Connecticut western news., 1915-11-11
WHERE'S THE BILLY-C0P?
Warning Sign-Post Spirited Away in
 the Night,

Where's the billy-cop? The mani mate but effective warning and guide post that stood in the junction of Main and Railroad streets and held sloft the red tin banner with this strange de vice: "Keep to the Rightr For the last three months he had stood there, the silent third party to a contract executed and entered upon between Clint. Roraback and Joe Allyn, in. volvlng the procuring and maintaining of the "cop" for one year, the main. tenance consisting in keeping lighted lantern suspended from its iron arm, o'nights.
 There he stood, watchful and tire less, keeping the traffic from getting tangled up at that hazardous corner, and slowly but surely educating the auto tourists-and the horse drivers, too-to keep to the right At first he YVES sneered at by some, and ridiculed by others, but gradually he made friends of even the sneerers, by the efficacy of his work as public guardian. And many a time his presence pre- vented a collision there.
 For some time, after being assigned to his post, he had the efficient cooper ation of ex. Constable George Triesch- mann, through whose instrumentality an occasional arrest occurred, and who supplied the activity and the whistle for the partnership; but since the elec- tion, billy. cop has been doing sentry duty alone, though Trieschmann con tinued to trim and light his lantern.
 On the first of the present month a bill against the town was received by First Selectman Charles c. Smith, setting forth that the sum of SC was due the said Trieschmann for looking after billy's lights for the preceding month. MT. Smith repudiated the bill, on the ground that the town not only was not responsible for either billy's lights or his liver,' but that it had no authority to maintain a billy-cop on the state road. It developed that Mir. Smiths predecessor, Selectman Reel, had guaranteed payment of the light. ing cost, and when the disputed bill was brought to his attention, said he would personally assume the obliga. tion for that particular month, leaving it to be inferred that thereafter if billy continued on duty he might whistle for his lights.
 Presumably the bill was adjusted satisfactorily. But billy, in spite of his iron constitution and the fact that he was hardened against ordinary in. suit from the rabble, was sensitive billy, after all, and the controversy over his lights touched him in tender spot. He was not the same billy after Smith got that bill; he did his duty in a half-hearted, perfunctory sort of way, and even let number of autos and teams go around the corner on the left hand side. And finally, one night last Wednesday night, to be exact-he disappeared and has not been seen by mortal eyes at the corner of Main and Railroad streets, since.
 The secret of his sudden departure bids fair to become as classic mystery as the identity of the gentleman who struck Billy Patterson. According to the testimony of number of eye-wit- nesses who had business on the street at that unearthly hour, billy was al his post as usual few minutes after midnight; but had vanished before 12:30 o'clock, and left no trace behind.
 The unsupported testimony of one disinterested witness is to the effect that billy was seen to get into the hind end of Ford automobile, with little assistance, and travel rapidly north, disappearing in a cloud of dust and darkness. Some profess to believe he was caught up in a scoop-net sus- pended from a passing Zeppelin, and went up into the sky.
 But whatever his means of trans. portation. he's gone-gone where the woodbine twineth, from whence no billy cop ever returneth. And some day the mystery may be solved. Per. haps "Ita" may shed light on the absorbing subject, when she comes back next week.
 The Anti Treat.