THE PLUCK OF OUR POLICE.

Clutha Leader, Volume VI, Issue 339, 9 April 1880, Page 3

THE PLUCK OF OUR POLICE.

- The pluck and presence of mind of the two police constables who apprehended Butler, deserves great credit indeed. That we have many such men, there can be little, doubt, but the opportunity of putting- their bravery to the test, is happily for society here, of rare occurrence. '. : . I will relate a rare instance of pluck, combined with presence of mind, that wiil bear comparison with any I have seen io the papers for sometime, and one which, so far as I know, has hitherto passed without notice. That the force is often Subject to good-natured jokes, we all know, and the columns of the Press appear always open to give them publicity; it is therefore, only fair, when acts of daring are shown, that some notice should .be given? to them also. In the beginning of the year 1869-1---occupied a portion of a house belonging to Mr M'P -ne, a carpenter by tirade, and atthe present time in the railway service. The house was situate in the jbush, and the road leading to it was.pyer ja bridge at the lower end of the Water jof Leith, near -to where Macdonald's iFellmohgry is situate/ Mr M'F. was | about to make some additions to his residence, and had some timber and sand laid down for this purpose near his garden gate; About .midnight we were all disturbed through, the barking and snarling "of my landlord's do H g~ Mr* M'F: ; and myself dressed ourselves' bnd proceeded to ascertain the cause— and found one of our; neighbours had-ct^ken a fancy to some of my, landlord's sawn timber, and Had got some little distance with a few, boards when the dog questioned the' propriety of the act. The neighbour was rough' to handle; had a fair share of spirits aboard ; which combined, made him unhandy to deal with, the more especially, as he was a powerful fellow. We took the timber, aad I was:sent for a policeman,. I" was directed ; to the ■'•' Otago Goni&tabulary Depot on the main road to , the Water of Leith, a small baildingJ which for anything- I know, may still be there. I saw an officer near the door to whom I told my story. We went

inside, when the officer called on another in bed, to get ; up ! and go : with ' me to catbh the thief.. The man who got out of bed was young, about six feet,' perhaps a little under, wiry, and apparently active^ Several questions of a nature not interesting 1 ,, was asked on my ; return journey ;; and we had proceeded :up the steep hill where the bush road was cut.. We were talking-, not loud — but I suppose, loud- enough far ; others to hear at a short distance, when I heard my name called out, and to keep back, as he had loaded a gun ! We saw him load it through the window, the window having no curtains, and the house where the thief lived would be about 30 or 40' yards from the bush track, so that my friends had a good view inside as to what the man was doing. "Keep off keep off" was again and again called our, "he swears to shoot the first that goes near him.' This was too much for tne bobby. He merely said, v does he be d—— d." Turning to me he said, " come along !" I may state that the moon was beautiful and bright, the bush was full of dead and dying tree-tops, so that every step we took thes9 were crunching under our feet. " Come along," the bobby said, " step as I step, stop at each step, and listen ; the first noise, or motion, rush with me." I knew that fear often incurs what it seeks to avoid, and supporting my courage with this bit of philosophy, we marched steadily side by side, when all at once up jumps , the thief from behind the bushy branches of a fallen tree close to the policeman, with gun levelled. With a bound the bobby sprung on the man, threw up the barrel of the gun, and in an instant the dry sticks were cracking below the fellow. His kicking and struggles did him no good : the hand-cuffs were on him. The gun, which was fully charged, cocked and capped, was examined by the policeman, who fired it off. The prosecutor in the case, x Mr M'F ne, became his own lawyer, and I expected to be called upon to give evidence. In these good old times, evidence was seldom required, or of much value, perhaps, when rendered. I was away from Dunedin about two months, and learned on my return that the man was N acquitted. In this case the man was taken "red handed," in the act of stealing timber. The second feature is his rushing to his house, loading his gun — : this was seen by three witnesses, walks out into the bush, and with fearful, oaths threatens to shoot the first person that comes near him. We pride ourselves, and boast that no country administers " Justice with mercy," more than the Britains. We can afford to throw a slice in, and instance cases where mercy without iustice is bestowed ; better, perhaps, that it should be so, rather than one should suffer, should he even be a drunken thief. I have often wondered what became of this young police officer. I have scanned the faces of many to see if I could recognise the man again. I have never been able to do so, and this note is, I believe, the only notice that has bfeen given to the public of an act of bravery under circumstances that would have made many shrink, when it is remembered that the clear moonlight in the bush threw a deep shade, where concealment was both easy and safe. I met the person who appropriated the timber some time after. He was laying on a pretty green sward on the : banks of the Leith. I was crossing to! Mr Ellis' livery stables. I, sat down.; and not knowing who the man was, bur' conversation took various turns, until through some remark or other, it turned upon himself and the case I have just mentioned. I have no doubt, but my remarks upon the man himself, and the whole affair, were not what I; may. term " French polished." The man suddenly, rose up and walked, away. I would not have known the reason why, if my. little boy, who was with me,, and who knew the man,,, Had! not said, "Father, that's the man himself." I have heard that he is since dead, so that an apology is but of the question.— -Yours etc., '■" Tommy Forthwith.