The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1914-07-08
TO VOTE ON RURAL PO-
LICE SERVICE.

TO VOTE ON RURAL Pc
LICE SERVICE.
At the approaching primary, tie
people will have an opportunity to
vote for or against the reestablish-
ment of the rural police service in
Abbeville county.
That this service has been fruitful
of good results in the county is with
out doubt, and that it has not met
the fullest expectations of the public
is due to the lack of an adequate
force. On many occasions when
crime had been committed in the
county, the fact that the rural police
man could be had on short notice,
made the capture of offenders easy.
This promptness of action has be-
come the dread of evil doers and to
discontinue the service Us to take a
step backward.
While the county has had only one
rural policeman for several months,
he has been active and he has
brought to justice some of the worst
of lawbreakers. Mr.. Bruce, like
Sheriff Lyon, with whom he has
worked for so long has an instructive
knowledge of the ways of the crimi-
nal, and together they have worked
out many apparently battling cases.
Again, it will be recalled that
though Abbeville county has been
dry for several years, no State con-
stables have been put here at the ex-
perse of the county. The work has
been done and we'll done by the ru-
raj policeman and the Sheriff. Some
weeks ago MI. sBruce located a still
near owndesville and single handed
captured and imprisoned the owners.
Only a short while previous he and
Sheriff Lyon seized a distillery near
>Abbeville and one near Donalds, get
ting the operator at the latter place.
Every few months they locate and
seize. an Illicit liquor plant.
Nowfit is no reflection on the Mag
istrate2 or his constable that the rural
policeman can seek out and catch Of
tenders that have escaped their de-
lection. They do not follow the po-
lice service as a business, have not
the sources Of information that the
policeman has, and can not afford to
give days at a time to experimenting
and taking the offender.
While the rural policeman may
not protect the life and property of
the rural resident as do the city po-
lice the city resident, the fact that
they are within easy call, can arrest
without warrant and will seek out
the offender promptly and intelli-
gently, deters many from commit
ting offenses. e,
The rural police service should be
continued and it should,be enlarged.
The man in the country who votes
against it is blind to his own interest
and the manin the city who has am
pie protection for his family, is sell
fish indeed if,he would withhold this
little protection from his neighbnr in
the country.
In all probability it can be shown
that the rural police service is practi-
cally ,self-sustsining; but granting
that a very small per cent. of the
cost of the service is returned to the
treasury, individual citizens have
been directly profited and law and
order prevail to.a greater extent by
reason Of the service. By prompt
and intelligent action on the part of
Mr.. Bruce, a gentleman was saved
an amount equal to a third or half of
the policeman's annual pay in one
case in the lower part of the county,
where there was an attempt to de-
fraud.
There should really be two rural.
policemen in -Abbeville county; and
except, when they are directly en-
gagged on a case they should work
under a published schedule, appear
ing at least once a week at four or
more prominent places on each side
of the county. When out of Able
vile, they should be in touch with
the Sheriff at all times, so that he
can direct them when any call is
lodged with him. If this system
may not be developed at present we
shouldn't least keep on the service Of
one man until the legislature meets
when systematic service can be inau-
gurated.