Thanks to the Illustrated Police Times I have discovered one
of the dangerous escapades endured by a policeman in Victorian Kings Lynn.
In December 1889 there were a series of thefts of chickens
around the town of Kings Lynn. Chief-Constable Ware decided something should
be done. A number of his constables
dressed in plain clothes and were stationed near the places where the fowls
were accustomed to roost.
PC Rayner secreted himself in one of these premises and
later that evening Robert Pitcher, a carpenter entered and struck a light in
front of the policeman. He admitted his
purpose was to steal a fowl and he was arrested. However on the way to the police station, he
drew a hatchet from his pocket and struck the officer, “some fearful blows upon
the face.” Bleeding profusely PC Rayner
struggled with the thief and managed to blow his whistle. Aid soon arrived and the, “brutal fellow,” was
taken into custody.
http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/
A nice archival discovery! Police have been getting a hard rap recently, but it's all too easy to forget what kind of risks they take to protect society.
ReplyDeleteAnd they weren't valued properly until the end of the 19th century.
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