
From the first night that he took the
that he was supposed to. He would
hang around the Tenderloin, and when
the time came to pull his West Broad
street box would have a cabman drive
him to the place in hurry. From
Price street to the Gamewell box was
covered in record breaking time, and
there was no three minutes to the
block as was expected.
ION that night that / have in mind
he decided that he didn't want to pull
any boxes after midnight. l was walk
ing No. 6 and he told me of his plan
and asked me to look him UP in case
there was any serious trouble in his
precinct. Our division joined and l
frequently went over to see him. Well,
sir, he simply passed up all of his
boxes until a. m. and then his first
report was sent in to the desk sergeant.
The street sergeant had already re-
ported that he couldn't find the Craw-
ford ward man when he made his
rounds and the man at the desk told
the boy who had been loafing to see
him when he reported to go off duty,
and tell him how it all happened.
THAT didn't phaze him single bit
and he stalked into the Office an hour
later looking as fresh as a daisy. He
told a story of an all night chase after
goat that escaped from somebody's
yard. The sergeant was suspicious
and ventured the prediction that the
animal had finally made his escape.
Had the Crawford man agreed to let
1t go at that he would have surely been
put on the docket for leaving his post.
He was wise boy, that fellow, and he
proudly announced that he had captur-
ed the goat and placed him safely in
the pound. At that time the lot was
in the rear of the old cemetery, or
what is now Colonial Park. The SER
geant was dumfounded, but reminded
the officer that he would have to go to
the lot at o'clock for a receipt for the
captured goat
The loafing cop didn't worry bit,
and when the time came left for the
lot He didn't go any farther than the
corner and there he remained until the
elapse of sufficient time. His eyes
We're almost bursting from their SOCK
cts when he entered the sergeant's Of
nee without the receipt. Sergeant /
must have left the gate open. or some
pody must have turned the goat loose,
Ior can't find it over there, and GER
Idlnly put it in the place myself said
my brother officer, without changing
tne convincing expression on his face.
wen, sir, the sergeant swallowed the
story but just the same game was
never played again. No, sir, he found
oIners that were just as good"
ne might have been a good one,
boys but have in mind a chap who
wore the gold medal for pure nerve
Wnen he was in trouble from loafing,"
sdld a veteran member of the force.
lie was mounted man and did the
sporting game during daylight for all
II was worth. He liked to flash around
ana throw front and, of course he
was always sleepy when night came
around. He was on the third relief.
ana I've see nhim go to sleep on his
morse as we rode out together to our
DIVISIONS on the avenues.
The night that / have in mind he
went to sleep on the grass. after tieing
ms morse. and was dead to the world
Nhen the sergeant rode up. The SER
sednt gave him a shake and the
sleeper opened his eyes. When he saw
me stripes he began to think it was all
OH with him, and it would have been
j he hadn't recovered his nerve. You
taIk about people four flushing. but he
certainly did that thing in great shape.
NY God, man, don't handle me like
mat Can't you see that I am ILL., Send
,or the ambulance" said the sleepy,
nut nervy rascal. Boys, I'm not talk
ing to you, if he didn't make the SER
Eeant send him home in the ambulance
anu too, lead his horse to headquar-