American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1873-04-05
Miscellany.
EXPERIENCES WITH DETECTIVES,
CHAPTER THE LOSS.

EXPERIENCES WITH DETECTIv ES
CHAPTER THE LOSS.
NOT long ago foreign firm in Londol
asked me to assist them in recovering
some bonds, the loss of which would hav
embarrassed them them very much. Tn,
circumstances under which these docu
ments had been taken from them wert
very peculiar, SO much so that they cOulC
hardly move in the affair themselves with
out injuring the credit of their house
The son of the senior partner, young
man about 25 years of age. was employed
by the firm, and acted as sort of conf
Dental clerk or secretary to his father.
The junior partner was often Obliged to
be on the Continent for several weeks
together; and as the senior had very deli
cate health. and often absented himself
from the office for a day or two on that &C
count, he had given, with the full consent
of his partner, his son power to sign fol
the firm "by procuration," as it is called.
The son had, as was only found out when
too late, been gradually falling into bad
habits, and unknown to his father, used
to bet upon races, and otherwise do much
that he had been far wiser to have left
alone. Latterly his creditors had been
pressing him very hard. He had some
overdue acceptances, which the holder
threatened to tell his father of if they
were not taken up. He also owed money
to tradesmen. and had even more dis
creditable liabilities which he would not
for the world his father should know of.
For some time past he had used his
power of signing for the firm to sign
checks for el0 or ego whenever he want
ed money. His father had been unwell,
the Junior partner was to be absent for
some weeks, and the check book, as well
as the bankers pass-bOOk, were left in his
hands. At las: he had got so deep in the
mire of debt and difficulty that there was
but two roads open for him-the one to
make q clean breast of it, tell his father
all he had done, and ask him to pay his
debts; the other to leave London and
Europe and to go to America. In an
evil hour hs chose the latter; but before
doing SO, drew out by check from the
bank nearly the whole balance then to
the credit of the firm. Fortunately this
was only a few hundred pounds, as sew
eral large acceptances had fallen due q
short time before. But in addition to
this money he took with him bonds to a
large amount, which represented the
greater part of the capital of the firm.
These, being shares on foreign companies.
were payable Ito bearer" and therefore
it was surmised that he must have pledg-
ed them. He had been traced 10 Paris,
and from there to Havre, where he had
embarked for America. / mention these
various circumstances to show how it was
that the firm itself could not act openly
in the matter without injuring very great
and why it was they requested me to find
out, if possible, whether these stolen
bonds were pledged; if so, where, and for
what amount, and to redeem them as
cheaply and as quickly as was possible.
A clue-a very slight one. it is true,
but still q clue-was given me as to where
to begin my inquiry. Nearly all the
checks which the young man had drawn
without authority in SO doing had been
traced to the bank where a very notorious
money-lender kept his account. This in
dividul had the very worst of characters,
having, as was well known, been some
years ago mixed up with the robbery of
we'll known bank in London-not in
deed as principal in the work, but as in
stigator, receiver of the plumber, and
having profited by the plumber very much
more than the chief actor in the affair.
But the accusation could never be proved
against him, and the consequence was
that he was free man, whereas the clerk
who had perpetrated the fraud had been
for some years in penal servitUde.
The object of the firm that employed
me to recover these bonds for them was
two-fold. In the first place they wanted
to get the documents back, but to get
them back without creating any scandal
or any talk 1t was almost of as vital i'm
portance for their credit that the conduct
OF the senior partners son should not be
known as it was that the missing property
should be found. This was the reason
why they did not wish to appear in the
matter themselves. was to act as if the
bonds had been mine. They did not ex-
pect me to do any detective work myself,
but merely to employ the proper persons
for the work, and direct, under private
instructions from them, the search
Funds almost to any amount were placed
at my disposal. Any expense that |
should deem necessary to incur would be
met at once. All I had to do was to find
out where the bonds were, for what
amount the senior partners son had
pledged them, and to recover them
for as little as 1 could. but
in any case to recover them. Bnt
under no circumstances whatever was the
young man who had perpetrated the fraud
to be followed to America, nor WAS his
name nor that of the firm to be brought
forward.
BY the very simple process of going to
Havre and inquirIng at the American
steam-packet Office found out that the
ASCENDING man had paid for his passage
In Bank of England notes. Of these
notes about half were traced as coming
from the money lender of whom 1 have
spoken; the other half were traced as
coming from an individual in Paris who
followed like occupation, and who, up
on inquiry, found bore very similar
reputation. / further succeeded in fluid
ing out that between scoundrel number
one in London-to whom | shall give the
name of Mr.. Nual-and scoundrel mum
Der two in Paris-whom ] shall call Mons.
Treves-there existed occasional business
relations. But whether the money fur
nished by these worthless mad been given
for the bonds, in whose hands those docu
ments now were, and how | was to re-
cover them, and yet keep the whole affair
quiet, was more than could see my way
to; and in my difficulty, as matter Of
course, applied to Scotland yard, aud
got one of the best off GERS OF the detec-
tive force put under my orders
1t was the first-and l hope it will be
the last-time that | ever had anything
to do with conducting a criminal affair.
But notwithstanding my inexperience, |
could see at once that the man sent me by