Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1902-09-14

city. I,aye more cause 20 complain.
and complain less. The police are
maintained primarily to keep the peace
by arrestns Offenders. They are ex-
rected to be always on the alert for
Wrongdoers and the pil Bluff police
are trustworthy and capable. but it
is remarkable how they can maintain
the equi!ib! ium of their tempers with
me difficulties they have to contend
with.
There is probably no trouble under
lhc sun which is not BIZ ought to their
! attention. with a sorroWfu, long
| drawn-out petition for assistance in
some manner. The public looks upon
the police department as q bureau OF
! information. bureau OF employment,
and the proper and only place to file
"kicks. no matter what the trouble
may be.
One nightmare to the police is the
washwoman difficulty. A lady, usu-
ally white, steps to telephone and
requests that officer so and-sO call at
her home at certain hour, as she has
a case for him. Promptly at the ap-
pointed hour the officer will put in his
appearance at the ladys house. She
tells him her washWoman, negress,
living at the cornor of two specified
streets had allied to return her wash
ing. which had been left with her
over week before. She heaps cal
umny upon the head Of the offending
negress, brands her a thief and. aft
er expressing the greatest confidence
in the officers ability. requests that
he arrest the woman and secure her
washing. as her family needed it. and
at once.
The officer, realizing the negresS
crime to be very reprenenslDle, II
guilty. gladly takes the case, and
promises to report to her the follow
ing day. Then, he goes out to where
the offending negress lives, and has
a talk with her. She tells another
story altogether. The white lady,
she tells him, owes her for several
weeks washing, and although numef-
Gus promises had been received her
lust money had not been forthcoming,
and she intended to keep the wash
ing until the lady had paid her wash
bill.
The officer had heard the story be-
fore, and, appreciating the correct
ness of the negress' position without
saying a word of remonstranee in be-
half of the white lady, went back to
the station. shortly after which he
makes it a point to see male relative
of the lady and tell him that under
the circumstances he could not han
die the case This is only one in
stance of many the police have to
contend with.
The patrol wagon has in a way been
a source of worry to the police. The
public, in addition depending on the
police in everything. seem to have
morbid curiosity to see the patrol
wagon. | cat becomes defunct the
lady of the house will telephone the
police to send the patrol wagon at
/ once, without delay, and have it re-
moved The police realize that they
should be notified of such matters, but
there is a scavenger employed by the
CITY. and further than notifying him
of the nuisance they decline to have
ANYTHING to do with the deceased fel-
ine Whereupon the lady deplores the
inefficiency of the police. Unfortunate
women with fatherless children, Grip
ples and all representatives of the
great hosts of the suffering depend
ON the police for assistance, and when
the case is an unusually deserving
one the police drop everything else
and take up a collection among the
merchants to aid the unfortunate.
j. !.
Then. they are frequently appealed
to Inv some one in another section OF
the country for assistance in locating
a brother or a father, who has been
awav from home an indefinite number
of wears. HIS name is given. and IL
is related that the writer is in need or
his brother OF father, as the case may
be. and, without giving descrlptloh'
past residence or anything Wrlch could
he construed as a clew, concludes
thanking the police for anything they
might do in the case, The indefinite
ness of the usual run of these letters
causes them to be relegated TO the
waste basket In this connection, IL
may be mentioned that Chlef Cfa1s'
Saturday, received letter from An
nie O'Tool a woman living in Chl-
caeo. H.. who. many years ago. iost
her father and who seeks the aid OF
the police in locating him. Listen 10
her plaintive tale.
chi.scu III, Sent IL Dear ST:
am seeking to find my loved falhef'
bai il seems in vain. | will Try one
more way and that is to write 10 ."
and see if YOU can possibly find MN