Northern Weekly Gazette. — 1902-02-15 (Stockton-on-Tees, Cleveland, England)

RESCUE A SUICIDE.  • A. story true in every detail, and as extistrng and sensational as any ever written in novel form, has just been told to a representative of the London "Sun" by an ex-police ofEcer of the Metropolitan force. His name is Alexander Robert Heffernan, of 53, Archel-road, Fulleun, who, at the early age of 36, finds himself a police pensioner, and the holler of a certificate for bravery from the Royal Humane Society. He is a most extraordinary man, as the following details of his career will show. Said he to an interviewer:— " We—the Heffernans—are quite a soldier's family, I married a soldier's daughter and each of my sisters is the wife of a soldier. It, was in the North Staffs Infant 7 Regituent—better known as "the 64th ' for twelve yeans, said went through the second Zulu campaign, during which, on one occasion, Cetewayo's son, with an enormous army of gigantic black warriors, male us run. It was a good job we did too, for we were fearfully outnumbered, and had we not retreated, there would not have boon ene of us left alive. However, in the end we came out all right; and in 1891 I oame home from Africa, and joined the Metropolitan police force. "I was always a good athlete. They made me one of Om T Division Metropolitan Police Cricket Team the very year I joined. I bowled in every match, usually taking the largest number of wicket's, and I made the record number of top scores. The District Railway Crricket 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 clubs that hold their meeting there, and won so many events at the police sports thet I was eventually handicapped out of existent's so as to speak, in order to give others a ohance. I was made to give 24 yards in the 100 yards sprint, and 360 in the mile.  "As a swimmer I won many oompetitions, beating all earners in the City Polioe swimming events. In consequence of my successes I was asked to compete against the two crack swimmers of the Police of all England—Drake and Bryars, of the Manchester Force. I did so, and I beat Bryars. Drake, however, wan a little too good for me. lie was a masterpiece; and I believe is kill the crack swimmer of the English police. By beating Bryan; 1 gained tha position of seecnid best." And how did you oome to have to be pensioned off r' queried the reporter. " Ah," replied the ex-oonstable. "It was all through that affair in the Regant's Canal. Rushing to the place I threw off my overcoat, and dived in to rescue him. The watar at that point is made very poisonous by the refuse from the ehemioal works and the gasworks in the dietriet draining into it, and the chemicals were fizzing and spkittering in the water all• around us as we struggled. I was struggling in the poisonous watee for twenty minutes. The man cursed me terribly, and coetinued to try to free himself in order to jump back into the water, even when I got him on the bank. It was sCriMO time before I could get my wet clothes changed, and I caught a terrible chill. But that was not the worst of it. The poison had got into my system, and the stuff which killed the man I had rescued—for he died a few weeks after from poiseining—nearly killed me tool 1 began by being unable to digest my food, or even to keep it on my stomach. As moon as I had taken a meal I vomited it all back &gain. Of course I was placed on the sick list, and the pcifice doctor tokl me that the poison in the water, which I had swallowed, had completely doatroyed the eoating of my stomach. The police were very kind to me, and sent nip down to the Oonvalescent Home at Brighton twice. After the second visit I had to go hack to my own home very bad indeed. I was so wee.k that when I attempted to walk I went blind, and had to riling to anything near ins to prevent me from falling. I had fearful nightewea.te, and would often be seized with a kind of cramp, which seemed to be in my very bones. I could not retain food or nourishment, except in minute queutiaies —juet enough to keep me alive. ^I next went into flronipcsn Ilixpital, and there they declared it imposaible to satisfactorily diagnose my ailments.. For two years 1 remained in the police foroa, suffering in this way, and during the two Teens I was only able to put in three months .dutyl Seeing that I was practically done for, in January, 1899, I was given a special pension, and retired from the force. (The lolloyring is a Copy of Pension oartificatel.