The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1872-09-12
The Detectives's Story.

The Detectives's Story.
NV name is-no matter. am called
Tony ] have never been a member ol
the regular police, and hope nav vanity
will he pardoncd when | say that | con
slider my occupation grade OF two above
it; since it must he evident to every one
that a dull person may be, and often is, a
servccahle policeman. while a detective
has no chance of success without u ready
perception and Il close study OF human
nature. | am intuitively possessed of :,
faculty Of imitation, which | have culli-
waited to be of great service in my huSi-
ness. as it enables me to assume, in 4 very
deceptive manner, the disguise Of any
character | please; indeed, 50 many dit
lerent parts have | played and in such
various company have ! MIXED. that it
appears TO me a serious problem at times
where my proper position in society lays.
have a partner in business whose real
name | have no right to make public
He is a coarse-teaturcd person and is
capable of converting himself by means
of dress into one of the most rough look
ing and repulsive of men. While in one
of the mcanesl of his DISCUSSES, some one
rather repulsive soIriquet attached 10
him at first in a spirit of pleasantly. is
now about the only name by which I ad-
dress him. He is n good hearted fellow,
muscular and courageous, and he has, in
more than one instance. rescued me from
great peril if not actually saved my life.
SLOUGH has a remarkable faculty Of read
inc crime on the face. His conclusions
are generally correct yet how he arrives
1T them has always been Il mystery TO me.
MY own suspicious are mostly the result
of some theory and will freely confess
that my imagination has often led me
astray. 1t is different with Slouch A
single look at the suspected person seems
enough for him. He has often upset a
nicely woven tissue ot apparently cor
roboratve incidents for me by glance
at the party suspected, shake of the
head and . gruif and provoking dissent.
Only one instance occurred whore | was
right and he was absolutely wrong but
as its recital would be a depression, |
shall reserve it for another time.
We are sometimes together. and at
other times widely separated. There is
not a railroad, canal or steamboat route
in the United States that one or the other
of us has not travelled over in the pursuit
of our calling. Recently we have been
solourning in San Francisco
Some time since Ihe officers Of the T.
bank in the city of New York gave informa-
ton to the police that their notes had been
extensively counterfeited in u manner so
alarmingly perfect that many of the spuri-
Gus bills had passed through their own
Jc IN foa I,p ,t
intimation of the crime was the percep-
tible imitation OF their paper in circulation.
Every line and shade of the original bill
was reproduced in the counterfeit in such
Il perfect manner, that without the aid of
Il microscope, detection was utterly I'M
possible. Once discovered, il was plain
that no other countrrfcitin@ process could
so completely initiate the genuine but the
art of photography, and in that science
the manipnlators must have been skilled.
SLOUGH and | went to work at once, led
hy the incentive OF Il very large condition.
al reward We labored many weeks
without success There was not u single
Photographic establishment in that large
city thai escaped our visits in disguise,
and in my zeal to succeed in the under
taking, | studied the process Of the art
from beginning to end Nearly three
months had been truitlessly spent in this
way, when one evening Il messenger was
sent to us in haste from the cashier of the
bank requesting us to hurry to his room.
He informed us that two passengert
had been purchased that day at the Cal
forna steamship office, every dollar for
which had been paid in the spurious bills.
10 haI do ir,n al in
the matter. and informed us that the
ticket agent had no recollection of the
persons from whom he had received the
money, and that the steamer would sail
at nine O'Clock on the following morning
SLOUGH and took the matter into consid-
Grafton, and urged by the advice and
counsel of the bank officers, we deter
mined to take passage in the same boat.
A trunk apiece was hastily packed with
our motely wardrobe, and after agreeing
upon our disguises, we sailed out the ne Xt
morning, taking different routes, and pro-
ceeding without any show of haste TO the
vessel. hesitate to say that | was much
disguised on this trip, because my ap-
pearance. as near rs | could make il up,
was that of u well dressed gentleman of
fortune travelling tor pleasure, and of
course the first cabin was chosen for my
quarters Slouch had selected very re-
pulsive disguise. and might have been
seen, as the vessel left the pier, awkward
" striling among the strange passengers.
the most perfect semblance Of a sneak
thief ever saw. As a precaution, we
bore letter of introduction to the master
of the vessel, ndorsed by the Chief of the
New York Police. Slouch and were, of
course apparent strangers, and We're as
widely as possible separated on shipboard.
Only few days of our voyage had
passed, before | had succeeded in winning
the good opinions OF my companions in
the cabin, while my partner, in the same
time, by his manners and appearance, had
made himself an object of suspicion and
distrust to the whole steerage. There
was an unusually small number of us in the
cabin, and among them not single per-
son whose demeanor could create a sus-
picon of crime The women, without
exception, were extremely ladylikc and
entertaining, and | was inclined in their
society to forget the grand purpose of my
voyage; but Slouch got me occasionally
aside, and talked business so intensely
that became little more yigilant and
attentive.
Among the male passengers was one
who especially engaged my observation
He was person of conspicuous appear