The New York herald., 1866-08-28

OouBresb-snd you Will see what we VIII 90 10
right the ship" General Changers report is
very copious, and covers many points not
hitherto brought before the public. 1t there
fore should be universally read and carefully
pondersd.
The Late Developments In tho Police System.
We publish In another column q communities
tion from the Police Commissioners with refer
ence to the recent curious developments in the
detective system arising out Of certain arrests,
Investigations, charges and exposures, which
have become the subject Of public comment.
The detective system, It must be understood,
il rather complicated There are two bodies
Of detectives. One is employed by the federal
government and the duty Of its members d
chiefly to look after frauds in the internal rev.
enue law-to detect cheating In the distilleries,
to watch and bring to justice counterfsitsn Of
the national currency, and other offenders
against the laws Of the general government,
including violations Of the neutrality laws
where vessels are suspected Of being fitted out
for hostile operations against . power with
which this country is at peace, and 30 forth.
This branch of the detective force is under the
control Of United States Marshal Murray. The
other branch comp. ises the State detectives,
and is part of the Metropolitan police, under
the charge OF John A. Kennedy. The federal
detective torce was established during the war,
under the direction of Mr.. Stanton, for various
purposes, the principal Of which had reference
to bounty Jumping and other frauds Of like
character, which were numerous and had to be
looked after. The immediate occupation of
the State detectives under Mr.. Kennedy was with
the burglars and Ito bank and bond robbers,
who, as we know very well, have been plying
their trade in this city pretty extensively and
keeping the police very busy,
We are indebted tor the late revelations in
the police system to the jealousy existing be-
tween the United States detectives and the Me-
tropoli.an police detectives. It appears that
one of these b0dies-who number about twenty
or thirty each-undertook to prove that the
other was in connivance with the thieves and
burglars, and thus the public has been put in
possession Of some interesting disclosures,
which may probably lead to publication OF
the detective system. II so II will be great
public blessing.
There is nothing new In this. For the last
forty ye.rs there have been rings within the
police In which thieves and stool pigeons were
employed as agents. 1t is filcult indeed to
conceive how . perfect police system can be
carried on without such agencies. II is the
practice all over the world; but it is liable to
such terrible abuses that 1t is questionable
whether the remedy is not worse than the dis
ease; and that is just the point to which the
recent police exposures have brought us. The
first ring Of this kind in our community was
established nearly forty years ago. A detec-
tive firm, composed Of Messrs Homer, Merritt
and Sparks-all smart men--had such ring in
perfect operation. They ferreted out notorious
burglars with marvellous sagacity, and for
time were regarded as impeccable conserve
torn Of public property and the terror Of evil
they were in league with the thieves, an ex-
plosion took place, aud the detective firm ex-
ploded with II. There was . lull for some
years In tho life Of these detective rings; but
tho most famous Of all Of them was developed
at Q later period by One-eyed Thompson and
his associates. There are many who still re-
member tho circumstances connected with that
affair, how the gang inveigled men who were
known to have some property into their meshes,
and how they victimizcd few, like Drury, TO
protect themselves, and threatened others with
prosecution and the State Prison until they
drained them Of their substance; how they
attempted black mailing, through the medium
OF libel suits, when their infamous game was
broken up, and how some of these police de-
tectives fed the city and remained away for
many years, and the unfortunate organizer OF
the gang, Thompson, committed suicide by
taking poison, which he always carried about
him. All these things are still fresh in the
memory Of many, who doubtless have not for
gotten that II was in a great measure, IL not
wholly, due to this journal that the operations
OF these people were brought to light.
The One-eyed Thompson ring was the second
scheme Of this kind on large scale practised
for encouraging crime and making money out
Of 1t that the HERALD exposed. Since then
there has been nothing Of such gigantic pro-
portions in this line attempted. The improve
ment in our police system has rendered such
opportunities Of collusion more rare. Still
every police system is liable TO corruption. An
attempt to establisha a new ring, We believe, was
made about the time when the municipal
police were changed for the present Metropoli-
tan force; but George Aatsell, who was then
Chief Of Police, was too honest man to enter
into any arrangement Of that kind. Il was
not, therefore, because Of any such colusion
that the change took place, but because the
public feared that Fernando Wood would
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