The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1889-08-03
ALUCKY DETECTIVE.
Chance Enabled Him to Make
Some Important Arrests.
Going for . Shave and Catching . MUIR
derer-Luck Plays = Moro Import
ant Part Than Shrewdness In
Detective Work.

The iluck and i'll luck of detective
life Is something wonderful. The luck
we hear of every day. The i'll luck is
suppressed as much as possible. In the
month of June, 1867, was spending
a few days with relatives OF mine on a
farm near Oberlin, Ohio. 1 had been in
detective business about FIVE years.
drove into the town one day. On
the way in l got out of the wagon
and picked up copy of Cleveland
paper which was lying on the highway
The first thing saw was an account of
q murder at Peru, Indiana, several
days before. An old man had been
murdered and robbed of large amount
Of money. Not the slightest clue of the
murderer had been discovered. No one
could say whether he was old or young.
white or black. or which way he had
gone. 1t seemed a hopeless case, and
l felt bit sorry for the two Chicago
officers who had been sent for to work
the case out
The first call / made after reaching
Oberlin was at the post-office. then
visited barber shop, bull the two
chairs were occupied, and I had to
wait about ten minutes. Having moth
ing to occupy my mind, / looked the
two BARRIERS over in detail, and then
turned my attention to the customer in
the nearest chair. 1 began at his feet
first. He wore No. CATERS, and they
were a new pair; indeed. they had
never been blackened. His trousers
were frayed about the bottom. and, as
1 came to look closer, saw that they
were old and threadbare. On the left
leg. which was nearest me, between
the knee and the ankle. were several
stains. They might have been made
by either blood or acid. When the
man sat up straight after his shave
saw that his coat was also old, and l
looked over to his hat on the hook to
find it very rusty. The BARRIERS were
not speaking to either OF the men, SO
that both must be strangers in the
town. My man had reddish hair. which
he had had clipped close before came
in. His neck was sunburned and dirty,
and, after looking him over from toe
to crown, l said to myself:
This chap has all the looks of a
professional tramp. That suit was
probably given him, but ten to one he
stole those CATERS. Wonder if he can
scrape up enough to pay the barber. "
The bill was thirty-five cents. The
man gave me q furtive look as he got
out OF the chair, and while being
brushed he felt in his pockets for
change. He had two ten-cent shin
plasters, but as these were not enough
he half turned from me and fshed
greenback out Of his pocket. The bar
Der had to go out to change it, and the
man was so impatient and nervous that
he could not stand still. When the bar
Der returned he had the change for a
twenty-dollar note. He began to count
it odt, but the stranger muttered his
confidence that it was all right, and
reached out for the pile and crammed
it into his vest pocket. He was about
to 60. when / rose up and sid:
my friend, want to have a few
words with you, if you are not in big
hurry"
'But 1 amr' he replied, trying to
push past me without looking me in
the face.
''But you'll have to wait just the
same. want to know who you are"
There was back door to the shop.
He wheeled and sprang for it. but it
was locked. As he turned on me again
he pulled revolver from his bosom
and leveled it on me and fired q shot
which went over my head and through
the window. Before he could fire again
l had him jammed against the wall,
one hand hold of the weapon and the
other on his throat, and choked him
until he sank down in a heap. Who
did he turn out to beP The Indiana
murderer who had been lodging about
the country for six days, and who had
run the gauntlet of q hundred officers.
It was blood on his trousers, though
We did not have to prove it, as he made
full confession. 1t was simply my
good luck.
About fifteen years go, while con-
nected with the force in Chicago, a
jewelry house on State street was
robbed Of $4,000 worth of jewelry.
Aside from this there was q package of
Government bonds amounting to over
$4,000, which had been deposited in
the safe for security. The robbery was