Morris tribune., 1881-08-25
MODERN DETECTIVE WORK.
A Profession With Little Romance or My
rery About It.


Profession With Little Romance or Mys-
terry About 1t.
g. H. Pinkerton in New York Sum-
To begin with, I'll say that detectives are
divided into three general classes: shad-
ows, Investigators, and ropers. When
man begins the business he is put at shad-
owing. 1t is an excellent way to try him
and see what stuff there is in him. If he
will watch house night after night, in all
sorts of weather, or man day after day,
without exciting suspicion. it is pretty safe
to employ him regularly. A good shadow
is an important part of a detective force. In
great many cases of crime there is no
clew to the criminal, but only suspicion
The shadow is told to watch such man
and see what he does, what sort of company
he keeps, where he resorts; or he is told to
watch house, see who goes in and out,
what the character Of the inmates is, what
hours they keep. Now in order to do this,
man must have tact, intelligence, perse-
verance. He must not only not excite the
suspicious Of the suspected parties, but he
must not excite the suspicious of the
police It is very awkward for detect
policeman. While the policeman may be
the mest honest and faithful in the world,
it endangers the case if he knows detect
i've is around, and mentions it casually to
brother policeman. You can see that to do
his work we'll shadow must be q man
whose appearance will not provoke COM
ment or attract attention. You'd not make
q good shadow. You're too tall. A very
short man won't do. In fact, thoroughly
commonplace looking man is the very best.
He should be young and active. We have
had Office boys who developed considerable
talent for that sort of work. Sometimes q
boy can be used where man can not. He
can hang around house, make the &C
quaintance of other boys in the neighbor-
hood, and the criminal who may be watch
ing from inside the house for q chance to
steal out unobserved, may think the coast
clear when he sees that there is no one
around except two or three boys playing
marbles on the sidewalk. We had case of
this kind in Baltimore at the time of the
We wanted to watch house in Perry street,
and we couldn't do it with any of our
regular shadows. So we put boy there.
He was playing marbles when the man
came out, and then gave the signal that re-
suited in his capture. But boys, as rule,
are not safe. They are likely to become
too important in their own estimation, and
they may talk. Some great criminals have
been captured by means of shadows. The
Northampton bank robbers were shadowed
months before Scott and Dunlap were ar
rested. Billy Conners was shadowed two
months, and Red Leary, before his last
arrest, wac shadowed nine weeks by three
different detectives.
THE Investigator, continued Mr.. Pink
erton, lis the man who, after crime is
committed, makes a preliminary investiga-
ton. He usually works with the local Of
6cers. He seldom pretends to work in
secret. He looks the ground over, mingles
with civilians, talks with every one, and
forms his conclusions. He must be man
make good shadow. He reports the re.
suits of his investigations, and on his
report is decided the course to be pursued.
Perhaps one result of his report will be
that shadow is put on certain man, and
an effort is made in that way to reach the
truth in the matter. The preliminary in
vestlgator, in short, opens the way for pri-
vate investigation. .... p. 49,.
The roper must, to speak plainly, rope
men in. He comes nearest to the dime
novel detective of any other in the list,
but he is great way off from that romantic
hero. The roper is simply a gentlemanly
person, social, of good address, able to
frame excuses for anything he may do or say,
and able to turn the conversation in any
way he pleases. He must have travelled,
must have good knowledge of men, must
be an easy talker, but a better listener.
rs detectives life particularly danger
ous?" ..- ....'s..... .... -..~
Not in the east Nomor so than yours.
When man has the law on his side and
attempts to arrest a criminal, there is not
much danger. Criminals ars very often
towards, especially our eastern thieves and
burglars. Occasionally young reckless
thief will attempt to shoot, but such men
are of the lower order of criminals. Bur-
glars, counterfeiters, forgers, and the like
take chances of being arrested as one Of
the chances of their business. If you
have the law on your side and go at them
in a proper manner, you'll win every time.
There is everything in going strong enough.
Ifa detective is foolish enoug,
to 90 single handed into a
thieves resort he's bound to have
trouble, no matter who the criminal is.
But in the west and south detective takes
his life in his hand. The detectives who
are sent into Arkansas, Texas, Missouri,
Western Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama,
the Indian Territory, and into the great
south and west generally run q tremendous
risk. We lost five men in Missouri in
eight months in looking up the James and
Younger brothers. Our men were working
for the Adams Express company at the
time. The men who go out after such
can assure you."
THAT suggests the question of pay"
swell, the pay runs all the way from $15
and $40 week to So, 500 year. The man
that goes on dangerous mission doesn't
| necessarily get higher wages. In fact, he
does not get them. He works for SO much
| and does what he is ordered to do. But at
the same time q man is not asked to do
| dangerous piece of work against his will.
| If he hesitates he need not go. TO sue:
coed, a man must go willingly. Of course
| the fact that o man succeeds in dangerous
piece of work is often the means Of an in
crease in his salary. Why, it's like any
| other business, exactly. Each man has his
value. It won't do to work for reward.
Human nature is human nature, and when
man sees big pile of money coming as
the result of fixing q crime on some man
well, it's often dangerous for that man, in
| nocent or guilty. The work should be done
|
| What is the average life of detective?"
| "Well, I don't know as to that. think,
though, they stick to the work on an aver
age say fifteen years. Then they get tired
of travelling, and want to settle down. They
get situations in banks, hotels and other
institutions"
| Are female detectives much employed
or depended uponp" Il
| 1T is difficult to get respectable woman
to do detective work. There are lots Of
them TINT claim to be detectives, but they
| must be employed with caution.
| They are occasionally useful to
work up case against woman. In such
cases we usually employ o female relative
of some of one our men-a woman who
knows what detective work is, and who is
respectable. But we have to be very careful
| always in employing women.