Connecticut western news., 1883-08-22
A GOVERNMENT DEFECTIVE
A LITTLE INSIGHT INTO HIS DAILY
 AVOCATION.
Some of the Sad and Narrowing Details
 of His Business A Warming to Fast Boys.
GFrom the Milwaukee Sum-

From the Milwaukee Sun.1
 Not long since, the editor of the Sata spent an evening with friend who is government detective,' man in the employ of the post-office department, and who travels all over the west at gov ernment expense, and who would seem to have an enviable position, one that hundreds of men would be glad to se- cure. After talking for an hour on the incidents of his business, we asked him how he liked it. He looked long and earnestly at the wall opposite where he sat, choked up 8 little as some recollec- tion came to him, then with tear in his eye he said: "Well, George, there are some things about it that are pleasant, but there are some that are enough to break mans heart. If we could shadow train robbers entirely, men who have no friends, no home associations, there would be certain romance about it that could be enjoyed. But suppose you have letter containing money, stolen from the mails. You report 1t to the postmaster, and detective IS put on. He finds where the letter was probably lost, and has his suspicion of certain postmaster, or route agent, and that man shadowed. Decoy letters are sent and the poor fellow takes one that has money in it, money that is marked. Then we have to go for him. We have the evil dence before he is arrested, and his con- viction is dead sure, and very likely he breaks down and confesses the whole thing. The heart breaking part of the business is going into quiet home and taking the husband and father and tear ing him from the wife and children who do not believe that he is guilty, taking him away from them, knowing that he is doomed to felon's cell, and that he is disgraced forever. To have the wife of a man who has just commenced steal ing, beg and pray with you to let her husband go, and have her hold up her little baby and ask you, for the baby's sake, to release the father, and to feel little children pulling at the skirts ot your coat, crying and pleading, is enough to make man who has got children ot his own go out and club himself. But those who lose money must be protected and man cannot give up to his feelings though many times I have felt like pay ing tRe money out.-of my. own pocket, rather than arrest man. One of the saddest things I ever did was to take g boy who was clerk in 8 post-of6ce, at night, around his fathers house, to the barn, where he had concealed lot o1 letters that he had rifed. As we passed the house the father and mother of the boy. who knew nothing of the robbery, were sitting by the freight singing some good old Methodist hymns, and we Ieould hear them as we dug under the hay in the barn for the letters, with the boy showing us where they were. Ther we had to go in the house and break the news to the old father and mother. As we walked toward the house the voice o1 the father was lifted up in prayer, anc l we stood on the steps with uncovered heads, waiting for him to finish the prayer, and it was the saddest scene ever witnessed. I had the thieving boy or young man, by the wrist, and as the ] father asked God to watch over thei1 only child, and keep him from tempta tion, and deliver him from evil, the boy trembled all over, and broke down in { flood of tears, and was not much more composed than he was. tried to thinl of some way to get out of going in there but the boy had papers in his room tha we must have, and there was no othel way. It is said that government officials seldom die, and never resign, but swear to you I was willing to die or re sign, almost, at that moment, when thu old gentleman got up from his knees after the evening prayer, and went ove te his dear old wife and reverently kissed liner, the mother of my prisoner, on thu forehead, and then began to sing
 Nearer, my God to Thee I though Of my mother, and of my father, and o my children, and if the boy had skipped out I don't know whether would hav
 had strength to catch him or not, but h.
 never could have escaped. I will no dwell upon the scene in that house. I
 haunts me like nightmare, and I neve
 see good old father or mother withou
 wondering if they have not got bo.
 that is going wrong. Well, George
 whatever you do, don't be a governmen
 detective" and the officer got up am
 walked away with his handkerchief--t
 his eyes.
 If every boy in the land who has be
 gun to develop symptoms of speed, an
 who is taking the first steps toward be
 coming thief, could have that pictur
 presented to him as the detective ore
 sented it, and had the boy any heart lei
 in him, or any sense, he'would think C
 the old folks or somebody who will b
 heart-broken at his fall, and change hi
 course so quick it would make him dizzy
 Don't confound this article with any
 thing funny, because it is far from 1t. DR. H. 2. HAMILTON says that z ) least once day girls should have thei