Sporting Colliers and the Bobby (c.1901)

A policeman breaks up a gambling den, but is caught pocketing the proceeds.

Comedy may not be the truest reflection of public attitudes to the police in the early 20th century, but the 'bobby' is often the butt of the joke. Here, a policemen is tipped off by an irate citizen that men from the colliery are gambling on his land. When he scares off the gamblers he is seen picking up the coins by the 'picker-up' - the boy who pays out the bets in the game of Pitch and Toss.