SAILOR’S LOST BEARINGS.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXI, Issue 700, 18 December 1909, Page 3

SAILOR’S LOST BEARINGS.

TUSSLE WITH FIFTEEN POLICEMEN. The police of the Williamsburg district of New York York will long remember the visit of William Mayhew, able seaman, of H.M.S. Edinburgh. Mayhew left his ship in the afternoon for a holiday ashore, and after wandering about the streets all day lost his bearings. So at midnight he climbed to the top of a lamp-post, with his pipe in his mouth, and anchored for the night. While he was giving loud expression to his opinions of the geography of New York he was discovered by the policeman on the beat, who invited him to descend. Mayhew replied that the view was better where he was, and when the policeman tried to climb the lamp-post he was compelled to make a hasty descent. Two other policemen arrived in reply to a whistle for assistance. Thereupon Mayhew descended, knocked one of them down, and pursued the others with their fallen comrade’s baton. Meanwhile the police reserves had been called out, and a dozen policemen reached the spot to find Meyhew more than holding his own. They took him in the rear by skilful tactics, and in a few minutes he lay stunned and handcuffed. As soon as he recovered his senses he began, despite his handcuffs, to fight the whole corps, and the fifteen policemen had to sit on his body until a patrol waggon arrived. It was a penitent Mayhew who appeared before the Magistrate the next morning. He was profuse in his apologies for disturbing the harmony of the visit. The Magistrate gave him some good advice, and a shilling for his fare, and fifteen sore, but admiring policemen, watched him depart to his ship. A veil is drawn —over what happened when he reached the cruiser.