The cool self-command of Ironwood Hamilton, captain of police in Tinyville, Virginia, was legendary. He had derived it from his strong Christian faith, his military training at West Point, and his lifetime of being responsible for those around him. He kept his self-command honed by listening through the panics that rolled through his little office ...
"Captain, they've been rolling through all these small towns and just doing a whole town smash-and-grab -- they've learned some dark, dark martial arts skills combined with street fighting, and they just mess up everything and everybody in their path!"
That was Lieutenant Parker.
"If only Bruce Lee were here!" opined Lieutenant Frank.
Captain Hamilton shook his head.
"I guess this is another job our local Southern knights in white sheets have failed to take up," he said grimly.
"Oh, it's not their kind of job," said Lieutenant Parker. "Not enough dar--."
"Lieutenant," Captain Hamilton growled.
"Sorry, sir."
Captain Hamilton -- six feet tall, sinewy, gray-eyed, iron-gray hair, face carved ruggedly from marble -- shook his head.
"It is just as likely that some of their grandchildren have decided open terror pays better," he said. "How many?"
"At least 40, sir, and they'll be here in 20 minutes."
"Armed?"
"No -- they prefer to mess their victims up with their bare hands."
Captain Hamilton shook his head, then sunk into thought for five of those precious minutes. Then he stood up.
"Let's go, gentlemen, to our duty. We'll stop them outside the town."
"But I haven't even done my will yet," Lieutenant Frank said.
"Too late now," the captain said. "Commend the matter to the Lord on the way. We'll pass by the Catholic church anyhow, and we have a few minutes to stop in there."
"But, sir -- I mean, I appreciate that, but you're not even Catholic," said Lieutenant O'Reilly.
"For today, we will overlook it," the captain said. "God is everywhere, and we can pray for His help and find it, everywhere. Let's go."
12 hours later, Captain Hamilton and his three lieutenants were closing out the day at the county jail, victorious, their 42 foes just glad to get to where there was an abundance of running water. No one had been killed; none of the law men and the few brave civilians that went out to help them were harmed. News men came all the way from Roanoke to learn how the small-town force had done the impossible. Captain Hamilton explained with a smile.
"Although I am Southern Baptist, I spent two years in Catholic school. That's how I got to know Sister Johnson here, the real hero of today and the bravest civilian in this town. One day, there was a big fight that broke out on the yard --30, 40 boys just brawling. Nowhere near enough adults to break that up, until Sister Johnson remembered the two dozen rotten eggs in the kitchen. Folks, this nun chucks eggs with the skill of a major-leaguer... that's how she and the adults subdued that crowd of boys and that's also how we subdued these folks now in jail today!"
Photo Credit: Jakub Kapusnak on Unsplash