Arizona republican., 1911-11-28
HOW FARRELL
FOUND HIMSELF
E. 3. WaterWorth
.lt
Copyright. 1910. by the Pearson
Publishing Coz
E. B. Waterworth


said, confidently. Il was called out in
a hurry up to the edge of the precinct
last Saturday. The call from the box
said things looked ugly. The captain
ordered Farrell to go with the wagon.
Now, you know what a quick trip of
the wagon does in this district-it
draws everybody outdoors. Halfway
to the box Farrell claimed he had left
his gun behind and got white in the
face. When We got to the box we found
Jerry Mandel, pinchin' a couple of
there. He was havin' his hands full
and there must have been five hundred
around that box watchin' the fight, all
yellin'. Would you believe it? Farrell
kept inside the wagon, askin' to have
the prisoners passed in to him. He
pretended not TO understand and
wouldn't bulge when Mandel yelled to
come down and help him. | had to
jump down myself. and it's only luck
that that green horse-the gray one
didn't get scared and run away"
Maybe he amt accustomed to hand
lin a prisoner, yet" interposed one
policeman. 7
He's big enough; that's all I've got
to say" responded Jim as he arose
and walked back to the stables.
Not a man at the conclave repeated
a word of the conversation. But little
by little other anecdotes came in abou.
Farrell, which made the captain stare
at him doubtingly. Farrell always re-
ported for duty neat and clean. COM
plying to all the rules of departmental
dress. Sometimes he came in with
flushed face and disordered collar, and
although the captain watched him ear
nestly for signs of liquor. he could not
distinguish any symptoms Of drinking.
He must have been havin' some
row" he murmured TO himself. Why
doesn't he make a pinch, | wonder
So in the course of few weeks Far
rell commenced to have the reputation
of an unreliable man. No cowardice
charges were whispered, but it was
clear that men on his beat did not
wish TO walk with him. And finally
came the climax.
Farrell had been assigned to keep
order at one of the boxing shows held
by an athletic club in the neighbor-
hood-a club" which supported itself
largely by holding ring bouts and by
the proceeds of its bar. Partisanship
shown by the referee had caused a
surge toward the ring on the part of
disgruntled spectators. one chair had
already been thrown within the arena
and affairs seemed ripe for general
outbreak when Sergeant Collins
squeezed through the ropes, calling on
Farrell to follow. This Farrell had
not done, and the Sergeant strolling
along the borders of the ring had con-
temptuously raped with his heavy
night stick the heads of few hardy
spirits, who were endeavoring to climb
into the enclosure. One glance at Far
rell's face in the crowd below made
him turn away with contempt.
ut was rank violation of orders and
the man was scared to death" he said
that evening to the captain. az they
sat in the latter's private office. "A
prize fight crowds the easiest in
the world to handle-lots Of noise
and no danger. | jest didn't want
ANYBODY gettin' in the ring, where
there was space enough for scrap,
so | called Farrell to follow. And his
face went white as chalk and he was
shakin' all over He heard me all
right. He jest didn't come"
And the captain, exasperated by
other reports of the kind against Far
rell. and rendered even more irritable
by the policeman's weak defense OF
not having heard, ordered him to ap-
pear the next meeting before the police
board. AS the young officer left the
room, with bowed head, Captain Hag-
arty hesitated a moment before making
out his complaint.
1--WE never accused another man OF
bein' a coward yet" he muttered to
himself, as he ran his eye over Far
rells record, "but there's plenty Of
cases here that look bad. Still, I'll
lust put him down for neglect Of duty"
Police Commissioners. well versed in
their duties. can often read between
the lines of a report made to them.
And when they issued a summons for
Farrell to appear. the president. an old
man, long in ONCE, gazed thoughtfully
and rather sadly at the slip in his
hand.
Its the first case of the sort ever
reported to me-" he said slowly. and
I hope the officer can clear himself.
I'm glad it's worded this way so the
newspapers won't see anything in it.
But we know what II means"
His colleagues nodded assent.
81 suppose he's that big young fellow