Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1888-04-12
DETECTIVE EXPERIENCES.

Chicago Firm Emphasizes the Difference
Between Honest Work and Blackmailing-
Some Strange Clients.
~ s, read the article" said Mr.. Boil
lam, head of the detective agency of Boil
lam Co., referring to the article on the
private detective agencies of this city,
written by the Chicago CORES pendent of
the New York Herald and reprinted in
the Journal of Monday last. "My idea
OF 1t was that, while the article was true to
certain extent, you newspaper men
should make distinction, because there
are agencies in the city that have been
doing Matchmaking work, and the news
papers especially know who these people
are, and / think 1T is no more than lust to
the public that when publishing articles
OF that kind they should publish the
names OF the parties doing that kind of
work. L know as we'll as you do that no
such work should be allowed to be done.
ana L, for one, would be more than
pleased If the city would take hold
of the detective agencies and REQUIRE
them not only to take out a license
bat TO give bond. The papers saw
that the city has no control over the de-
tective agencies. [ would like to know
why they have no control over them. The
city officials are employed for the purpose
of protecting the public. and if we are
doing matchmaking business the city
authorities should take hold and prose
cute US for it. am perfectly willing to
have my business investigated to the full
est extent at any time, and 70 stand the
consequences of anything found that is
not fair and Legitimate business. There
but not enough between legitimate and
illegitimate detective agencies There
seems to be a very erroneous i'm preston
| in the mind of the public as TO what
legitimate detective agency viii do. |
have people come in here every day with
business that 1 Will have nothing to do
With. Friends of my own come in here
with work that will not take from them.
People will come in here and say, 'We
want evidence in a divorce case. We
don't care what kind of evidence it is,
whether it IS of adultery or what it is.
We want divorce, and we have so much
money to pay for the evidence To all
such people [ say, 'Wo don't propose to
furnish that kind of evidence If they
want to find out the manner of PERSONS
life and what their conduct is, why we
Will find out just what it is, but we will
not manufacture evidence to suit the oc-
casion for anybody, though great many
people seem to think that Is what we are
here for. If you were TO come here and
sit for day and listen TO the kind of
work people often want us to do, you
would be amused. Last year there was
a lady came in here and said she wanted
divorce from her husband. l ask ed
her about her husbands habits aud char
aoter.
81 know nothing about them,' she
said, but what is all right, but all the
same I want divorce
"'Is your husband much at homer
eyes, he is at home regularly every
night
{" rs he drinking mani?
"'No, he does not drink at ALL
"Does he go around with other
womep?'
mo; he never goes out at night at all
unless l am with him.
"'Then on what grounds do you pro
pose to get divorce?'
"'Oh! don't care what they say, so L
get the divorce. 1 have $4,000. If it
costs that all right. If you can get the
necessary evidence any cheaper, why, so
much the better, if not it is all right. l
| have got that much to spend
"'Why do you want to get the divorce"
"EJUst because | don't want to 1--we with
him any longer. He has property and /
want to get part of the property and to
marry another man.
Il turned round and looked at her and
said: How came you 10 ccme into this
| Officer
cob! she replied, L have talked to
great many people about detectives, and
was led TO suppose that [ had only to
come in and tell you what l wanted and
| you could furnish it,
| "'YOu don't care, then, whether your
! husband is guilty or not?
"'NO, don't care anything about that.
All I care about is getting DIVORCE
''I said to her, You have not got mon
ey enough to come into this Office and
get that kind of evidence. You had bet
ter go elsewhere.' She came ia here
three different times, / refused
to touch her case, and at last had to
| threaten to expose her in the papers if
! she came any more. I know another
woman who is married to ono man and
is engaged to another. She wanted me
! to get up the evidence for her, but told
her I could not do the work for her at all.
l hold that detective agency that wants
to do a straight business can do so, and
when statements are made rejecting on
detectives it is but right that the public
should know who the parties are"