ON THE WRONG SCENT.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2313, 16 August 1880, Page 3

ON THE WRONG SCENT.

A story, going the rounds (says the “ Dunedin Star,”) of a well known and zealous detective, is too good to be lost. It appears that acting on “ information received,” that branch of the force has for some time past been on the look-out for some alleged whisky distillers, Early every Friday morning an individual of peculiar appearance has been observed to come into town from the direction of the Tomahawk, wc will say, to drive his cart up to an establishment in Princes street south, not a 100 miles from Stafford street, and to carry down a right-of-way a suspicious looking keg. This morning watch was kept for his coming bj r the detective in question and an assistant, who, from their preparations for effecting a capture, evidently thought they had “ cornered ” their man this time. To make a long story short, our bucolic friend drove up at the usual hour, alighted from his cart, shouldered his keg, and darted up the right-of-way with it. He was quickly followed by the detective, whose assistant darted through one of the adjacent shops to cut off his retreat in the rear. The detective gaining on him, ordered him to deposit the kegon the ground.” The pursued one evidenced a disposition to refuse to comply ; but ho afterwards recognised the officer’s authority and handed the keg over to the latter. The eagerness with which the officer tapped that keg, and the look of disgust that covered his face when he discovered that itlcontalued buttermilk, will not he forgotten in a hurry by those who were witnesses to the affair. The detective and his assistant are said to have emerged from that right-of-way amidst a chorus of laughter.