The Indianapolis journal., 1886-04-04
THE SECRET POLICE SERVICE
Inspector Byrnes and the Methods He
Has introduced in New York City.
A System of Espionage Which Calls TO It's
Aid the Services of All Kinds of People
Results that Put Vidocq to Shame.
spsoial to the 1ndlanapolis Jourual.

stWho ia the best advertised man in New York;
it is doubtful whether one well-informed man in
the first five hundred would answer correctly. go
we'll and ingeniously is the advertising done in
this case. It Is not p 7. Barnum, or Jake
Sharp. or Alderman Jaehne, or Ed Stokes. or
anyone you would be likely to think of, so ex-
quisitely is the publicity achieved for the man
who gets the lions share of it, That man is
Inspector Byrnes, of the police detective force.
For several years there has not been an impor-
tant arrest in New York city to speak of, to
which his name has not been attached in a he
roic light. The headquarters reporter of news
paper telephones down: "Byrnes has made a
big arrest-will give out the news at 8
o'clock tonight" Somebody is sent up to get
ehe news. Byrnes Is chatting with the
superintendent The other reporters are there.
"Follow me, gents" says the great detective,
and all the scribes do so, through a narrow pas
sage and down three swinging doors into the
eminent human sleuth-hound's private room.
You are always led into it in q roundabout way.
and yet you are let out Of it through door,
plump into the main hall. That is part of the
business. The reporters take seats, and pro
leather louge, and marvellous tale of detective
adventure adroitness, perseverance and cunning
rolls from his lips. The story is true, and is
printed with more or less completeness That
Is why he is the best advertised man in New
York. He Is shrewd enough to give trust
worthy information TO the press interestingly.
That is next to the greatest secret of his sue
cess, which is that he is born politician. He
Is we'll built. broad ad-shouldered man. of aver
sge height, with round. heavy face, low fore
head, protruding cheek bones. and black, stiff
mustache From being sidewalk measurer, /"
as they call the patrolmen, he came to be a
sergeant, and then captain by excellent serv-
Ice and knowing how to help himself along. He
was captain of station, then of the Broadway
SQUAD, and next of the Central Office detectives;
and the first thing anyone knew he was made
inspector.
Somebody asked Inspector Byrnes one day if
he had ever read the life of Vidocq. the great
Partisan detective No. he said. "but / tried
to. It's all bloody guff-reguar French funny
business, got up to goose the public. 1t there
ever was any such business in our line the day
for it has passed by. We don't dc any stage
property dimernovel Disgusting nowadays un-
less it may be to put on beard or shave Oft a
mustache. Nowadays, we understand the
crooks too we'll to need any such contrivance.
a
of job. and it's done by old hand, or it's
clumsy and bungling as if a greeney had done it.
Well, we've got the crooks dead to rights on the
different lays If it's bit of sneak work, we
look around among the crooks in that line, find
out where they are and where they were
when the job was DONE Then we mar
row il down to one, and when we get
the dead wood on him we give him the collar.
just so we do if it's job of any other sort
Each has his own line and We know the
men in each line"
A major part of the detective work in New
York is based on the fact that the old adage
tsThere is honor among thieves" is a fasity
Certain criminals under suspicion. a great
many are under obligations to the detectives in
one way auother others, still, are gratutously
dishonorahle, and make it a business TO whisper
to the police. To these men the detectives go
when they want to discover who did crooked
piece of work, or to find out the whereabouts of
a criminal under suspicion. In the pigeon -hol es
of the district attorneys Office are hundreds of
papers eliminating men engaged in crime who
are not prosecuted becauae they have political
influence Or are helpful to the police. 1t is sad
state of affairs but it is actually Then.
again. there are horrible dives and dens where
vice holds high carnival every night. and about
which the newspapers print the most astound-
ing disclosures They are never closed
or raided by the police Do you
know whyq 1t is because they are
the adiuncts of the modern detective system.
into one of these places in disguise. Not one of
the detectives who are constantly going in and
out is able to recognize him. Before daylight he
is arrested Suppose that some young rufian,
unknown TO the police because he has just COM
mittcd his first offense, or because he belongs in
some distant city, drops into one of these places
He too, is arrested before daybraak. In that
den of vice? Oh, no. He leaves there before
midnight and he Is arrested III bed in Jersey
City or in tenement il Harlem. How is it
donel Well, ten minutes after he enters the no
torious dive, the proprietor is told of his pres
ence; IS told, perhaps that the fellow is hard up,
and needs money to get out or town. The pro
prietor IS head criminal among criminals He
IS generous. He hands out twenty dollars, and
treats to the drinks. Or perhaps nothing of the
sort takes place, and only a bouncer belonging
to the dive, or man who waits on the tables
finds out who has come 10; or quite as likely one
of the poor outcast women who haunt the place
to drink, and smoke, and dance gets hint from
the man, himself. from a comrade of who and
what be is If the criminal is at all we'll
known. he is recognized, of course, and congrat
ulHted on all sides for having kept out of ouod
so long. Strangely enough, while he is enjoying
himself man pops into police headquarters,
and is lost to sight behind door, and presently
shoots ont and Is next seen sauntering into the
dive in question. Close on his heels goes de-
tective, who lounges on corner near the saloon
or slips into the door Of house opposite to
which he carries a key to upper room, COM
manding view of the door Of the dive. The
criminal in time, steps into the street. and
makes his way to his hiding place. If he were
to walk backwards, and command view of the
road he had gone over ne would not know or see
taat he was being shadowed. so skillfully is the
Bhadowing done He reaches his dwelling, aud
goes to bed, to wake up with detectives-
Byrnes's, of course-hand on his shoulder. Or,
perhaps. that hand is not laid on him for day
or two or even three days; what matters it SO
long as he is 'locatedlr Does the poor wretch
ever afterward suspect that the divekeeper gave
him away2" Probably not, and if he did ii
would be vague suspicion at the best.
Brothel-keepers. rum m-sellers, dance. house pro-
prietors, courtesans, pawn-brokers and thieves
are all in the directive business under the mod
ern system, and it was never more true than ii
Is to-day that thief fears his own shadow.
Well he may. and his own mistress also and his
own nearest chum and companion. There are
Cinnamon who have been caught crime and