Los Angeles daily herald., 1888-02-26
MAKING DETECTIVES.
How the Members Of In
spector Brynes' Force
Were Trained.
NEW. YORK DETECTIVE BUREAU
How q Very Accurate knowledge
of Criminal Glasses is Gained.
Women as Detectives.

morning as l turned OIL Houstol
street into Mulberry, and went int
Che modest building which is th'
headq uar .ers OF the New York police
In the long tagged hall way stoot
groups of men in citizens clothes
detective sergeants not yet started on
the days assignment and a few re-
porters. Beyond the first window, or
the left hand side, halfway down the
hall, is darkened door, that looks as
if it were unused. If you pull what
appears to be the bell-knob there is
no ringing response, for it is in reality
the handle to an interior knocker,
which can only be heard in
the private office OF Inspector Byrnes,
the Chief of the Detective Bureau.
After tugging at the knob, waited
and listened not a shadow fell across
She curtained glass door. Suddenly,
without warning click, the door
opened a large and solid, dark-mous-
tached man, with an inquiring look
on his face, slipped out. Then a
smile of recognition drove away the
questioning expression.
"Just 60 round the other way. I'll
he at leisure in few minutes" he
said, in low, pleasant voice that in
some way made you think this man
never lost his temper. The door
closed as silently as it had opened.
To get to the detective department
you pass through the general Office,
Just off the hall at the entrance, go
through couple of rooms and cross
q covered passage, sort OF bridge OF
sighs, leading from one wing of the
building to another, above the court.
On one side you look down upon a
heap of old boxes and on the other
upon some miniature back yards,
with women hanging out clothes.
Both glimpses are rather picturesque
and make one think of Nuremberg or
Verona, and you instinctively look
for the stream from which these boats
have been taken and where the
women have been washing the
clothes. After a little waiting in the
main office l went through several
little rooms with thick, soft carpets
and self-closing padded doors that
swung to without a jar, and reached
the large, roomy private Office Of the
famous detective, Inspector Byrnes,
who rose from his desk with cordial
greeting.
Inspector Byrnes is about the aver
age height, strong in build, features
regular and little in them that betray
his Irish birth; heavy mustache
half conceals his mouth, his hair is
slightly gray, as from hard mental
work; a slight badness in front
gives broad expanse Of forehead,
which is widening from year to year.
Inspector Byrnes is an amiable,
frank, modest man, good talker,
possessed of q wide knowledge of
men and affairs; thorough disciplin-
arian, but just and kindly in his gov
eminent, with rem markable memory
for names and faces, thorough
knowledge of the methods and
haunts of professional criminals as
we'll as native keenness and intu-
tive faculty which come into play in
cases where the professional criminal
is not concerned.
HOW MEN BECOME DETECTIVES.
was fortunate in finding the In
spector in talkative mood. After
some conversation { asked him:
"How do men become detectives,
anyway? What training, and what
natural traits must man have?"
"That is hard question to answer
off-hand," said the Inspector slowly.
t'The most important thing, / should
gay, is that men hava distinct liking
-an undoubted passion-for this line
of duty. That is essential. OF course,
many youthful aspirants are deceived
in regard to their own tastes. l get
a dozen letters week from men and
women all over the country who want
to become detectives. They detail
what they consider qualifications, but
but ten to one they've been reading
so-called detective stories, and are
iaboring under an. imaginative delus-
that in some cases amounts to mo-
nomania.
Yes, sir, man must like the busi-
ness, and know that he likes it, and
that he has natural aptitude for it.
That is the indispensable requisite.
Then he must have perseverance,
youth, intelligence, enthusiasm for
his work. He must be thorough and
jealous, and especially he must be
tenacious. A good officer will lay his
plans and go over case, and perhaps
fail; then he goes back and begins
all over again, doing his work in the
second line as carefully as at the first /;
perhaps he will fail half dozen
times, but he has the bulldog in him
and he is up and at it again. That's
the kind of man that succeeds in this
business; the man who does some
thing hard does it by patience, persis-
tence and tenacity. Why, wouldn't t
give cent to do something anybody
can do. If man Is shot down here
in the street and an officer on the
other side OF. the street runs across
and arrests the murderer, there's no
credit in it.
"But in talking about the personal
traits detective must possess to do
good work, / must not neglect to say
that all these are of no avail if he
does not have thorough knowledge
of professional criminals. Of course,
the large proportion of crimes are
crimes against property. Thieving in
one form or another
"How is the knowledge acquired?"
I.asked.
"Oh, in various ways; by visiting
their haunts, perhaps, or some nat
urally pick it up in knocking about
New York. If young man OF in
quiring turn of mind sees a fellow
who seems little suspicious, he in
ouires about him, takes notes and
perhaps talks with him. This local
knowledge Of criminals gradually
widens, for all professionals come
here at one time or another; the
budding detective sees new faces, and
keeps his records as he picks upin-