The San Francisco call., 1910-07-31

domains annual picnic. but it's a veery
seerious matter to say they had been
drunk Many of them would be news
papermen themselves"
From bonnie Scotland the elusive
answer is chased to the sunny Mediter-
ranean and testimony is sought from
that linguistic policeman, Virgil ~.
BakuIich. whose giant form has been
familiar to San FranciscanS for years.
and whose fame as a Latin and Greek
scholar is as secure as it is surprising
OF blood as merry as the ruby Chi
anti of his native land, and with
knowledge and wit to express 1t. he
surely can settle the question. Big
Nick" is at the North End station, and
after the overpowering handshake had
been recovered from he was brought
face to face with the specter.
All along the coast the Latin
quarter, among those who drink wine
in preference to water which they
consider only suitable TO float boats in.
big Nick" Bakulich has done patrol
duty, detective duty, acted as interpre-
ter In every variety of court proceed
ings when French, Italian, Spanish.
Greek or any of the dialects of these
languages has been the medium Of
expression. But true to his beloved
classics his answer dates too far back
for practical purposes. When he was
asked:
When is a man drunk?" he came
back with:
when he is under' the complete
control of Bacchus."
Now wasn't that an enlightening
thought for a policeman? What is a
police judge to know of mythology.
How old is Ami
Il know when. a man is drunk. but
/ can't tell you how l know it. /
know when it is time to get a man out
of the way of harm to himself and to
others. It's something that comes with
experience in this work. When 1 left
my home in Dalmatia / was on friend
ly terms with Horace and Virgil, but
though 1 could not think their thoughts
in their language l had no idea of
what their ideas were of when is a
man drunk Those old poets didn't
disturb themselves because a man
poured out 1ibations to Bacchus with
unstinting hand. If he fell by the
wayside / suppose they stepped over
him or walked around him and went
on unconcernedly composing epics.
Sophocles was just as Indifferent ap-
parently, or perhaps he felt that such
references would have a personal tone
With such advisers you couldn't expect
such practical knowledge in a raw
emigrant boy from the Mediterranean.
1t has taken some years on the San
Francisco police force to learn when
a man is drunk, and even now I have
not reached the point where | can tell
how I know, except to call on the gods
of Olympus to aid my stumbling speech
You will have to ask some one else TO
define the condition. No, thanks. my
boy. 1 never touch it on duty"
George NJ Blum. police photograph
er. has taken thousands of pictures
official and unofficial He has posed
subjects who We're free from alcohol.
and he has posed subjects who were
reeking with ii.
George, for the love of Mike. I'm
getting desperate; when is a man
drunk? You are dealing with some
thing as near exact as anything in this
department. You at least will be able
to give me plain answer to a plain
question without any hubdub."
We'll, there it is again, you see !
don't talk. My camera talks for me.
If you will get the chiefs permission
to inspect my negatives or my prints
you can judge for yourself. or course.
/ have my own ideas on the subject.
but I wouldn't feel like voicing them
when there is so much better TESTIMONY
at hand. If you are a close student of
physiognomy-
"Oh. hush, you are as bad as the rest
and worse
1t all SINNERS down to the fact that
when the police are in doubt they take
the staggering subject TO the hospital.
There is no official standard in the DO
lice rules and regulations 1t is left
to the personal judgment of the police
man himself. The law furnishes no aid.
no font of knowledge in such cases.
When in doubt the policeman takes the
question to the hospital This appar-