The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1885-11-07
SPYING AND SPIES.


yesterday.
1--WE have to do all kinds of tasks"
he continued; risk our lives one dav
capturing some thief, and the very next
perhaps assume all the delicate tact and
nice behavior required to convince a
lady that she has absolutely no cause
to be jealous of her husband. Then
the worst of 1t is we have to be so mvs-
ferrous in everything we do Not a
syllable dare we utter for fear of spoil
ing the job. Sometimes fairly ache to
tell of the funny things l see. but it
won't do; the story might contain some
scrap of information which. tbouoht-
lessly repeated by others. would afford
outsiders clue to the business had
in hand
Il remember an incident of the kind
in question, showing the bad policy of
talking too much about a case. Some
tour years ago the confidential clerk of
a certain big grain house in this city
was found to be an embezzler. This
discovery was made one Sunday after
noon by the proprietor himself, who de-
voted the entire day to the work of
Overhauling the accounts of the con-
Germ. He chose Sunday for this work
so as not to excite the suspicious of his
man, and about four in the afternoon
had abundant evidence that the vounr
fellow was several thousand dollars
short Naturally the old man was
excited. He jumped around his office
and tore his hair, and then resolved to
have the embezzIcr arrested forthwith.
''His eye at that moment caught sight
of young bOotblack on the opposite
side of the street, and he called the lad
over and gave him dollar to go to the
house where his clerk boarded and in
| qUlre If he was there. The boy knew
the young man very we'll and when he
| appeared at the door told him every
thing that was going on at the Office.
"'Mr. - IS pulling his hair out by
the roots, said the boy, and the young
man took the hint and left the city
! within half an 4our. We got track OF
| nm and telegraphed to town farther
on his description, and asked the police
! to arrest him on the cars. But the
fugitive knew a thing or two himself,
and left the cars at a small station, and
boarded train going in another djrec-
| ton. That young man gave the depart
| ment more trouble than | care to tell.
lie was tracked to Kansas City, thence
| to Quebec and finally, six months later,
he was located in st. Louis. An officer
was dispatched to bring him back. but
| the bird had flown. How is it. we
asked, that this man is able to escape
us right along; he seems to forcstall all
our actions, and it would appear he was
/ bpi1,Cr aI\-jsaH of OII1. Intentions. ;,rL+
| along?
Such proved to be the case, and
some of our men talked little too
! freely. The fugti was a member of
a powerful society, and all our talk
concerning him, we found out after
ward, had been telegraphed him direct,
and he knew beforehand what we in
tended to do. We captured him at last,
! however, and he is now doing his bit at
Joliet
THAT case taught the department a
valuable lesson. 1t would be impossi-
BILE now for a case like that to be re-
peated, and that is why | first said you
might possibly think our business
! queer. If you'll allow that we have
many odd jobs to do, what do you
! think Of the men who are hired to
watch us? You see a detective keeps
his eye on thieves. but there are de-
tectiyes whose only business it is to
watch other detectives. Spying on
| spies is their work. and if l am any
judge ! should think it rather ticklish
work to do. "
''Who are they|
q don't know. All I know is that
every detective in this department, and
every uniformed officer AS well, is I'M
der surveillance. and that these secret
agents report only to the Superintend-
emit
What do they report?'
Well. various things. In the first
place, the Chief of Police is constantly
in receipt of complaints against patrol
men and others on the force. Some
times Il Lieutenant is said to be work
ing his district for gold watch,
horse and buggy, or some expensive
present which generally takes the form
ofs testimonial. There is a rule in the
department prohibiting an officer of
police from receiving any present Now,
! this rule is not often enforced hut to