Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1889-05-29
MEN WHO NEVER SLEEP.
Thrilling Incidents in the Life Of
an American Detective.
How French, English and American Thief
Takers Hunt Their GHme-ShadOwing
Dishonest Clerks-A Few Cases
Illustrating the Methods.

Illustrating the Methods.
One Of the best-known detectives in the
United States, after repeated solicitations
/ by reporter for the Denver (CoL) Times,
consented to talk about the business.
There Is all the difference in the world"
he said, "between the methods used by the
secret service agents of different countries
| People who read French novels have an idea
| that the DISCUSSES spoken of in them as be-
ing worn by the Lecoqs Of the different
stories as something utterly untrue
! Strange as 1t may seem, however, it is true.
"a French detective who can not so dis
Ruise himself that his superior can not
recognize him could not find employment
In any detective bureau. The DISCUSSES are
wonderful, too, and even the strong light Of
day shows no imperfection in them.
"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 80 great. The
workings Of the French bureau is very
thorough and moro like the American
method than the English.
THE latter never think Of Disgusting
themselves, and go to work openly If q
bank IS robbed In France a new assistant
SCA@OA
so afterward. He is detective, Of course
and whore in England the detective would
be called in IN front of all the employees and
askthem all manner of fquestions, the French
would say nothing, and nothing more would
probably be heard Of the robbery until the
thief was caught
"The English have a 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 pro-
tected In certain way, carry all the news
OF the crooked work done among the swell
mobsmen, as high class thieves are called
to Scotland Yard, where is situated the
Criminal Investigation Bureau. If Harry,
the Swell is flashing great deal of money
about the fact Is at once reported to the
police, and If any large forgery or robbery
has recently occurred, Harry, the Swell
Is liable to prove an aiibL Inside the great
portico Of Scotland Yard is a large case
containing the photographs of all the detect
| ives 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 system is not used
much in America, as the police do not put
! much faith in it.
"In France or England, if the employe of
big banking house is suspected of irregu-
lartties his habits are watched and the
facts ascertained, while in America man
will be set on the track of the supposed
thief, make his acquaintance and ingratiate
himself into the suspected man s confidence
He will spend as much or more money than
the suspect, and will go into any dissipation
with him. In the event of irregularities in
! any large concern, the American detective
becomes an employe of the corporation
whether as porter or a 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
faint something, and frequently hit the
mark; where the stolid Britisher would
be stumbling in the dark.
ITO be a good detective man must be
possessed of courage, brains and coolness
There is no mystery, however impenetrable
1t may appear, but what can be solved if
the right methods are employed. There
was a case remember in Chicago
"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 a
! long time, and the mans family had waited
| for him to come to his home the evening
previous His valuables had been taken.
| the safe had been rifled, and beyond the
| CHASTITY bullethole in the mans head, there
was nothing to indicate with what the crime
had been committed. No pistol was found
II was put on the case and oDed 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 been
! pawned between six o'clock the previous
evening ana the morning. Three were As
caliber, tho size evidently used to kill the
man. Two Of the men were well-dressed
and the other wasn't. The latter was
described to me, and took the
pawnbroker down to the different rail-
way depots where trains were leaving. We
went through three trains, and finally
| located the man in smoking car I ar
rested him, and much Of the dead mans
| property was found in his possession. It's
not much Of q story-if the man hadn't
pawned the pistol he would certainly have
got of, but 1t shows how much little things
amount to, and will give you an idea Of how
q detective viii go to work.
1.-THE life of a detective is startling
enough, but it gets tiresome and monoto-
| nous, and expect soon oretire. l Iremem-
! Der one case that happened in New York
| A very swell reception was given by one of
/ he leaders Of society. One of the guests
had laiLS. q valuable solitaire ia the ladies'
dressing-room OF the wash-stand, and for
getting it, had left it. On her return to
find it, it had, of course, disappeared, No
body knew where 1t was. The trunks of ali
the servants were searched, but no trace
could be found OF the lewel, which was
worth $4,000. l finally found It where it
had been pawned for $500 in pawnshop by
French woman. l took the visiting list Of
| the hostess, and finally, after a weeks
search, found that one of the guests, a rich
woman, had French maid, and that she
had gone TO Europe shortly after the re-
ception.
81 had to wait for her return, made the
| acquaintance OF the maid and took her TO
the pawnbroker's, where he identified her.
| She confessed and her mistress redeemed
the diamond and paid all the expenses. 1
never told on her
"You see also that pawnbrolzers are in.-
! portant factors in our business, and that
they are frequently of service in detecting
crime. Still, pawnbrokers encourage rob-
bers, for If there were no shops the tempta-
tion TO steal would not be so great.
''It's a singular business in every way u
| concluded the thief-taker. Fascinating in
many ways. but like every thing else, one
gets tired of it."
A MOTHERS PRIDE.