The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1885-06-20
WOULD LIKE TO BE DETECTIVES.

WOULD LIKE TO BE DETECTIVES.
Men and Women who Want to Fol
low Criminals - Their Ridiculous
Methods.
"Do you have many applications
for positions on your force9"
$50 many" was the reply, "that |
sometimes think that half the popula-
ton is anxious 10 place itself in po-
sition to ferret out the crimes of the |
other half. These self-recommended |
candidates for the empty honors of
detective life are chiefly from the
country. Some of them have read the
thrilling tales to which the nsme of
Allen Pinkerton has been attached by
unknown disseminators of blood-and-
thunder literature, ana have become
infatuated by the glamour thrown
around the heroes OF bank burglary
captures, the shadowing OF sus-
pected murd ers and their detec-
ton by means of button
or suspe nder buckle. | receive a good
many letters from the rural districts.
Here is one from q man at Woodland,
who says he has been schooling him
self in shadowing people up there,and
his success has been 80 ilatte:ing that
| he has come to the conclusion that he
| is possessed of detective ability of no
mean order. He is anxious to try his
hand at the real business. If there are
any safe robberies or nurders on hand
to work up, he would gladly accept
/ ~ VI FnNna n q mammal sal.
airy. l have written back informing
him that / am very sorry not to be
able to avail myself Of his valuable
services, but there is no vacancy in
my force at present. / have several
letters from youths. of from IL TO Is
years, who are impressed with the idea
that they are young Hawkshaws OF
the first grade. Some of them have
| visited the Office and urged me to give
them a trial, but l have never yet
considered 1t wise to encourage them
in becoming detectives. Some people
have what l call attacks of detective
fever. They hear of some robbery or
other crime and proceed to work up
the case without the knowledge OF the
officers or the regular detectives.
These cranks often shadow some inno-
cent person for daya at time, making
2 careful note of every suspicious
action. This class OF would-bo detect
ives are harmless enough. never yet
heard of one OF them being of the
slightest use in case or affording the
least clue, although they sometimes
offer voluminous reports of the COM
ings and goings of their suspects.
Nothing, however, can make people
on whom the detective mania has fixed
its hold believe that they are not en-
dowed by nature with special qualifi-
cation, inspirational or otherwise, for
hunting down criminals
sis employment ever given to the
applicants from the country"
mot very often. Sometimes send
one of these verdant customers out on
some trivial case and then detail an.
other man to watch his proceedings
have gone out myself and it is often
as good as a circus. The fellow will
hunt up his man and shadow him Ut
: and down the street, lodging behind
corners and posts and sometimes at
tracing great deal of attention from
people along the way, If not from the
man heis shadowing.O occasionally, i how
ever, the apprentice detective will take
hold of a case in good shape and work
it up with such dispatch as to create
| plleV dlllbhE hAAI bAAANA Allbu Ol tAlt
force. Probably the worst cranks d
the class of which / am speaking are
women, who often get the detective
} fever in its worst form. | have Otter
] had as many as six applications day
, from ladies who We're sure they could
, be of great service in hunting up fe
male criminals and restoring stOler
property, but | have never vet EN-
F.. plOyed one. They are q constant
2 source of annoyance, and viii no
Z be put of as readily as the
p men. AS rule, however, woman o
: any delicacy win not insist on becom
ing a detective when she is given t
understand the dangers Of the posi-
ton, the kind of company she is likel'
10 meet and the sort of places she mus
visit. Some of the applicants hsvt
the queerest notions of what is re-
quired of detective when on activ,
duty. One fellow, who evidentl,
thought that IN detective life insomnia
WAS one OF the most important quRliti
cations, wrote from Santa Rosa tina
he was sure he could live up to tn
motto of the detectives, eve neve
Sleep" as his nervous system wa
such as to prevent him from takin
any rest at night, / sometimes, toe
have applications from eX-cOnvicts
who tell me with great air of mys
terry that they are acquainted with th
ways OF burglars and other criminal,
: are capable of iirst-ClNss work in Tn
L detective line. II is perhaps unneC
4 essary TO say that / have never il
3 trusted case with any OF thes
% gentry. San Francisco Chronicle.