New national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1870-1874, 1872-10-03
THE DETECTIVES STORY.

when say that consider my occupation grace
or two above it. since il must be evident 10
every one that dull person may be, ana oi!eh
is, a serviceable policeman, while defective
has no chance of success without READY per
ception and close study OF human nature.
am ;ntnitiyely possessed of faculty of imita-
tion. which have cultivated to be of great SER
vice in NV business as it enables me TO assume,
in a very deceptive manner, the disguise of any
character / please; indeed, so many. different
parts have l played, and in such various com
pany have / mixed, that it appears to me a
aar;ous problem at times where my proper posi-
ton in society lays:
hsye a partner i'm business whose real name
have no right to make public. He is coarse
featured person and is capable OF converting
himself by the means of dress into one OF the
most rough looking and repulsive OF men.
While in one of the meanest OF his DISCUSSES,
some one gave him the name Of ''Slouch," and
this rather repuIs;ve sobriquct, attached to him
at first in a spirit of pleasantly, is now about
the only name by which address him. lie is
a GOOD. hearted fellow, muscular, and courage
ous, and he has in more than one instance res
cued me from great peril if not actually saved
my life. SLOUGH has remarkable faculty OF
reading crime on the face. Ills conclusions are
generally correct; Yet how he arrives at them
mas always been a mystery to me. My own sns-
picions are mostly the result of some theory,
and | will freely confess that my imagination
has often led me astray. 1t is different with
SLOUGH. A single look at the suspected person
seems enough for him. He has often upset a
nicely-wov tissue Of apparently corroborative
incidents for me by a glance at the party sus-
pected, shake Of the head and gruff and pro.
yoking dissent. Only one instance occurred
where was right, and he was absolutely wrong :
but as its recital would be DEPRESSION, shall
reserve it for another time.
We are sometimes together, and at other
times widely separated. There is not a rail.
road, canal, or steamboat route in the United
States that one or the other of us has not trav
eled over in the pursuit of our calling. Recently
we have been sojournng in San Francisco.
Some time since the officers of the F. bank
in the city of New York gave information to
the police that their notes had been extensively
counterfeited in a manner so alarmngiy perfect
that many of the spurious bills had passed
through their own hands without detection in
fact, the first intimation of the crime was the
perceptible imitation of theirp in circulation
Every line and shade of the original bill was
reproduced in the counterfeit In such perfect
manner, that without the aid of microscope
detection was utterly impossible. Once discov.
cred, it was plain that no other counterfeit:ne
process could so completely initiate the genuine
but the art of photography and in that science
the manipulators must have been skilled.
SLOUGH and went to work at once, led by the
incentive of a very large conditional reward
We labored for many weeks without success
There was not single Photographic establish
ment in that large city that escaped visits il
disguise, and in my zeal to succeed in the un
dertaking, studied the process of the art from
beginning to end. Nearly three months hat
been fruitlessly spent in this way, when ont
evening messenger was sent to US in haste from
the cashier of the bank requesting us to hurr,
to his room. he informed US that two passen
ger tickets had been purchased that day at tn,
III III 4.
which had been paid in the spurious bills. H.
had made some inquiries himself in the matter
and informed US that the ticket agent had N
recollection of the persons from whom he ha.
received the money, and that the steamer woult
sail at nine o'clock on the following morning
SLOUGH and took the matter into consideration
and urged by the advice and counsel of the banl
officers, we determined to take passage in III
same boat. A trunk apiece was hastily packe,
with our motley wardrobe, and after agreeing
upon our DISCUSSES we sailed out the next morn
ing, taking different routes, and proceeded with
out any show of haste to the vessel.
hesitate to say that was much disguised OF
this trip, because my appearance, as near as
could make 1t up, was that OF a well dresse
gentleman of fortune, travelling for pleasure
and, of course, the first cabin was chosen for m
quarters. SLOUGH had selected very repulsiv
disguise, and might have been seen, as tn
steamer left the pier, awkwardly striding abeu
among the strange passengers, the most perfec
semblance of q sneak thief l ever saw. AS
precaution, we bore letter of introduction t
the master of the vessel, Endorsed by the chic
of the New York police. SLOUGH and l were
of course, apparent strangers, ard were a
widely as possible separated on shipboard.
Only few days of our voyage had passed
before l had succeeded in winning the goo
opinions Of my companions in the cabin, while m
partner, in the same time, by his manners an
appearance, had made himself an object of sus
picion and dis:rust to the whole Storage Their
was an unusually small number Of US in tn
cabin, and among them not single perso
whose demeanor could create a suspicion o
crime. The women, without exception, wer
extremely ladylike and entertaining, and wa
inclined, in their society, to forget the gram
purpose of my voyage; but S.ouch got me coca
sionally aside, and talked business so intelsel
that became little more yigilant and atten
tive.
Among the male passengers was one who es
pecially engaged my observation, not unhand
some in face, faultless in figure, and rather f0p
pishly attired. He wore dark imperial an
noustache, large brilliant upon his scarf, two o
three diamond rings upon his fingers, and carrie
delicate rattan cane with great deal of grace
There was an assumed air Of dignity, aud a pa
tronizing manner about him that disguised ne
the more as l could detect in his EXPIRE ssion @
features a weak and shallow mind. The De rso,
gave his undivided attention to The lady passen
gers, WAS prodigai in compliments TO them, am
was fast becoming favorite He appeared
perfect stranger to me until about the sixth da
out, when, seeing him early one mornicg befor
his toilet was made. his face became 'investe,
with an old familiarity. became suspicious a
once that he was playing false part, and be
gan watching him more closely. On the frs
occasion that offered engaged him in CONVEX
sation, and it required but little skill to brin,
out his assertion that he, too, was travelling 10
pleasure.
noticed also that he had a lively eve upon
certain quiet and very handsome lady, who was
apparently, without a protector, and who's.
costly silks and abundant jewels indicated M
lack of fands. He was free to tell that his nam,
was Ross, and was particular to hint, on ever,
occasion, how fortune had favored him will
wealth. The lady spoken of he'd attracted m,
attention, and confess 20 feeling, at the time
little tender Partially toward her. The reader
will therefore not be surprised that was vbsery
ant OF Ross's gailantries to her, and that wa.
somewhat annoyed when saw that she seemed
to regard him with favor. Perhaps il was tn,
stimulous of rival, perhaps the woman,
charms alone, that aroused me to regard her
out, at any rate, fell to gazing upon and think
ing OF her, and that, too, after only two or thret
hort and rather cool interviews, wherein ! ut
terly failed to exchange single tender look
-leantime, Ross. to my bitter discontinue, wa.
united by her to the most confidential tete-a
rs.