Archibald George Campbell was Sergeant of Police at Young from 1918 to 1925. His descendant K. M. Campbell donated some of his loosely wrapped Signet brand plug tobacco to the Young Historical Museum. Plug tobacco is made up of tobacco leaves compressed and dried into squares. It is sometimes flavoured. Men would chew a small piece of the tobacco plug and then spit out unwanted juices into a special spittoon. Or they could cut a piece of the plug and place it in a pipe to smoke. Chewing tobacco is just as addictive as smoking it and is also a health risk. Archibald Campbell was born at Warialda to parents Donald and Mary Ann in 1874. After he finished school, he joined the New South Wales Police force and was stationed at Goodooga where he married his wife Mary May Senior in 1897. They had five sons and one daughter. Campbell also served at Bourke, Angledool, Come By Chance and Walgett, before coming to Young in December 1918. While at Young, Archibald investigated the death of Leslie James McIllhatton, age 11, who fell from a tree at Spring Park, Monteagle on Friday 25 April 1919. In August that year, he charged Leo Woods and Timothy Leo Castles with riotous behaviour which was the result of a drunken row at a Sunday football match at Tipperary. Later in the same year, he investigated a murder suicide, also at Monteagle. He also provided evidence against Archibald McPherson who was charged with negligent driving. McPherson was speeding while on Lynch Street with no number plate and turned into the railway yards, almost running over a child who was going up to the train. In November 1922, Second Class Sergeant Campbell was promoted to First Class Sergeant. In 1925 Archibald was moved to Boorowa and then in 1926 to Cooma. In February 1931 he went on extended leave which was to last until 30 December due to poor health. He died on Monday 22 November 1931 before he was due for retirement at age 60. In his obituary he was described as being of ‘a retiring disposition’.
