Ira Boylan had one of Lucas County's longer careers in law enforcement, commencing about 1902 when he was elected Lincoln Township constable and continuing until 1930, when he died at Yocom Hospital at age 58 as the result of injuries sustained in a car accident some days earlier. He was Chariton's night watchman at the time, but also had served as both constable and town marshal during the intervening years.
Ira is buried at Oxford Cemetery, northeast of Chariton, with flag holders signifying his long-time service as a member of the Chariton Volunteer Fire Department and membership in the I.O.O.F. lodge.
Occasionally, Ira seemed to borrow trouble by enforcing zealously obscure city statutes that in retrospect seem kind of silly. One of those, still in force during 1909 when The Chariton Patriot heaped scorn upon the marshal for enforcing it, forbade foot-racing on Sundays. Here's the Patriot report from its edition of March 4 under the headline, "They Exceeded the Speed Limit."
On Sunday last two youths --- decent, fun-loving boys --- were arrested by City Marshal Boylan and taken before Mayor Connell because that law of nature governing boys with health and good spirits had caused them to be heedless of orthodox admonition and let their legs run under them instead of walk. At the mayor's office they were surprised at being charged with violation of a passe statute, adopted some time in the good old days by a bunch of Puritan councilmen, which prohibited foot racing on Sunday. Now the boys were possessed of no spirit to desecrate the sabbath day. But they had run instead of walked, and the day was Sunday. Our eagle-eyed, zealous marshal was right on the job and he pinched the boys and took them into court. They were apprised of their crime and told not to do it again. The law was vindicated and our over-worked police force returned to his arduous task of preserving the peace and quietude of a Chariton Sunday against such pedestrians as might thoughtless move out of a walk and exceed the speed limit.
It's always possible there were extenuating circumstances here --- like smart-mouthing the marshal in addition to being fleet of foot. But we'll never know. Whatever the case, The Patriot's scorn seems not to have affected the trajectory of Marshal Boylan's career.
And it is permissible to run on Sundays now-a-days.
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