Grand Rapids morning telegram., 1885-01-12
MAKING DETECTIVES.
The Conditions Which Are Neces-
sary TOR Success.
Feariessness. GOODNESS aud seif-Consroi
AbscIutsl. Reqairsd-Ihs Difference
Bstw. sn Deteetivss la fietioE
and Real Life.


Looking back over my twenty years
experience can not say that regret my
choice Of a profession" remarked detec-
tive at one Of the city agencies yesterday.
'What are the requisites Of good detec-
tiyef" asked reporter.
'sFearlessness, GOODNESS and self-eontrol.
Without these a man can never be per-
feet detective, for though he may be useful
In some branches of the business he can
never attain to the highest eminence in all
of them. he must also have strong per-
.ceptiye faculties and that power OF gener-
alization which will enable him 10 jump at
once 20 correct conclusions. Memory is one
OF his most important essentials. One
sight of face must imprint it so indelibly
upon his recollection that he can never for
get il, and he must remember not only the
face itself, but the time, place and circum-
stances with which il is associated.
memory of faces alone is not sufficient
The detective must have a strong memory
for names, mum bers and dates well. He
must be intelligent, and there is no knowl-
edge of any kind that may not some time
be of value to him in his profession.
'.Detectives in real life are very different
from those in novels and plays. The latter
are represented as wearing various dis
guises, such as wigs, false whiskers, ETC.,
which they suddenly pull off at the most
unexpected moments, thereby reveal
ing their identity. This is simply nom
sense. 1t is utterly impossible for the most
skillful hair worker to make up a wig or a
set of false whiskers that can not be de-
tected as false when worn, and levery
Al III lF..I
artists in ''make up can not put upon their
faces lines and wrinkles which indicate
age in such way as to deceive, even when
aided by the glamor of the foot-lights.
No detective in real life ever attempted to
wear any such guise. Detectives on the
stage are usually debonnair individuals, in
neat suits and mutton chop whiskers In
real life there is nothing distinctive in the
deep appearance and manner of detec-
tives aDv more than there is in those of
lawyers and merchants. For my own part
am more frequently taken for "well-to
do farmer than anything else."
'What is the salary of detectives?"
'That is hard question to answer.
There is no business in which the price
varies more. Sometimes a man, after hav-
force OF in connection with some agency,
will set up in business for himself as a pri-
vate detective, and then he charges what
ever he pleases. Detectives are paid by
the day, and have known some of these
private detectives, such as 1 have men,
toned, to charge the unsophisticated $50
and even more per day.
''How do men become detectives?"
"They don't become; they have a nat
ural gift in that direction. Detectives,
like poets, are born, not made. Many of
them begin as amateurs. For instance,
something occurs in their own lives which
causes them TO turn detective for their own
purpose. They work up the case success
fully; they find that they like the work
and they embark in it as business
"You would be surprised to find how
clever some amateur detectives are. know
a young Chestnut street merchant who
would make one of the greatest of all de-
tectives if he would follow the business.
He wanted to find out the whereabouts and
antecedents of a young fellow whom he
suspected in a certain matter. He en-
ployed detectives, but they could discover
nothing. Finally he began to look into the
matter himself, and although the man he
was after had left the city and covered up
his tracks I'm blest if he didn't find out
everything there was to find. He discov-
cred the address of a girl on Race street to
whom the man had been paying atten-
tions.
''He called on her, represented himself as
a lawyer, said that her lover would in-
herit fortune if his identity could be es-
| tablished, and in order to do that he'd have
to have some specimens of his handwrit-
ing. and he persuaded her to let him have
two of the love-letters the fellow had writ
ten her. That was as neat a piece of de-
tective work as l ever heard of.
ut often happens that man fails to be a
good general detective through the lack Of
some one quality. Thus, l employed a
young fellow once who | thought would
make a splendid detective. He had every
thing in his favor, possessing a splendid
physique and appearance, an elegant and
insinuating address, great shrewdness, re-
markable quickness of perception, and, in
short, every requisite of a great detective,
except one, as | afterward discovered. He
was lacking in self-control, having
an ungovernable temper, to which he
gave way on slight provocation. This
great fault was not apparent at first,
however. and assigned him 10 a number of
difficult cases, which he worked up very
satisfactorily. At last resolved 20 test
his skill TO the utmost, and set him 20 try
90 extort a confession from n young woman
charged with infanticide. Now. in the
course Of his interview with this girl. "a he
of4or.vs Fl COS, fosuad 20 mo ho fall IN Iov.
with her ami took IL into his head that she
was not only innocent Of the crime alleged
against her. but that she was not the real
mother of the infant which she was ac-
cused Of having destroyed. hut that she
hal merely assumed tho responsibility of
being its mother e. shield friend. How
ever. he resolved 10 10 his duty. sud feel
ing sure the result would be such earnest