Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1876-10-04

nOld his picker and brush, but we were
not permitted to accept it.
9d A DALMATIAN DETECTIVE.
The Wonder fuI Eek pIOits of q Member of
"a the London Police.
One Of the most remarkable of the
London police is Druskowitz. No one
looking at the short, blonde moustached
and rather dandifed young mar would
suspect him of being the cleverest of
detectives. He is about thirty-four
years old, but looks less. His father
was Dalmatian. He himself speaks
any number of languages, and is thus
nearly always sent abroad where any
case occurs in q non-English speaking
country needing the services of an Eng
lish detective. In London his special
work is among the foreigners, who go.
there as fugitives FROM justice. 1t is
generally found that such persons b.
take themselves to special localities.
Usually they lie hiding for a few days,
but they soon find it impossible to re-
main indoors any longer; and so, hay
ing shaved off their boards, if they had
one, Or putting on false beard if they
had formerly shaved, and wearing q
wig and spectacles, they sally fourth at
night, and, being in want Of amuse-
ment, they betake themselves to the
Alhalnbra. That is a favorite resort Of
| foreigners in London, and Druskowitz
is therefore a frequent visitor there.
He appears much interested by the
performance, but his thoughts are else
where. He is watching some one in
dividual in the audience, follows him
when he leaves, tracks him to his hiding
place, and then sets to work to fintt
out who he is. 2 Woe to the man who
really is criminal if Druskowitz be on
his trail. There is little chance for
him. DruskOwltz has an extraordinary
moral influence over criminals; it is
something like that of the rattlesnake
upon the BIRD. He carries no arms,
yet he does not fear to 60 UP to an
armed man and arrest him; and,
though armed and desperate, he sue
cumbs. Druskowit was engaged, nine
years ago, in a remarkable case. h III
1866, Vital Douat, Bordeaux wine
merchant, went to Paris and insured
his life for a sum equal to $4,000.
Shortly afterward he went to London
in order to escape the consequences of
a fraudulent bankruptcy. Some time
later, his wife, clad in widows weeds,
presented herself at the insurance
office with the necessary legal docu
ment attesting her husbands death.
There was nothing suspicious in the
/ papers. Nevertheless, the company
determined to make some inquiries
before handing over the amount of
insurance. Druskowitz was called in,
and he ascertained that on December
/, 1866, some one named Bernardo had
called at the registrars Office in Plais-
tow, and registered the death of Douat,
aud it was entered as due to heart dis
ease. DruskoWitz found out the
undertaken who had conducted
| the funeral, and learned
that everything had been properly Or
dered and paid for, and that the funer-
al had been performed at Leytonstone
by the Catholic priest. One thing
seemed strange. The coffin had not
been sent to any private house, but di-
rect to the cemetery. Further inquiry
failed to discover any doctor of the
name attached to the certificate of
death. The next step was to obtain an
order. for elimination, and the coffin
being opened there was found not the
body of Vital Douat, but q block Of
lead. Further inquiry elected the fact
that Douot had been present at his own
funeral and afterwards gone to America,
whence he supplied his wife with the
documents intended for the insurance
company. Sometime afterwards he
returned to Europe, went to Antwerp,
bought a ship, sent her to sea with a
lot of rubbish, and having previously
insured her for q large sum, had her
burned. Arrested and brought to trial,
he was visited by Druskowitz, who felt
sure that this was the man he wanted.
Douat was found guilty aud condemned
to imprisonment with hard labor, but
the French Government claimed him
under an extradition treaty, and he vas
tried on the charge of fraudulent bank
ruptcy, found guilty, and sentenced to
penal servitude for comparatively
short period.