Widnes Examiner. — 1902-02-14 (Widnes, Cheshire, England)

IHE EXAMINER FWD FEW:UARY 14 1002  A PLUCKY POLICEMAN'S ADVENTURE. Dived into Liquid Poison. To Rescue a Suicide. A story true in very detail, and as exciting and sensational as any ever written in novel form, has just been told to a representative of the London "Sun by an ex-police officer of the Metropolitan force. His tame is Alexander Robert Heffernan, ot 53, Archel-road, F age of 36, finds himself a poullbeaem p, : a etshiornert, bravery from the the early holder of a certificato for Royal Humane Society. He is a most extraordinary man, as the following details of his career will show. Said he to an interviewer:— quite a soldier's family, sisters is the wife of a I ‘m. We —the Useoff g—lderiecta'nsdaarueghter and each of my soldier, I was in the North Staffs Infantry Regimen t—lestter known as "the 64th " for twelve yeare, and went through the second Zulu campaign, during which, on one occasion. Cetewayo's son, with an enormous army of gigantic black warriors, made is run. It was a good ob we did too, for we ore fearfully out_ombered, and had we not retreated, .._ .6 would not have been one of us left alive. However, in the end we came out all right ; and in IE9I I came home from Africa, and joined the Metropolitan police force. " I was always a good athlete. They made me one of the T Division Metropolitan Police Cricket Team the very year I joined. I bowled in every match, usually taking the largest number of wickets, and I made the record number of top scores. The District Railway Cricket Team also used to get me to play for them. At Stamford Bridge Athlete grounds I won a number of prizes as an all-round athlete in various dabs that hold their meeting there, and won so many events at the police sports that I was eventually handicapped cut of existence so as to speak, in order to give others a chencs. I was made to give 24 yards in the 100 yards sprint, and 1360 in the mils. " As a swimmer I woo many competitions, heating all comers in the City Police swimming events. In coneequence of my successes I was asked to compete against the two crack swimmers of the Police of all England—Drake and Bryare, of the Manchester Force. I did so, and I beat Brous, Drake however, was a little too good for me. fie was a masterpiece ; and I believe is still the crack swimmer of the English police. By beating Bryars I gained the positicn of second best." "And how did you come to have to be pensioned off?" queried the reporter. " At'," replied the ex-conetable. "It was all through that affair in the Regent's Canal. It was on the afternoon of February 26th, 1897. I was on duty, when I was told that a man had jumped into the Regent's Canal. Rushing to the place I threw off my overcoat, and dived in to rescue him. The water at that point is made very poisonous by the refuse from the chemical works and the gasworke in the district draining into it, and the chem,cals were fizzing and epluttering iv the water all around us as we strugg:Oo, I was struggling in the poisonous water for twenty micutcP, The Man cursed roe terrible i and contiwareo, to try and free himself in order to jurbto back into the water, even when I aet him oa the bank. It was some time before I oculd get my wet clothes ehanged, and I caught a terrible chill. But that was not the worst of it. The poison had got Into my system, and the 'tuff which killed the man I had rescued—for be died a few weeks after from poisonieg—nearly killed me too ! I began by being unable to digest my food, or even to keep it on my stomach. As soon as I bad taken a meal I vomited it all back again. Of course I was placed on the sick list, and the police doctor told no* that the poison in the water, which I had swallowed Mad completely destroyed the coating of my stomach. The police wrre very kind to me, and sent me down to the Convalescent Home at Brighton twice. After the second visit I had to go back to my awn home very bad indeed. I was so weak that when I attempted to walk I went blind, and had to cling to anything near me to prevent me from failing. I hod fearful night-sweats, and would often be seized with a kind of cramp, which seemed to be in my very bones. I could not retain ford er nouriehmer t, except in minute quantities—just enough to keep me alive. "I next went into Brompton Hospital, and there they declared it impossible to satisfactorily diagnose my ailments. For two years I remained in the police force, suffering in this way, and during the two years I was only able to put in three months deity ! Seeing that I was practically done for, in January, 1299, I was Riven a speciel pension, and retired from the force. (The rollowing is a copy of Pension certificate )  5904  )( I ' I nui there