Smitty the Cop and the "Runaway"

Not really a runaway, just a youngster on a quest.


If you lived in Brookville, PA, in the ‘40’s – or spent a significant amount of time there - the name of “Smitty” the cop will be familiar to you. He was probably the most well-known and well-liked borough official of his time.


On this particular occasion, I was with my family at the Free Methodist camp ground at the top of the hill, just off Pickering Street. And once again, big brother Paul figures in this story, but only peripherally. We had just come out of the church, and the fire siren, just a couple of blocks away sounded. Paul said something about the fire, and I gathered from what he said that he was going to the location of the fire.


Hmm, I wanted to see the fire, too, so I started off. I guess I thought I was following Paul. I believe I was about 5 at the time. I don’t remember very much of my “journey,” but I had to have gone the whole way down Pickering Street, across the bridge, and then out Mabon Street. The only reason I know it was Mabon Street was that many years afterwards, I was able to recognize the house next to the Mabon Street bridge where I ended up. I don’t know how I came to stop there, but I do remember telling someone that I wanted to see the fire. They told me it was along way off. I remember tossing a ball back and forth with some older kids. I don’t remember Smitty the cop (I have to presume, of course, that adults in the house called the police) coming to get me, but I remember walking with him back to the campground, where, I believe, my parents were waiting for me, and to my surprise when I got there, Paul was still there! He had never gone anywhere!

(Originally posted July 19,2007)