A LAWYER’S EXPERIENCE OF POLICEMEN.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume X, Issue 1163, 30 September 1882, Page 2

A LAWYER’S EXPERIENCE OF POLICEMEN.

Sergeant Ballantine, in his “Reminiscences of a Barrister,” tells the following interesting story:—“One night, late—it might be early morning —I was in Piccadilly, and, attracted by a gathering of people, I came upon a policeman struggling with a drunken powerful woman. She had either fallen or been thrown down, and he had fallen upon her. There were expressions of indignation being uttered by the persons around, and a row seemed imminent. I touched the officer lightly upon the shoulder, saying, “ Why do you not spring your rattle ? You will hurt the woman.” He jumped up, and seizing me by the collar, said, ‘ I take you into custody for obstructing me in the execution of my duty.’ I remained perfectly passive, and in the meanwhile another constable had come up and had seized the woman, whom he was handling very roughly. At this moment Sir Alexander Cockburn, then Attorney-General, who was returning from the House of Commons, appeared upon the scene, and seeing a woman, as bethought, ill used, remonstrated in indignant language with the officer, upon which the constable who had hold of me stretched out his other arm —whether reaching Sir Alexander or not I could not set? —and said, * 1 arrest you also.’ ‘ Arrest me !’ exclaimed the astonished At-torney-General; what for?’ ‘Oh,’ said my captor, ‘ for many things. You are well known to the police.’ I cannot surmise what might have become of us. Possibly we should have spent the night in company with the very objectionable female on whoso behalf we had interfered. Some people, however, fortunately recognised us, and we were released. I took the numbers of the officer , and, being determined to see the end of the affair, went next morning to the Court where the charge ought to have been made, and beard that the woman had effected her escape, which, considering I had left her in charge of half-a doxen officers, and that, she was very drunk, was a remarkable feat of prowess.”