Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1917-01-04
AP oliceman $ Life
lsNot a HappyO
BY M. QUAD
Copyright, 1916, by the Mcclure
Newspaper Syndicate.


Newspaper Syndicate.
my son." began the officer as we
walked his beat together, when you
see patrolman sauntering along the
street and swinging his club you think
to yourself how easy he earns his mon
ey. 1t is not so easy when you come
to understand everything. may not
make an arrest once in two weeks of
an offender against the law, but 1 am
busy all the time, and you shall hear
about 1t.
I'm the first place it seems to me that
four out of five families have row
three or four times week. In winter
do not hear so much, but in summer,
when the windows are open, I hear
much more than want to. The dwell
Ing houses on my beat are mostly three
stories and of brick. The first story Is
occupied, as a rule, by bookkeepers,
statesmen and the like, who can afford
to pay about 500 month. There are
two families above them which belong
to the laboring class.
i am sauntering along my beat and
the first floor family are at supper
when 1 hear the husband call out:
maggie, what in the devil do you
get such meat for?
ut was all could get with the
money you left me-
Then why didn't you run in debt q
Ittle?'
because we owe now more than we
can ever pay
t"'Don't you concern yourself about
what can pay or cannot. This meat
isn't fit for dog to eat! It is all bone
and fat and gristle'
Well you must eat it the best way
you can. | am always pinched for
money and always have to buy the
cheapest things. We have got to keep
you we'll dressed, you know, and the
rest of us must wear our old clothes'
"eDarned if don't wish I had never
married.
And so do l. for that matter
And then hear the husband shove
back from the table, and in minute
more he is on the street and walking
away. Half block below / hear an
other row.
"You may say, my son, that these
family skeletons do not concern the pa
trolman on the beat, but they do just
the same. About three out of five Of
them end in row in which furniture
is smashed and blows are given and
taken. Then it is his duty to make his
appearance and take hand in. We
try to be peacemakers, but it often hap.
pens that we have to take the whole
family to the station. Wives drink as
well as husbands, and when it happens
that both have been drinking they are
very hard to handle. When they ap-
pear in court next morning one or the
other has black eye to be ashamed of,
and they are so repentant that his hon
or generally let's them go on suspended
sentence. There is another thing, my
son, that may surprise you. Take them
as they run on any patrolmans beat in
this city and not one out Of five chill
dren up to six years old has learned
the number and street of his home.
As sure as they get three or four blocks
away they are lost. They can tell the
first name of the father or mother, but
that is the best they can do. 1t would
take father or mother about fifteen
minutes to teach child the street and
number, but they don't do it. 1t would
take about ten minutes to write The
address down on card and sew this
card to their clothing, but they never
take this precaution. When a child is
lost the first step of the mother is tt
find me. She seems to think ought
to know every child on my beat.
81 can't leave my beat to go hunting
up lost children, and so send her tt
the station. Nine times out Of ten
have got to go looking around aftel
my regular hours of duty. Sometime!
/ find the child not more than two
blocks away. and sometimes have tx
hunt for two hours, with my feet ach
ing as If somebody had dubbed them
I tell you as a fact that not one moth
er in ten can so describe lost chile
rs to make easy work of finding him O
her. We will suppose that woman
comes running up to me to say that he
little girl. five years old, is lost. mus
first calm her. for she is greatly excit
ed. and then the conversation run
about as follows:
When did you miss your grip
"'About two hours ago.
"eWhat was the color of her harp
Brown, sir.
'And We're her eyes blue orlblackY
81 can't be sure which. but thinl
they were black
What sort of dress did she hav
on%
"a brown Calico
"'Did she have shoes on?'
4 think not. sir
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