Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1889-04-05
TILE f,l EVER DETECTIVE.
Although of wood lie was Wort"
Dozen of the Ordinary Kind

fOrceph
There was no answer. None OF inc
officers assembled at headquarters
knew any thing concerning MN On
cont that the inspector had brought
him in quietly few evenings oeiore
and introduced him as sergeant
Fetchem. The strange inapproprt
ateness of such name for detectiVo
had strdck them at once, but the new
man had gone to work without worn
rs If thoroughly familiar with his du-
ties, and his first job had been inc ar
rest of burglar whom he had canght
in the act and overpowered, bringing
him to the station alone, despite the
fact that the prisoner was buriy'
powerful fellow nearly twice the size
of his captor.
Every dav since his accession to the
force he had signalized himself by
some unheard-of exploit He had dis
covered a nest OF counterfeiters, ar
rested and put in Jail a hitherto unsus-
pected Anarchist whose attic was full
of dynamite bombs, and located BANK
embezzler who had eluded the police
for two whole years. All this he had
done as matter OF course, and had
listened impassively to the encomiums
passed upon his singular skill and
adroitness. The other members OF the
detective corps began to grow jealous
and watch was put upon his actions.
He had no difficulty in evading them
in the performance of his duties, but
they made the discovery that he was
closeted with the inspector for about
five minutes every Monday morning.
The most diligent effort failed to dis
cover the object OF these conferences,
| If such they were, for no conversation
| between the chief and the new detect
| i've ever reached the ears Of the listen
ers on the outside.
One Monday morning, Immediately
after one of these secret interviews,
Sergeant Fetchem was seen to leave
the office and board an outward-bound
train He was not seen again during
the week. Monday morning came
again and he had not yet turned up.
The inspector was visibly uneasy.
at he is not here in less than an
hour all is lostr' he muttered, as he
glanced at his watch and went to the
door to look up and down the street.
1t was snQwing furiously.
Seized with sudden impulse, he
hailed passing cab and was driven
rapidly to u railway station in the sub
urbs, reaching it just in time to get
aboard train coming into the city.
Az he entered the forward door of a
car he saw a man rapidly go out
through the rear door, jump off the
train, and disappear in the binding
snow-storm
With cry of dismay the inspector
rushed down the aisle. When half
way through the car he stopped sud.
denly In one of the seats was the
motionless figure of Sergeant
Fetchem. 1t was in half erect posi-
: ton, with one arm extended. The
eyes were gazing into vacancy with q
lack luster expression.
! TOO late!" exclaimed the inspector
bitterly. Fifty thousand dollars
gone! That man who left the car ;
moment ago was Tascottn'
The passengers crowded around
They explained that the sergeant ;
few minutes before had made a suddeI
but apparently weak effort to faster
himself with chain to the prisoner
but that the latter had quickly riser
and grappled with him. The sergean
Y had nearly succeeded in his desigl
9 when suddenly he seemed to stiffen
: His grasp relaxed, his arm remained
t stretched out, a CLASSY look came int
: his eyes, and his whole frame becam
motionless. The prisoner broke ava,
j, from him and was out of the car be
D fore the spectators had recovered fror
I their surprise.
}, Such was the story they told the il
9 spector
L 'What is the matter with the off
l. Ger? Is he deadp" they inquired.
He has run DOWN. groaned the r
s spector. Fool! Idiot that | was NJ
: to have met him one station beyon
u here! This detective he explained
twas a cunning piece of machinery
IL 1t took Edison a year to manufacture
o him, and | paid him ten thousand do
q lars. He warned me that if I eve
Ii failed to wind him up at the regula
IS hour he would be ruined, Sergear
" Fetchem was a seven-day detective.
,; wound him up as usual last Monda
s. morning and sent him out to scare
IL for Tascott. | might have known,
IS he added, bitterly, that if he hadn
IS caught him he would have reported c
n time, This failure is all owing to m
a blind neglect Tascott's gone aga
d now and he'll stay gone!"
H. The inspector looked long and mour
p fully at the wonderful and costly pieC
y of machinery. now ruined forever.
e "He was a wooden detective" h
l. said at last, but he was worth a doze
re of the ordinary kind. Chicago TriI
Is une.
Is An Immense Church Organ.
u correspondent of La Science {