The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1875-01-21
THE DETECTIVE RINGS.
HOW They Are Organized
and Managed.
GOOD AND BAD JOBS
The Profitable Days During
the Late War.
INTERNATIONAL DETECTIVES.

INTERNATIONAL DETECTIVES.
An Old Ring Broken and q New
One Formed.
At intervals the public are informed. BY direct
assertion or BY inference that some OF the detec.
tives who do duty at the Central once or the
Police Department are banded together. and form
article is intended to throw some light upon this
subject.
IL will, NO doubt be remembered that during tho
war extraordinary powers were delegated to tbs
superintendent OF the Metropolitan Police he
having received from the federal governments an
appointment which, In reality, made him q pro.
vost marshal. Under this appointment the Super.
intendent had tho power, or privilege-for 1t
amounted to the same thing-0l using the services
OF mis- subordinates In any way conducive to the
end in view. This arrangement gave increased
scope to the movements ana privileges of the dc
tectives, and they grew more bold ana unscru-
puous in their operations, and the cases that came
into their hands proved rich placers to those
fortunate enough to secure them. In those days
money was made rapidly and In immense
sums by inscriptions men who ran tho blockade,
dealt in bounties or some other OF the many new
avenues for fraud and evasion Of the laws. Many
OF these vloators Of the law naturally fell into the
hands Of the local detectives, and when they did
SO fall were very often picked clean OF all
their money. Privileges shat were their rights
even though they were prisoners, were only Sc
cured by constant current Of payments and. as
the victims were only too glad to submit IN order
to achieve their objects, no one was the wiser.
Instances are known where lawyers kept detec-
tives in their pay in order to secure profitable
clients who BY their netarious acts were amenable
to the law, and were naturally anxious to escape
Its meshes by any fortunate nav that could be
discovered. But these detective Jackals were not
content with earning the money given by coun.
sci, for when prisoner expressed wish
to obtain legal advice the detective buttered
his bread on both sides BY demanding
and receiving Q handsome fee to induce him to
send for the very lawyer in whose pay he already
was The reader who is not familiar with the
secret history Of that time WILL no doubt, be sur.
prised to learn that certain blockade runner.
who was arrested by government ofncer and
simply handed over to q New York detective for
temporary safekeeping, actually paid his whilom
over $4,000 in greenoacks. for the privilege OF
stopping for twenty minutes in lawyers once.
Those were golden days indeed for detectives.
ana the corruption that prevailed then has gone
on from bad to worse, though the profits are, OF
course, not 50 large.
INTERNATIONAL DETECTIVES.
Many Of the facts given here will probably read
very much like romance, but that they are true
there is no question. Indeed the whole truth
cannot be given in newspaper article
Tor want OF space for the proofs So reckless were
the detectives in these war days that they hesi-
tated at nothing to accomplish their ends When
the citizens OF New York were startled by the Con.
federate plot to destroy the city by setting IRE to
ali the hotels at the same time the police author.
tiles became desperate In their exertions to
fatnom the depths OF that historical conspiracy,
ana the detectives were threatened and cajoed
by turns to make them put forth every exeryton
to arrest the ringleaders. The most extraordinary
power was given those who were selected by their
chief, ana they had the right to seize and hold
suspected persons In any state OF the Union. Then
began one OF the most wonderful man hunts on
record. The detectives travelled far and wide IN
search of the hotel burners and their celebrated
black carpet bags and 1t shows how demoralized
they had become when these policemen took
upon themselves to anlawfully invade foreign ter.
ritory. Receiving Information that was deemed
correct, but atterward believed TO have been gwen
with purpose TO mislead, several Of the New
York detectives crossed over into Canada via the
Suspension Bridge, and tor several days actually
acted as guerlllas armed to the teeth, anu they
patroled the frontier on the other side of the
Niagara River in hopes OF intercepting the fugl-
tives. A well known member Of the Headquarters
squad at that time, when subsequently relating
the events that occurred during that eventful and
stirring period, often boosted that II they had
caught the Confederate hotel burners in Canada
they intended to carry on their prisoners without
any Formally, and, in fact, kidnap them for trial
on United States soil. What effect tnls procedure,
II carried out, would have had upon our inter-
national relations with England Is scarcely
worthy OF consideration now. but 1t Is
easy TO see that so EIgh-handed an outrage upon
tue rights OF foreign nation would have been
serious at that critical juncture OF affairs. or
came back to the city with their arsenal or re-
volve RS, carefully concealng what had been their
inten tlOns IRON their superl0rs. Indeed, 1t Is
doubtful If Mr.. Kennedy, the superintendent at
that time, ever knew the real facts, though they
we're the subject Of gossip in after years behind
the ground over which these detectives tramped
IN the snow was alterward the scene OF the first
Fenian Invasion, IN 1866, and 1t was during that
campaign that one OF these same detectives
pointed out his tran to the writer.
All OF TINS eoyernment duty gave the detectives
oppOrtun ty for making money, in doing which
t they were we're, not smenabIe to the law
tradictiOn to their instructions and the rules or
the department they had sworn to obey. Fat
jObsn were soon abundant, and it was not long
before certain members OF the squad seemed TO
have exclusive control OF all business in which
"there was money" No matter how or when
sucn case came In this cotere or ring managed
to get hold OF 1t. In one instance member OF the
squad. VINO was not in the ring, was called Oy Inc
superintendent and given charge OF an important
case. the offcer, overjoyed at MS good luck,
went zeal0usly 10 work and would have succee led
in bringing tue matter to q successful issue mad
not the ring tnteriered, aud In reality broke the
net spread TOR the criminal by their brother officer
The later lost caste with his superiors by reason
OF his failure aud when he limited how he had
been interered with was disgraced because the
story was deemed improbable. Thus there became
two distinct par les In the squad, the 'Inso and
the "Outs." The former rcvelled In running down
criminals who had secured valuable booty, and
waxed rich IN the rewards gained by their exer-
tlons. IL Was all sunshine aud prosperity with
them The other party were compelled to do all
the dirty WORK OF the once. Ii q pickpocket or
other small thief was wanted they had to hunt