Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1888-12-12
A DETECTIVES STORY.
How Stewart and CIaAin Captured Some
OF The Thieves.
The patient dint and powders shot
VIII hlnsf An arnr,ira LIE a rnclr y

Few except those who have had occasion
70 test 1t, have any idea Of the results to be
achieved by the skill, patience and trained
intelligence Of a properly organized de-
tective agency.
To the uninitiated, and very frequently to
the frst-time employer of such service
whose sense Of personal loss or wrong rem
ders him unduly anxious. the preliminary
work Of the detective seems useless if not
stupid; but if he has sufficient self-control
10 wait and watch from day TO day the
gradual formation Of the theory and to note
how the apparently worthless incident OF
yesterday Is welded 10 a slight incident OF
to-day, and how, hour by hour, slight incl
dents and facts are pieccd together until a
complete history OF crime becomes a matter
Of record and susceptible OF legal proof, he
is apt 10 agree that life is made up of little
things and that the question of discovering
the Derpetrator Of any given crime is one in
which the skilled detective asks only finan-
cial backing and the necessary time.
There is detective agency in this city,
says the Chicago Mad, the manager of which
had all the business Of II. b. Clafiin & Co,
Of New York, when the head of the firm
was alive. he tells story of Claflin that
is worth reproducing.
Il had a yearly contract with Claf-
lin & Co. TO watch a certain num-
Der Of their employees" he said.
'Most large houses have some such
arrangement with a detective agency.
Whenever in the course Of the year had a
spare man or two I'd put him to shadowiHg
one Of these fellows until we were satisfied
Of his honesty. One day sent man out
with directions to shadow Bullocke, an as
sistant cashier l gave him description of
the man and OF her needful information. Ny
employe was to pick him up as he came
out of the store in the evening, follow him
around until he went home, see him to the
Office in the morning, and then watch has
movements during the dinner hour. When
met my operative in the morning he IN
formed me that he had followed his man TO
gambling-house on Twenty-third street,
but not beng made up for fashionable
man he (the operative) did not dare to try
and gain admission. The next noon Bull
locke ate hurried lunch and spent the rest
of his time in pOlicy-shOp, where he lost
ten or fifteen dollars. In the evening he re-
turned TO the gambling-den, followed by the
first shadow. As soon as the man was Bull
locke safely in the house he went around
the corner and notified another operative OF
this. The latter was dressed in the height
of fashion, and on being driven to the
gambling house in a cab was admitted with
out question. He sat by Bullocke till after
twelve o'clock and saw him lose over 800.
When received the reports the next day 1
called on Claflin g. Co.
IL met a member of the firm, Mr.. WiHiam
S. Dunn, and on telling him my story, he
ushered me into Clatiin's presence. The old
man was very pe1uliar-lO looking, one of his
eyes being yellow and the other perfectly
4 IL. L.
and he grew excited. Dear mep he
CIRCULATED, getting up from his chair and
walking slowly around 1t Dear mel This
is terriblep
"By this time he had performed a COM
plete revolution around the chair, and put
ting his right leg upon the cushion he COM
menced scratching the limb vigorously-a
favorite action of his when interested or
alarmed. We must have been robbed he
continued Bullocke has no income out
side of his salary of $500. And heaven
only knows how much he has taken. Why,
we are selling million dollars worth OF
goods day The latter statement was a
frequent boast of the firm.
1--WE called Bullocle IN and charged him
with the theft He broke down and said he
had taken 5000 in the last two weeks. Ex-
perts examined the books and found that
during the previous six months he had taken
$4,000. Ten thousand of this, by Che way.
had all gone in the last three weeks of his
career Bullocke was not arrested, being
simply kept under surveillance ut our Office
He had many wealthy friends and they made
endcavors 10 fix matters. The S2S, 900 was
raised and paid over to the victimized firm.
Then It was thought that the cashier would
be set at liberty. But just at this time
Claflin made himself heard. Now IN have
that fellow arrested he exclaimed. If I
let him go they could have me put in Jail
for compromising felony And in spite Of
prayers entreaties, curses and threats, poor
Bullocke was conveyed to the Tombs and
afrerward sent to Sing Sing for two years.
But the most peculiar man ever had
dealings WITH" continued the detective,
twas A. Y. Stewart. / had his business for
years. Those were the halcyon days before
the introduction of the telephone. When
Stewart wanted me he would send mes
senger, and If / didn't turn up in less than
half the time IL took the messenger TO find
me he would imagine / had been lost. re-
member very well calling on him one sum
mer's day. Stewart was not a handsome
man. he looked like a country school
master, squinted, aud spoke in an extreme
ly squeaky voice. When 1 entered his Of
ice he turned around in his chair, looked
me over and queried: why didn't you get
here beforeP 1T was impossible, Mr.. Stew
art 'Humphp Then he rang bell and
told the attendant who answered it to send
the head of the silk department TO him.
When the man appeared Stewart said
This is Mr.. -, the detective. Tell hum
every thing you know and, getting up, he
left the room. l looked at the salesman
a. "a L. i
Well Wen, MIR. McNab,' 1 replied, you
heard Mr. Stewards instructions DO you
know what he refers tol' No, sir Has
there been any thing requiring my services
in your department latelyP ooh, yes. We
have had a number of very mysterious rob-
berries of valuable Silks and he proceeded
to give me an account of the case.
g l put men 10 work on it and the next
week Stewart called me TO him again. His
first remark was; Il sent for you some time
ago TO do some business for me. Did you
do itp i am at work on the case, Mr..
Stewart Hadn't you better hurry up!'
Every thing that can be done is being
done He was silent for moment. Then
he broke out again: Il don't like to have
such things occur in nay store. How would
it do to discharge every man in the silk dc
partmentP Il told him he would injure the
Innocent as well as the guilty; counseled
moderation, and finally succeeded in pacify
ing him. But / firmly believe he would
have carried out his expressed intention
had it not been for my strong opposition.
We finally captured the thief. The janitors
(of whom there were quite a number) were
given all the waste paper from the various
noofs ADD one Of them used 10 throw rolls OF
silk in with the waste and sell the plies 10
confederate Of his, a paper-dealer in Duane
street. The janitor was sent TO the peni
Tertiary, his associate skipped his ban
and was never recaptureu.
NSpeaking Of Stewart. have frequently
seen in newspapers that his body has been
recovered. There is no truth in II. The meu
wac have the body offered 20 return 1t for
sun OF money, but the executors Of the
estate would not pay it. Stewards body is
somewhere-I don't know exactly where
but II Is not at Garden City.
A Collie uOn OF Pes,s.