Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1872-12-14
THE DETECTIVES STORY.


grade or two above IL; since 1t must be evi Ie at
10 every one that a duh person NAV be, and
elteh = seINlceseie policeman, whie detee-
perception and close study Of human natur 2.
am int uitiyely possessed OF faculty of imita
ton, which have cultivated 20 be of great Sc r
vice in my business, as IL enables me e. assume
IN very deceptive manner, the disguise Of any
character j please; indeed, SO many different
larts have played, and in such various com
pany have mixed, that il appears to me a ss-
TioHs problem st times where my proper posi-
ton in society lays.
have a partner in business whose real name
have no right to make public. He is coarse
featured person, and is capable OF converting
himself, by means Of dress, into one OF the most
one OF tie meanest or his DISCUSSES, some one
gave him the name OF - SLOUGH y and this rather
rePulsive sOtriguef, attached TO him At irst in
spirit CT pleasantly, Is now about the Only
name by which | address him. he IL a good
hearted fellow, muscular and com ageous, and
he has, IN more than one instance, saved me
from great peIli, II not actually saved my lite.
siOuch has a remarkable faculty of reading
CRIME on the face. Ills conclusions are gene
rally correct; Vet, how he arrives at them .s
always been a mystery 10 me. MY own suspi-
cions are mostly the result of some theory aud
viii freely confess that nv Imagination has
often led me astTay. 1t il different with Slouch
A single look at the suspected person seems
enough for him. He has often upset "A nicely
woven tissue of apparently cOrrObOratiye incl
Gents Tor me by glance ~ the party suspected .
shake OF the head AMI 4 grufF and proyOkipr
dissent only one instance occurred where /
was night and he was absolutely wrong but as
Its Fecila! would be DEPRESSION; l shall reserve
~ fCT another Tune
Nesre sometimes toge ther and at other times
widely separated There l. not "A railroad. canal
or steamboat route in the United states tha-
one or the other OF US has not Travelled over in
the pursuit OF our calling. Recently We hay.
been scjOurning III san Francisco.
Some time since the officers of the P bank
IN tie city OF New fcTk, gave inform alton to
the police that their nOte- had been extensively
couDte. frlted IN q manner 50 altrIningIy per
tect that many OF the spurious bills HAD pass sl
through their own hands without detection: in
fact. the fret intima alton OF the crime was the
PeTCeP'lble imitation OF their paper in circuIa-
noE. Livery lire and shade OF the Original bill
was reproduced IN the counterfeit in such a
perfect manner, that without the aid of a mi
cToscOpe, detection utterly impossible.
Once discovered, II was plain that no 9th
counteTieiting process could 80 completely im,-
tate the genuine but the art CT pbOfoCraYhy
aud IN that science the msnipuIators must have
been skilled.
Sloueh and went to work at once led b. the
incentive of very large conditional reward
We lGhCred many weeks without success. There
was nos single Photographic establishment in
that large City that escaped our visits IN dis
curse. and 10 my zeal TO succeed the under
taxing, studied the pFogress of the art irons
beginning 70 end. Nearly three months had
been tTultlessly spent in this way, when one
evening messenger was sent to u from the
cashier OF the bank, requesting US 10 hurry TO
MS room lie informed Us that two passe ger
tickets lad been purchased that day at the Cal
norLia steamship &c, every dollar for which
had been paid in the spurious bills. He had
made some inquiries himself in the matter and
informed us that the ticket agent had no re col
IectiOns of the persons from whom he had re-
celyed the money, and thai the steamer would
san ST nine o clock on the following morning.
SLOUGH and took the matter into consiiera-
ton, and urged by the advice and counsel OF
the bank otiicers, We determined 10 take passage
IN the same boat. A trunk apiece was hastily
packed With or molly wardrobe, and after
agreeing upon our DISCUSSES, We sailed out the
next morning. taking different routes, and pro-
eeeuing without any show of haste 20 the YES
eel. hesitate to say that Was much disguised
on this trip, because my appearance a near q /.
could make II ur, was that of well dressed
gentleman OF fortune, travelling for pleasure
anuO course, the Hr-t cabin was chosen for IN Y
quarters. SLOUGH ha selected a very repulsiya
disgu-s sc, and might have been seen a. thieves
rel ielt the pier, awkyardly striding among the
strange passengers, the most perfect semblanCe
of a sneak thief ever saw. AS a precsut,on
We bore letter OF introduction 10 the M .so.r
Oh me vessel, indorscd By the chief OF the New
Ao-s police. SLOUGH anu 4 were, of course, az
IAitht strangers, and were rs widely as poss BILE
seP2r ated on shipt 1aTd.
