THE LAWS LONG ARM

Waipa Post, Volume 32, Issue 1783, 15 July 1926, Page 7

THE LAWS LONG ARM

WARRANT EXECUTED AFTER FORTY-FIVE YEARS.

One often hears of the length of the arm of the law, but it is not often that it stretches or attempts to stretch over so wide a span as forty-five years. A little while ago an old gentleman whose home is at Asbury Park, New Jersey, celebrated his ninety-third birthday. H'ils name is Dr. Edhvin Pye Turner Osbaldeston, an Englishman of many associations and long memories. He had some great stories to tell at his birthday parjy, and he reminded everybody that he Is the oldest man living who fought in the Crimean War. The Ashbury Park papers printed an account of the old gentleman's birthday, and published a photograph of him.

It happened that a copy of one paper fell 'into the hands of another old gentleman, aged) ninety-one. He is Sheriff Fofsber Black, of Ginghamton, New York. Now, there is one thing in his life that Sheriff Black has never forgotten, much less forgiven. Forty■five years ago he caught a man called Edwin Turner, who had stolen a horse and trap. Turner was slapped' into Broome County Gaol, and presently succeeded, in escaping. The police managed to secure the stolen goods, but no one could get hold of the thief. Sheriff Black, bearing another warrant for his arrest, isearched the county high and low, and failed to find his man. He had a passion for duty, and could not bear being beaten. It distressed him sorely to think that Edwin Turner was somewhere at large, though the term of his sentence had long ago passed,.

Forty-five years rolled away. The ninety-one-year-old Sheriff, looking at a newspaper, saw the name Edwin iPye Turner Osbaldeston. Part of that name wa s branded on his mind. What mlust he do but start ransacking his old, dusty papers until he came on the warrant lor the arrest of Edwin Turner, escaped prisoner from Broome County Gaol. The sheriff put it in his pocket and, a fierce joy in his heart, set out for Asbury Park, New Jersey, founcll the home of the oldest Isurvivor of the Crimean war, tapped that astounded old, gentleman on the shoulder and said: "Edwin Turner, I arrest you in the name of the law." There was what one might call a shindy in Dr. Osbaldeston's home. No matter what he said, or what anybody said, the arm of the law had got him, and he was hailed off to the common ,lock-up and there passed the night in not very respectable company. One can imagine the consternation of Asbury Park in .seeing their venerable physician thus treated. The moral of the story seems to be that one should never throw away an old diary. At the time Turner was allowing himself to steal a horse and trap, Edwin Pye Turner, Osbaldeston, a Broadway physician, was spending his holidays in the Adirondacks, and made a note of his doings d.ay by f..ay in his diary. The disappointed sheriff was obliged to admit that it was a case of mistaken identity, and now he is at home again chewing the cud of a bitter memory.