THE CASUAL "DRUNK."

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 47, 19 November 1907, Page 9

THE CASUAL "DRUNK."

; POLICE STATION PERFORMANCES. There was- a sound of' scuffling- and muffled oaths in the passage way, and a liuge unkempt navvy was half carried, half pushed into a .little. room by two equally large red-faced, , and perspiring policemen. The room was.-.the watchhouso of tho Lambton Quay Police Station, into which tho pressman had wandered in "search'of the elusive paragraph. -The arrested labourer was restive, and chafed uiider the restraining hands of the policemen. . The "drunk" fixed the Press representative with a wild eye and prefaced a fresh struggle with a chaileugo to the worjd to come on and be obliterated. "What's he been up to?" queried tho watch' house-keeper. "Fighting drunk in Willis Street," replied tho constable. Tho namd -of the offender was taken and the constables commenced their search, the man in tho meantime fighting blindly' against tho protetlure which the laws of the station demanded. The search was completed after a skirmish, but.a fresh.outbreak occurred bef6ro the prisoner was ushered atfsy into tho seclusion of tho colls to wait tho inevitable parade before the magistrate in tho morning. ... Tho pressman's nerves were slowly steadying when another pattering-of feet sounded in the passago, - and a dishevelled femalq tripped through the door and saluted th<i presiding constable with "Hullo, dearie, how aro yer to-night? It's only a little bit of beer." After tho usual formalities the optimistic but erring lady was Sent over the well worn track to the lock-up. A third "drunk" Was wheeled in a few minutes later; ahd the pressman, having seen made his way out into the night only to meet still another bibulous and battered specimen of humanity being lumbered into the station. It was apparently a busy night for tho police.