Only few DAYS OF our voyage had passed be-
lore had succeeded in winning the good Opirl-
ION OF ny companions in the cabin while nv
partner IN the same time, by his manners ami
appearance. had male himself an object OF
suspicion and distrust ~ the whole Storage
There was an unusually small number OF US in
the cabin, and among than not a single person
whose demesncr could create a suspicion OF
CRIME The women, without exception were
extremely ladylike and entertaining ana I was
inclined N their society TO forget the gran
purpose OF Fay voyage; but SLOUGH got NE Occa-
slonslly ASIDE, and talked business so intensely
THAT became little HlJEe yisilant AMI atten-
tive.
Among the male passengers was one who e..
Peelally engaged my observation. He was a
person Of CONSPICUOUS Appearance not unhand-
some N face. f.ultless in CURE, aud rather foI-
pisL-s attiTed- tie wore dark imperial and
mustache. large brilliant upon his scarf, two
or three diamond rings upon his fingers aud
Carried delicate rattan cane with a deal OF
grace There was an assumed air o: dignity,
ara pttIOulZIng Air about him that d!Sgustst
me- the more a. / conid detect in his feat ures
weak aud shallow mind This person gave
ms INDIVIDUAL attention To the lady psssen gers,
was prOdlgai In compliments To them, ami vas
fact becoming sfavOrte. He appeared a per
feet stranger To me until about the sixth ,jay
out. " hen seeing hIm early one morning before
LIZ toilet was made, has face became Invested
with an old familiarity. / became suspicious
~ once that he WAS PLAYING q false part, and [
began watching him more closely. On tie first
occasion that offered engaged hin IN CONVEX
Patton, and II required but little skill to bring
out Biz assertion hat he, too, travelling for
pleasure.
noticed also that he hal a lively eve upon a
certain quiet and very hand ONE lady who was
apparently without q protector. and who G
costly slks and abundant jewels Indicate d 10
lack OF funds. He Was free To tell me hat is
name Mas Ross, and WAS particular 10 hint on
every occasion how fortune had favored h m
With wealth. The lady spoken of hsd attr acted
nv attention, and l confess to feeling at tn g
time lit tie tender psrtialIty toward her. Thu
reader, therefore. VIII not he surprised that l
was oSseryant OF Ross gallantries To her. ami
fhat was somewhat annoyed when I saw that
she seemed 70 regard hi a with favor Perhaps
nvas the stimulus Of a rival, perh Aps the no.
mans Charms alone that aroused me TO regard
her bat at any rate fell 10 gazing upon and
thinking OF her, and that, too, after oRly two or
three short and rather cool inter vie U.s. whe rein
1 utterly Jailed 10 exchange a single teuder
look. Meantime, Ross, to nv utter dis comf -
ure. wss admitted by her 10 the most conrden-
tia te,e-a-tetes.
IL was about this time tina. began to scrutin-
fze koes more closely. vitn the view of detect
Sng HE completely IN the crime was employed
TO discover. The more Y reflected the more
became convinced Of the rexsonabIeness OF
my suspScions. He rs. in my opinion, per-
son not hkely TO accuriulate wealth. His IA bits
were too extravsgant fOr that, aud besides the
Vulgar inclination Lie ksd Of alluiing 10 his
abundant means, denied the Probability OF his
lbheriting money. IL such person really had
money, IL was quite likely 70 have been unlsy-
fully Obtained IL appeared q significant fact
20 lac that this Ran eyaded all my hints 20 dis
cover BIS source OF wealth. His business. what
ever Il mght have been, was never once a.
InueG To by him, and any method by which
s"N.n obtain a clGe was "a be sought for. DID
sc Understand the phptoCraDhiuop In Ia