Policing, as it used to be done

If you think the police in your area don't do a good job, it could be worse :)

I came across an editorial in the Cornwall Chronicle ranting about an incident involving a "felon constable" and what is this country colony coming to and what are the government going to do about it??? (Unfortunately said editorial is a bit hard to read in places so I'm not copying it, but it's here for the curious).

Of course I had the find the original story, and I present it here for your entertainment. I've come across plenty of accounts of the convict constables being, well, not as diligent in their duties as they should be and, of course, taking advantage of their position. But this guy seems to be taking it a bit too far.

This appeared in couple of newspapers at the time, but this example is from the Colonial Times, 22 December 1835. I'm not putting it in italics because it's a bit long.

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To the Editor of the Colonial Times.

SIR,--I beg to forward the following statement for your perusal, I can vouch for its correctness, as I received it from Reardon himself before witnesses : should you think proper to publish it of course you will make what remarks you think proper :

"CONFESSION OF REARDON.--Wednesday Morning, Dec.2. Constable Drinkwater, (a convict constable) came to me, Daniel Reardon, (also a convict constable) as I was standing at the Police Office door. He asked me if I would go with him, I said where ? He answered 'to bring Lanky Taylor down on a charge of murder.' I asked him what murder he had committed, he told me for shooting Capt. Sergeantson, and added 'we shall get our free pardons for it.' I told him I was ordered to go to Ross by Mr. 'Gray, he said 'I can get you off going there ; accordingly he went to Mr. Gray and asked him if I (Reardon) could go with him, which Mr. Gray consented to. Drinkwater afterwards came to me, and said he a scheme in his head by which we should get our liberty, I said what is that ? he said he would tell me as he went along the road, as he should have a better opportunity of talking.

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In the theme of the previous post

Postscript from the previous story. This was printed in the Cornwall Chronicle following Reardon's confession.

As a proof, (if proofs are wanting) o- the admirable security we enjoy from - felon police, and the trust that can be reposed in the members of it, we mention the circumstance of two prisoners, w- were convicted at the late Sessions held in this Town, having escaped from the Colony, together with the constables who had them in charge, on their way over to Hobart Town. It is, we believe, pretty generrlly ascertained, that the whole party crossed the country, and were taken off the Island in the vicinity of Ringaroma Bay or Cape Portland, in a small cutter belonging to a relative of one of the prisoners. We do not wonder at, nor blame the escape of any prisoners--a good thing for the Colony if all the troublesome of them found their way out of it--but the circumstance we mention certainly affords another proof of the inefficiency of Colonel Arthur's prison discipline system--and the necessity for destroying it.

A few months later, Reardon is again in the news. From the Cornwall Chroncile, 30 April 1836,

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