The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1881-08-25

1Wlon i claSp6Q lef TO my DreaSG,
And the dear voice softly whispered,
mamma, God knows all the rest.
Oh, the trusting, sweet confiding
OF the child heart! Would that /
Thus might trust my heavenly Father,
He who hears my feeblest cry.
MODERN DETECTIVE WORK.
AProfession with Little Romance or Mys-
terry About It.
G. II. Pinkerton in New York Sun.
To begin with, I'll say that detectives are
divided into three general classes: shad-
ows, investigators, and ropers. When a
man begins the business he is put at shad-
owing. It is an excellent way to try him
and see what stuff there is in him. IF he
will watch a house night after night, in all
sorts of weather, or a man day after day,
without exciting suspicion, it is pretty safe
to employ him regularly. A good shadow
is an important part Of q detective force. In
a great many cases of crime there is no
clew to the criminal, but only a suspicion.
The shadow is told to watch such a man
and see what he does, what sort Of company
he keeps, where he resorts; or he IS told to
watch a house, see who goes In and out,
what the character of the inmates is, what
hours they keep. Now in order to do this,
a man must have tact, intelligence, perse-
suspicious of the suspected parties, but he
must not excite the suspicious Of the
police. It is very awkward for a detect
i've to have to give an account Of himself to
a policeman. While the policeman may be
the most honest and faithful in the world,
it endangers the case if he knows a detect
i've is around, and mentions it casually to a
brother policeman. You can see that to do
his work we'll a shadow must be a man
whose appearance will o provoke COM
ment or attract attention: You'd not make
a good shadow. You're too tall. A very
short man won't do. In fact, a thoroughly
commonplace looking man is the very best.
He should be young and active. We have
talent for that sort of work. Sometimes a
boy can be used where a man can not. He
can hang around a house, make the ac-
quaintance of other boys in the neighbour
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 a case Of
this kind in Baltimore at the time Of the
robbery Of the Third National bank there.
We wanted to watch ahouse in Perry street,
and we couldn't do it with! any of our
regular shadows. So we put a boy there.
He was playing marbles when the man
suited in his capture. But boys, as a 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 Swallowed
months before Scott and Dunlap were ar
rested. Billy Corners was shadowed two
months, and Red Leary, before his las.
arrest, was Swallowed nine weeks by three
different detectives.
"Ihe investigator, " continued Mr.. Pink
erton, SIS the man who, after a crime is
committed, makes a preliminary investiga-
ton. He usually works with the local of.
fcers. He seldom pretends to work in
secret. He looks the ground over, mingles
with civilians, talks with every one anc
of greater intelligence than is necessary tt
make a good shadow. He reports the re.
! suits Of his Investigations, and on hi
{ report is decided the purse to be pursued
Perhaps one result Of his report will b,
! that q shadow is put on a certain man, ant
an effort is made in that way to reach til,
truth in the matter. The preliminary in
, v~est1gator. in short, opens the way for pri
, vate investigation.
THE roper must, to speak plainly, rope
men in. He comes nearest to the dim
novel detective of any other in tine list
but he is a great way o Hfrom that romantic
hero. The roper is simply a gentlemanl
: person, social, of good address, able t
Z and able to turn the conversation In an
e way he pleases. He must have travelled
: must have a good knowledge of men, mus
be an easy talker, but a better listener.
rs q detectives life particularly danger
ous?"
o "Notin the east. Nomore SO than yours
y When a man has the law on his side an
attempts to arrest a criminal, there is nc
much danger. Criminals ars very ofte
g towards, especially our eastern thieves an
burglars. Occasionally a young rockies
} thief will attempt to shoot, but such me
Re are Of the lower order of criminals. Bul
81 glars, counterfeitcrs, forgars, and the lik
n take chances of being arrested as one {
u the chances of their business. If 70
to have the law on your side and go at the1
in a proper manner, you'll win every tim,
ID There is everything in going strong enough
TO fa detective is foolish enoue
ID to go single handed into
thieves resort he's bound to ha,
as trouble, no matter who the criminal j
10 But in the west and south a detective TAX
y his life in his hand. The detectives WI
q, are sent into Arkansas, Texas, Missou1
IN Western Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabam
Id the Indian Territory, and into the gre
e. south and west generally run a tremendo
ar risk. we lost i've men in Missouri
st eight months in looking up the James a,
e. Younger brothers. Our men were worki
for the Adams Express company at t
lie time. The men who go out after su
p criminals earn their money every time,
can ashu YOU"
That suggests the question of pay"
VI aWell, the pay runs all the way from S
and $40 a week to $500 year. Them
that goes on a dangerous mission does
necessarily get higher wages. In fact,
nd does not get them. He works for SO muc
and does what he is ordered to do. But
pa the same time a han is not asked to do
dangerous piece of work against. his Wi
en- If he hesitates he need not go. To 81
coed. a man must go willingly. Ofcou,
nd the fact that a man succeeds in 2 dangero
an piece of work is often the means of an i
crnaco in hic co1oru WV ;%,o 1;1,o a