Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1881-08-20

there is no clue 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
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, man must have tact, intelligence,
perseverance. He must not only not
excite the suspicious of the suspected
parties, but he must not excite the
suspicious of the police. 1t is very
awkward for detective to have to give
an account of himself TO a policeman.
Whtle the policeman may be the most
honest and faithful in the world, it en-.
dangers the case if he knows detective
is around, and mentions it casually to a
brother policeman. You can see that
to do his work well shadow must be n
man whose appearance will not provoke
comment or attract attention. You'd
not make a 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 boy
can he used where a man cannot. He
can hang around house, make the ac-
quaintance of other boys in the neighbor-
hood, and the criminal, who may be
watching from inside the house for a
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 mar1ies on the side
walk. We mad case Of this kind III
Baltimore at the time of the robbery of
the Third National Bank there. We
wanted to watch house 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 came out, and then gave the
signal that resulted 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 arrested. Billy Conners
was shadowed two months, and Red
Leary, before his last arrest, was
shadowed nine weeks by three different
detectives.
"The investigator" continued MIR.
Pinkerton, lis the man who, after
crime is committed, makes n prelimi-
nary investigation. He usually works
with the local officers. He seldom pre-
tends to work in secret. He looks the
ground over, mingles with civilians,
wit -
clusions. He must be man of greater
intelligence than is necessary to make
good shadow. He reports the results
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 n certain man,
and an effort is made in that way to
reach the truth in the matter. The pre-
liminary investigator, in short, opens
the way Tor private investigation.
"The roper must, to speak plainly,
rope men in.s' He comes nearest to the
dime novel detective of any in the list,
but he is a great way off from that ro-
mantle hero. The roper is simply
gentlemanly person, social, of good ad-
dress, able to frame excuses for any
thing 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 better listener.
You remember the murder of the Nor
walk miser, old Schultz. His servant,
Bucholz, was imprisoned, on the Cor
oner's jury's verdict, in Bridgeport Jail.
It was morally certain that he did the
| - L.
proof. Bucholz was a German, well
educated, man of unusual intelligence.
He would have nothing to do with the
other prisoners. We put one of our
men, Stark, on the case. But you were
at the trial and know all about that case"
The reporter did remember. No one
who was present is likely forget the
look on the prisoners face when, in an
swer to the call for Edward Somers, a
slender, well-dressed, gentlemanly per-
son slowly walked to the witness stand
and was sworn as witness for the State.
The case is worth repeating as an Illus
tration of the roper's methods. An ex-
press agent in New York City was taken
into the confidence of Mr.. Pinkerton.
A package of paper, alleged to be a
package of $500 In money, was sent to
Bridgeport. The police there were tele-
graphed to arrest the man who called
for the money. Stark had been hang
ing around Bridgeport day or two.
He looked seedy. He called for the
package, and was promptly arrested.
He appeared confused, contradicted him
self, and the upshot was that he was
lodged in Jail, pending trial, under the
name OF Edward Somers. He was months
IN jail By degrees he secured first the
acquaintance, then the friendship, then
the confidence of the prisoner, Bucholz.
Every night, after day of conversation
with Bucholz, the detective in his cell
wrote full report of all that had been
said. The strain on him was such that
he became Ill. But he persevered until
at last the prisoner told him where the
money taken from the murdered man
was concealed. Then Somers had no
trouble in getting bail. He led the
proper persons to the spot designated
by the prisoner, and they found some
$50, 600 buried in the earth. Stark re-
mained in Bridgeport until the trial.
He made many finds there. as Ed Som
ers, and the little episode of the $500
package seemed to be forgotten. When
he was called to the witness stand that
memorable day, there was murder in
Bucholz's heart. or his face belied him,
and when Somers, laying down the
| l.~A h. A.