Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1889-05-16
THE ERNST MURDER.
How the Assassins Paid the Pen.
atty of Carelessness

A Sleeping Listener-Inspector Byrnes'
Story OF n Famous Capturc-v Value of
the Police System of Shadowing
Suspicious Characters.
The most important element, per-
haps, of all executive business is sys-
tern. In detective work, while COM
plete success can not be attained with
out cleverness, shrewdness and keen
ability to put one and another thing
together to arrive at correct result,
but poor returns would come from
these qualities, however faithfully ap-
piled, without the advantage OF pro-
ceeding along certain definite lines
that have been previously arranged in
systematic order 1t is herein that the
efforts of private detectives seldom
can compare with those of thorough
ly organized public force The in
dividual worker may stir about with
all the caution, energy and shrewd-
ness in the world, and sometimes may
accomplish surprising results, but as
rule he will find himself defeated
from lack Of general knowledge about
criminals that Is not in his way to
learn, that no one can learn unless he
acts as the head of large force,
every member of which reports to him
frequently what he has discovered.
The individual is hampered because
he can not draw on the information of
many others like himself. The public
detective, besides his own knowledge,
may avail himself of q vast deal that
others have acquired, and best of all
he works under a system developed
from the observations of long expert
ence.
The success of the New York Detect
i've Bureau is very largely due to un-
ceasing adherence to a plan of surveil-
lance. 1t keeps the force busy all the
time, for we do not propose, if we can
help it, to let any thief get the start
of us by committing crime. 1t is
our purpose to prevent crimes. Now,
in great city like New York there
are more men and women with evil
propensities and tendencies to crimi-
nal life than forty men can keep con-
stantly in view. The situation is
further complicated and rendered
difficult by the constant influx of
criminals from other cities and coun-
tries. Very few crimes are COM
mitted in these days by the profession
al thieves Of ten years ago. They
have learned their lesson and either
keep themselves straight or go to
Europe.
1t is the new men, fresh arrivals
and youngsters, that keep the crimi-
nal calendar full and bother the detect
ives; nevertheless the new comers
are discovered with promptness
that would probably surprise the pub
lie, unacquainted as it is with the
most approved methods of detective
work.
The Importance Of getting acquaint'
ed with incoming criminals is too
great and too evident to need any ex-
position at this time The way it is
accomplished may be interesting. II
is not my purpose to romance on this
subject. | intend rather to show how
the system of surveillance employed by
this bureau effected the capture of the
right parties within threo days after
the murder was committed. Let me
saw first that one of the two guilty
men had never committed crime be.
fore SO far as can be ascertaine6 from
the records of the department. The
other was almost equally unknown
to the police.
II was but few weeks before the
mur der of Mrs. Ernst that one Of my
men reported to me that a stranger
had been noticed associating with peo
ple whom he knew to be professional
criminals. According to the usual plan
orders we're given that this stranger
should be watched and every thine
possible learned about his past i
was readily discovered and reported
that he was Henry B. Chamberlain
alias Frank Clark, New Haven thief
Among the men whose acquaintance
he cultivated was James B. Taylor
Young saloon keeper of this city. Boil
men were constantly watched, but nj
reports of their movements OF grea
consequence we're made until, on
Monday evening, one of my men shad
owed them to the Grand Central depot
He saw them buy tickets for New
Haven and board the train. Their
our surveillance had to stop. III the,
had contemplated crime within tn
city they would never have accom-
nlished it, for our man would hav
beeu with them at every stage OF tn
game, and would have checked then
at the proper moment Under the cir
cumstances, however. all he could d
was to report to headquarters tha
.hev had left town for New Haven.
memorandum to that effect was nie'
for future reference