San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1889-05-14
THOSE Who NEVER SLEEP,
A DETECTIVE ON THE PECULIARt
TIES OF HIS CALLING.

How French, English and American Thief
Takers Work Their Notwithstanding
Bank CIerks-The Different Methods-A
Few Cases Recited.
One of the best known detectives in the
United States sat in the lobby of the Windsor
hotel yesterday afternoon, and after repeated
solicitation by reporter for The Times, con
Sented to talk about the business
There is all the difference in the world" he
said, between the methods used by the Sc
cret service agents OF different countries.
People who read French novels have an idea
that the DISCUSSES spoken of in them as being
worn by the Lecocqs of the different stCries
are something utterly untrue. Strange as ii
may seem, however, it is true
"A French detective who cannot so dis.
guise himself that his superior cannot recog
uize him could not find employment in any
detective bureau The DISCUSSES are wonder
full. too, and even the strong light Of day
shows no imperfections in them.
THE DIFFERENCE IN METHODS.
There are two sorts of detectives in
France-state detectives and the municipal
or city force. Among the former no one
knows who his fellow detectives are, and as
they never work in pairs the necessity for
knowing each other is not so great. The
working of the French bureau is very thor.
ough and more like the American method
than the English.
The latter never think of Disgusting them
selves, and go to work openly. If bank is
robbed in France new assistant teller Or
clerk appears in the bank day or so after
ward-he is detective of course, and where
in England the detectives would be called iI
in front of all the employees and ask them all
manner of questions, the French would say
nothing, and nothing more would probably
Je heard of the robbery until the thief was
taught
The English have great system of stool
pigeons Among the vicious of all classes,
male and female are always those to be
found who, for the sake of being protected il
u certain way, carry all the news of the
crooked work done among the swell mobs
men, as high class thieves are called, to Scot
land Yard, where is situated the criminal in.
vestigation bureau. If Harry the Swell is
flashing a great deal of money about the
fact is at once reported to the police, and If
any large forgery or robbery has recently oc,
Cured, Harry the Swell is liable to prove an
alibi Inside the great portico of Scotland
Yard is large case containing the pho
tographs of all the detectives employed by
the bureau, and the crooks or thieves can
have free access at any time to study the
faces of those who are liable to be after them
at some future time. This stool pigeon sys
TEN is not used much in America as the po-
lice do not put much faith in it.
I'm France or England, if the employee OF
big banking house is suspected of irregular
tiles his habits are watched and the facts as
certained, while in America a man will be
set upon the track of the supposed thief, make
bis acquaintance and ipgratiate himself into
the suspected mans confidence He will
spend as much or more money than the sus.
pect, and will go into any dissipation with
him. In the event of irregularities in any
large concern the American detective becomes
an employee of the corporation-whether as a
porter or director of bank. The clew and
the working up of it is made much more Of
by an American than by any one else He
will jump at conclusions from a faint some
thing, and frequently hit the mark, wher,
the stolid Britisher would be stumbling liz
the dark.
TO be a good detective a man must be
Possessed o. courage, brains and GOODNESS
lueIe ID ITO mystery however lUlpeneS abe
1t may appear but what can be solved If the
right methods are employed. There was q
case remember in Chicago some years ago.
"A well known business man was found
murdered one morning in his office The
crime had evidently been committed the
night before, for the body had been cold
long time, and the mans family had waited
for him to come to his home the evening pre-
vious His valuables had been taken, the
safe had been rifed, and beyond the CHASTITY
bullet hole in the back of the mans head
there was nothing to indicate with what the
crime had been committed. No pistol could
be found
Il was Put on the case and reasoned that
as the robbery was evidently committed for
gain the murderer must be in poor circum
stances visited all the pawn shops in the
city, and found that five revolvers had beer
pawned between O'Clock the previous even
ING and the morning. Three were As cali
Ter, the size evidently used to kill the ma.
Two Of the men were well dressed and the
other wasn't The latter was described to
me, and | took t. pawnbroker down to the
different T-IYcc -52pCts WI. - trains re