The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1884-11-28
OF A DETEcgwE
Til Element Of Chance U%nfavorable 70
the Criminal Glasses.

The Element Of Chance U~nfavosable TO
the Criminal Clhsses.
IA great deal of what passes for fine
detective work is nothing more or lest
than sheer luck" said Police Captain
Washburn, of the Twentieth precinct,
to a New York Tribune reporter. q
have had n good deal of experience in
that line myself. I remember particu.
larly the case of L~ankonsky, who muir
dered Lena Muller, in New Jersey.
From a package of tobacco found at the
scene OF the murder it was thought
that the pa.ties lived in my precinct, and
Coroner Virgins, who had charge OF
the case, asked my assistance, Which.
of course, was cheerfu!ly given, al.
though the work did not properly be.
long to me. I worked hard on it, but
was unable to gain any clew, and other
work coming up which unfortunately
demanded my attention, I let the mat
ter partly drop.
One day q German butcher, Philip
Emden, came to the station and said
that a man named Kankonsky had been
receiving letters addressed under the
the name of Kettler, and he thought he
was the man who committed the muir
der. l ut once put men TO watch the
house. Shortly after oar men got there
two men who turned out to be q Jersey
City policeman and q reporter from a
Jersey City paper arrived. They had
tracked the baggage to the house, and
they acted in such a suspicious name
due to the fact of that German butcher
noticing that Kankonsky was receiving
letters under a false name and having
the good sense to report it to me that
led to the murderer's arrest.
"When l was a keeper in Sing Sing a
prisoner named Dunn escaped. The
papers said there had been bribery and
all that sort of stuff. Mr.. Woodlock
was warden then and he told me that he
wanted me to find the man. I came to
the city and put in about a month OF
the hardest kind of work. I found
plenty of traces, but never could lay my
hands on him. At last l gave up the
chase in disgust, went back to the prison
and reported for duty. When the war
aen saw me he asked me what I meant
by coming back without the prisoner.
/ told him that I couldn't do anything
more. He said, Go to New York and
don't dare to come back without the
prisoner 1 asked him for money, and
he gave me an order on Leggett & Co.,
the provision merchants who furnished
the prison with supplies, and L came
back to the city. drew $50, and made
up my mind if the state of New York
could stand paying my expenses / could
stand it too. 1 had no idea OF
worrying myself about it. I went
up to Tom Hyer's place and had
a rafting good breakfast and q bottle
of wine. Then I spent fifty cents for
three cigars, and lighting of them
started out for o stroll. I went down
the Bowery as far as Bayard street,
when a man whom I recognized as an
ex-convict came up to me and said
Hello, Washburn! Have you found
Dunn yet% No. I answered, and
'don'tcare much whether I door not"
"I am sorry for that he said, be.
cause he and / have been doing some
work together and the black thief won't
divide, and if you'll put up enough III
give him away L cllnched a bargain
with the fellow aud the next night he
took me to Dunn's place and l got him,
When | took him back tothe prison the
warden complimented me on my per.
severance. Perseverance, be hanged,
I said, and then 1 told him the whole
story. He enjoyed 1t immensely, anG
made me tell it to the prisoninspectors
Another case that I call to mind was
when l YVES q %patrolman in Beckmar
street. My day post was in Nader
Lane. One morning 8 man came tx
me and said he had lost q tirkin of but
ter; could I get it for him. I told hin
of course l could. I thought then ant
still think the man must have been
fool to think I could find "a tub of but
ter that had been stolen for two hours
He gave me the marks on the tub
which I Immediately forgot. Ny nigh
post vas at Fulton market, and I hat
hardly gone oh post when / SOW o mai
with a tub of butter on his shoulder.
saw that the marks were similar t,
those gwen to me, and / stopped him
He gave q lame ~eyplauati,n of how h,
gothic butter and I took him and til,
butter to the station. 1t turned on
that it was the very butter that hat
been stolen. The owner took the re
,covery as a matter of course, and II
bet if he ever lost another tub and i
wasn't recovered at once that he &C
scused the police OF incapacity. l conlt