Los Angeles daily herald., 1889-08-18
SCOTLAND YARD.
A Glance Into the System of
the English Detectives.
SMALL PAY FOR INFORMERs.
Men Who Keep Watch on the Nations
of the WOrld-Dynamite Plots
Known When Planned.


A little grimy archway on the left
hand side as you walk from Trafalgar
Square towards the abbey on the street
that governs England, is the entrance to
the Scotland Yard. Against the pillars
lean evermore two or three indifferently
dressed men, whose function it is to eye
the passing public suspiciously. If the
gau y horse. guards somewhat further
down Whitehall remind you of gay right
bowers, these gentlemen recall the
humble necessary seven and eight spots
of the game of government. They tare
body has heard 60 much in recent years.
The specimens on view are not striking.
They look well fed and comfortable, but
they are not hardly the sort of men that
student of Wilkie Collins or Gaboriau
would expect Their failures in crimes
which rise above larceny, burglary and
vulgar murder are more easily under
stood when the system and men are
studied.
Like everything in the neighborhood
OF Westminster, Scotland Yard has it's
traditions reaching back to the days of
the Plantagenets; but from a royal resi-
dence and a kings habitation it has
come now to be the local habitation and
name OF the secret service of the EDg-
lish crown. There is criminal museum
to be seen here, with mementoes of
thieves and murderers of high and low
degree; an ordinary police station; and
last of all, the offices of the "Criminal
Investigation Department" A group of
dingy old houses surrounds the court
yard, all of them built on different
levels and at different times, with
modern passages cut. through. So
that the sightseer is always going
up or down two or three steps, or losing
himself in blind Railways that lead no.
where, or coming Unexpectedly back to
where he started from. The stone stair.
way leading to the upper offices has been
channeled in the center by flood of
four centuries of passing shoes, 30 that
plane instead of fight Of staccato steps.
Over everything, in everything, and
through everything there are CRIME and
gloom. The little windows are smoky ;
fog lies in the courtyard, and even the
diffused daylight by which the Londoner
distinguishes night from day, is more
vaporous and unsatisfactory here than
elsewhere.
The visitor is shown the lions most
politely. Whatever other criticisms may
apply, it is certain that the Londc police,
from highest to lowest, are courteous and
helpful to the stranger within their gates.
They take all manner of trouble to ex-
hibit and to explain everything, from
the internal machine with which the
Nelson monument was to have been
blown up, to the organization of the
police force and the general workings Of
the British Constitution.
Police are police all the world over,
and there is not enough difference be-
tween London and Chicago to justify a
detailed description of how the "bobby"
comes to his calling and promotion. It
is in the Secret Service alone that the
difference begins.
Up to.1877.the London Detective Po-
lice was q close corporation, irresponsible
and Independent, managed entirely from
within. In that year occurred the "great
detective scandal" /" in which three men,
bers of the force were proven beyond all
doubt to be in regular partnership with
an organized band of swinders. The
usual remedy for all the ills that civili-
zation is heir to was spplied-a royal
commission, namely-and the present
system is the outcome of the work done
then by Mr.. Howard Vincent. Plain
clothes men were first put on the force
in 1842. They were formerly attached
to each station. Now they are under
the central control. There are 400 in
summer time and 700 in winter, the
ranks being filed from the uniformed
force. Still these do not make the body
which is usually referred to as Scotland
Yard. These are a chosen corps Of
about eighty men, of whom each has the
rank of Inspector, about equivalent to q
Lieutenant of Chicago Police. They
form division by t emselves, called the
&c. o." and are under the Immediate
command of the Assistant Commissioner
OF Police of the Home Office. Their gen.
eral duty is confined to the metropolitan
area, but they are constantly at work on
for foreign Governments. About twenty
of the men are employed on political
matters solely, and of these ten have
made specially of Irish affairs both in
Ireland and America. The political de-
tectives have tho best of it. They are
entrusted with the spending of the secret
service moneys, ard much of 1t of course
is expended without vouchers or ac-
counts. Sometimes they receive hand
some presents from foreign Govern
ments. One London detective was given
$1,000 in 1885 for information fur
nished tie Russian Minister, which is
said to have saved the Cars life. The
secret service fund is large one. In
deed, it is as large as the Home Office
may at any one time demand. In the
years 1892 .s3 "a S5, when dynamite
activity was at its worst, bills for "infor-
nation" reaching 700 were on several
occasions paid, according to the state
ments of the officers themselves. Smaller
sums, from s100 to 5000, are paid out
freely to smaller informers.
''It is case of fighting the devil with
fire." said Detective H. Dutton, one of
the Scotland Yard men now stationed in
Dublin, to Tribune reporter in that
city last winter. "We must get this in
formation, and there is only one way to
get it-snd that is to buy it. AS long as
these Irish secret socities keep up their
work there is danger to life and property,
and the money paid out is only 80 much
insurance. which the Government can
we'll afford to give for. comparative se-