THE GENUS “DRUNK”

Hokitika Guardian, 23 January 1931, Page 5

THE GENUS “DRUNK”

POLICEMAN’S EXPERIENCE

SERGEANT KNOWS THEM ALL. SYDNEY, January 15. In Pyrmont, Sydney, there is a station sergeant of police who might be clubbed the, absolutely last word in judging “drunks”. In fact, be shyly admitted to the Central Police Court bench this week that if there is anything about drunks he doesn’t know, then it isn’t worth knowing. j He was giving evidence against a woman charged with being drunk and disorderly, arid when the Magistrate, asked him to state his knowledge of the genus “dr.urik” he threw off the following comprehensive description of his ripe experience. “1 have studied the habits of drunks in all their stages, f have seen them come into the station drunk and go out quite sober, I have scon them come in almost sober and go out drunk. “I have seen the noisy drunk and the quiet drunk; the violent drunk and the playhil drunk; the calm drunk and the agitated drunk. I’ve seen them drunk in the legs and sober in the head; sober in the legs and drunk in the head, I’ve seen them partly drunk, half drunk, and what .1. might call partly sober. To me. in my district, they come in every stage and I claim to have had ripe experience.”

The Magistrate was satisfied, and after that dissertation, the woman concerned had nothing to say.