The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1904-09-25

PATRoLMAN DOCKERY'S BEAT
Along the Levee. from Esds bridge &c
Franklin avenue In this district he ha-
saved several persons from drowning.
100000 9 o . e>>>~H
q SOME PERSONS RESCUED .
Q BY PATROLMAN DOCkERY. .
q Mr. and Mrs. Ebert Henderson Q
q o. Louisville. q
q Mrs. Walter Able OF No. s.is Eas- .
. ton avenue q
Q Herbert Reddish Of No. 1911 North Q
q Broadway. =
. George Trudeil OF No. I0s1 North .
. Broadway. .
. Henry Miller of No. e-ts Benton Q
O street. q
= Otto J. Kreeser Of Kansas City. .
. MIR. and Mrs. Robert Hendricks Of o
q Broadway and Carr. .
q Others whom he considers mot O
q worth mentioning who. under the .
= influence of liquor or drugs. had ,
q started into the water. All these =
. lives saved by him in less than .
. eighteen months. .
0<><H - q . . g . = o 8 Q . q 4
ing by his proves as a swimmer. man
and wife halted at the brink Of suicide
by his quickness. other prompt acts to his
credit which probably averted fatalities
with this proud record. Patroiman James
r. Dockery the handsome young Irish
man who walks the Levee beat between
Washington avenue and Carr street. added
30 his laurels last Wednesday by heroicaI-
l<r rro
sought death in the waves.
And IL is not the whole story.
This Leyee district harbors a dangerous
floating population. that Of the negro
roustabouts. among whom is many a
vicious thug.
His days and his nights have been Wit
:ress to their cutting and shooting scrapcs
each with its attendant risks for him. He
has ever escaped unsca:hed and smiling
Most of the negroes know and fear him
Now, unless-which is not unlikely-one
should be crazed with dope" he will not
tackle Dockery. but vii! say. Yes. boss"
and peaceabiy do the poiice;nan's bidding
To see Dockery idling along the city
beach swinging his club would suggest
that his is net very strenuous exist
ence. But sum up his exploits. ard you
realize that he has enough excitement
per annum to satisfy any man.
Below Eads bridge the rive: traffic CEN
tera Continuous hustle ans! many per-
sons are there in the day time Above the
bridge the Levee is comparatively open.
Fewer persons are moving.
III some Respondent one seeks the river
TO end his or her troubles. the selection of
his comparatively deserted beat is very
likely. 1t Is more efficacicus to jump
from the bridge. though that requires
nerve 1t seems that these unfortu1a.es.
as rule. prefer TO slip into the cold cur
rent and quietly sink beneath the muddy
waves rather than TO plunge from = great
height. Dockery has known them 10 walk
In. hold out arms as IL embracing the
water. and disappear.
DETERMINED ON SUICIDE.
The latter kind are often as determined
as others. Dockery tells of one whom he
reached after swimming hard. She fought
scratched and bit like wild thing. try
Ing to push him away. When lie had
seized her around the neck with one arm.
when his choking and the water had rem
dered her limp and still. when finally he
had taken her 10 shore. and when. after
restorative work. she could speak. then
she said. OH 50 pitifully:
What did you do it for? Go away go
leway. go away! Why didn't you leave
(me alone"
That was pure tragedy Other cases.
were II not for the dangers involved. ap-
proach pure comedy. One night in jan
uary, with the thermometer far below
freezing, Docke-y found an old gentleman
placidly wading around in water almost
up to his hips He proved to be weli-to-
do salesman for New York house. who
had drank too many .toddies. and upon
whom liquor had the effect of Graduating
al consciousness of what he was do'ng
Probably he had wandered down TO the
river and had acted upon boyish prompt
ing TO go in wadipg.
Dockery took HIM to TIE police station.
thawed him out and sent him 10 the hos
pital. The old fellow WOKE NJ the next
day and was much astonished TO hear of
his yagar.cs- To this time he corresponds
with Dockcry and cannot say too much In
the policcr.an's behalf
To appreciate Dockery's deeds, IL is
necessary first to understand something OF
the kind Of a man he is. Meet him on the
Levee and you see big. burly chap. with
keen blue eyes. laughing face and the
suggestion CT muscle in his every move
n:ent- He is IN every particular the sort
who irnpresses one with an ability TO
think and act quickly
II esu learn something about him you