Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1883-08-18

oaiu Ill eiuefiy OetectiVe, TO search IOr money
concealed by eccentric people. There was more
of this hiding away OF cash forty years ago than
there Is now, owing probably to the doubtful
character Of some Of the old savings banks.
Still there is more of it now than most people
suppose, and whenever bank breaks the tea
pots and old stockings come into use again.
Then. too, there are persons who have delight
in concealing money in such way that they can
get sight at it now aud then or at the place in
which 1t is concealed.
''What is my method of search? Well, can
hardly say; in detective work set methods are
only too apt to defeat the ends for which they
are put in operation. Our proceedings depend
wholly upon circumstances. The character,
to be considered. A knowledge of human ma
ture and an aptitude for perceiving the sig
nificance of certain classes of facts arc espe-
cially needed.
''FOr instance: was once sent for to find the
money Of man over in New jersey who had
died suddenly and left no visible trace of his
wealth. The family had made careful sys-
tematic search before l arrived. l learned that
he was not misery. and inferred that he had
not used any of those complicated methods of
concealment which are one OF the mlser's chief
characteristics. / found that his business took
him frequently from home, and that he had for
merly been a sailor. l asked what room he usu-
ally slept in. and they saii all over the house,
adding that they had fully examined every place
in which he had ever been known to be. asked
about his clothing.
s. ooh, the oldest possible kind said his wife.
We couldn't get him to wear anything decent.
May | see it?'
'''Why. we have been all through it with knit
ting needles, and my girls have ripped up the
Innings everywhere. but we found nothing, and
gave the old things away
II insisted, Of course, upon seeing the
clothes. You see, sir, reasoned in this way:
The man was not miser. and, therefore, had
used no extraordinary means of concealment;
and he constantly made short journeys from
home, so judged that he carried his money
upon his person. You may set it down as
general rule that most men who conceal money
like to have it as near them as possible. The
fact that he did not desire to sleep in
any particular room showed that the money
was not hidden in room. 1t was either in
his clothing or buried in the cellar, a favOrite
place tor hiding money. But he had been a
sailor. Now. 1t is characteristic of sailor not
to conceal money Oh shipboard; the risks from
fire and water are too great This feeling
would be likely to continue after he had settled
down ashore. Then, too. sailor is in the habit
OF carrying his pay with him. So, you see,
there were good reasons for my guess. Well.
some one brought the clothes in at last, ana
very shabby-lOoking they were. l went over
them without success until my eye caught the
binding He always kept them well bound, ,
said his wife; sailors are good sewers The
binding was wide. but we soon had it off, and
there we found, folded lengthwise and pro-
systematic search is often not as good as a
shrewd guess by an experienced person.
Eyes, there are men who conceal wealth away
from their homes. Criminals almost always do
1t. Middle-aged countrymen will do it, but
when they get old they are almost sure to hide
it near the spot where they pass most of their
time.
"Some fifteen years ago went up to farm
house in Orange county, at the request of the
heirs. to look for money. The deceased had had
after trying several lines of search for three DAYS
l grew doubtful. HIS riding saddle had been
ripped open, his bootheels knocked Off for dia-
mOnds, his sOles split up and his upholstery
pulled to pieces. Bricks had been taken out,
the hearth torn up, and the wainscOtings pulled
down. Even the backbOards of picture-frames
had been taken out, and the boys had dug
around the roots of every tree in the orchard
but still no money had been found. The reward
was too large to be lost, but was nearly at my
wits end. Finally l asked for horse and
wagon. wanted to drive about bit and settle
my mind. AS | rode off. the brother of the
deceased said. You'll find the farm well laid off.
he surveyed it himself
''Those words kept coming to my mind. The
man hadn't concealed the money in the house,
that was evident; nor in the barn, for he sell
dom went there. Why should he use the roots
OF trees or stones if he knew how to survey?
The thought came like a flash Where was
the old gentleman in the habit Of sitting?'
asked. ooh, he almost always sat by that win
dow, said the brother, but we've pulled every
thing to pieces around there sit down lust
as he did The man sat down. In which di-
rection was he most apt to look?' Nowhere
in particular; out of the window generally
Toward the barn?' No, this way fol-
lowed the look. 1t was in the line of an
old. used-up pump. (Which way did he walk
when he went out to the field?' Over to the
pump and then made bee line for the pond?'
These answers had a certain significance Men
like to have the place of concealment In
sight. and it is well known that they will often
the sod is undsturbed. had the pump taken
up and excavations made-nO money The
pump was replaced. / entered the room once
more and stood by the window. Suddenly l
saw faint but peculiar looking mark on the
sill; it was a surveyors point. 1 lined it up
to the pump, measured out to the exact center
OF the line, and the digging began. A twO-inch
steam pipe was struck at depth OF four feet.
The end was plugged; took home $500 bill
that night.
wealthy man had been attacked with partial
paralysis, and his speech and the greater part of
his memory had left him. He wrote out the
question. where did l put my money! The
amount was large, S32, 600 in bonds, which he
had been about to take to a safe deposit build
tearing up and cushion-pricking business. for
the man was not a 'concealer,' though it was
supposed by the doctors that he had
felt the attack coming on and had put
the money in some Out-Of-the-way place. Just
how or in what spot in his library he had fallen
could not be made out. After days reflection
my partner and had to conclude that he had
been robbed. Two courses were open to US; we
could make sudden arrests without any real
evidence, always hateful course for a good de-
tectve to take. or we must find the exact spot
where the man fell. and line up from that. The
doctors helped us here: You had better exam
inc the gentlemans body they said. We did so.
and found long horizontal mark on the hin.
and blue marks on the knee and elbow. Hehad
fallen sidewse over an object not over sixteen
inches high and having narrow, rounded edge
of metal, for an iron mark was found on the
clothing. Every piece of furniture in the house
was inspected, but to no purpose. The heirs
apparent were in despair. But my partner and
began to be hopeful. In detective work,
whenever you come upon some detail that
seems utterly inexplicable, that is the thing
which Of all others must be explained:
aud you feel, moreover, that in solving the diff,
Guilty you will come nearer in some unknown
way to your point We took all night to think
the matter over Then nv mariner said tUo1y