The Grenada gazette. (Grenada, Miss.) 1885-18??, 1889-07-11
EMBRYO DETECTIVES.
The Country Is Full OF People Who
Long to be Sleuths.
Difference Between the Literary and the
Practical Detectlve-The Latter
Doesn't Have So Good y
Time as the Former.

Practical Detectlve--Ths Latter
Doesn't Have So Good y
Time as the Former.
"You would be surprised" said the
manager Of a well-known private de-
tective agency, "to see the large mum
ber of applications we receive from
people anxious to engage in our work.
Men will present themselves as candi.
dates utterly devoid of all knowledge
Of or qualifications for the business,
and expect us to jump at the chance
they offer us. 1t is wonderful how
conceited some people are. "
Has any cause ever been assigned
for this craze?" asked the reporter.
''So-called detective stories and an
overweening self-confidence are the
two main reasons, was the reply. "1t
is strange how many OF these worthless
yarns have been published and eagerly
read by acontiding public. The authors
are not required to know any thing
about the subject on which they write;
that would only be drawback to them.
All that is needed is mysterious crime
for plot, a detective systematically
gifted with strength and intelligence.
two or three beautiful girls for him to
fall in love with, and the groundwork
of Old Sleuth, the Lightning-Bug De-
tective, is completed. Young idiots
read these stories, see what an easy
time those who detect crime have Ton
paper), and, of course, want to achieve
fame and money through our channel.
TO show you," continued the speak
er, what peculiar ideas some people
have look at this letter." and he showed
the reporter the following missive:
DETROIT, Mich, May 1s--Dcar MIR. -:
am employed here In n jobprinting office, but
have long thought was cnt out for detective.
There are several agencies here but would
not like to work for them as they are N. G.
want 70 be with somebody where could be-
come known Now what want is this: am
sixteen and know nearly all the detectives and
pol cemen In this city, but the detectives are
N. G.. and II you will let me be your agent
here whenever there is any big crime will get
the work for you and Will either do the job my
self or you can send help. Please write soon.
Yours respectfully, ---.
'Prctty good, eh9" calculated the
criminal hunter. 1--WE get lots of let
ters, but that's little out OF the ordi-
nary run. A sixteen-year-old boy
wanting to be superintendent OF a
branch Office at the start. Don't it
strike you that he flies rather highp"
''But the most peculiar visitor ever
had" remarked the detective, slowly,
twas Edgar Van , a small-sized,
shabbily-dressed. whisky-impregnated
individual, who called at my office
some two years ago and applied for
job. l was not greatly pleased with
his appearance and gently intimated
that l had more men on hand than
needed
"'But l am an extremely valuable
man. he protested.
Have you had any experiencea'
"'Lots.'
".Who withp'
.Well-ah. In fact 1t has all been
in private cases OF my own;' then no
ticing my lack Of interest he hurriedly
continued:
= i have tho best and most novel
way Of shadowing man that was ever
heard Of. Kindly give me your atten-
tion a moment, and he Strengthened
up.
Suppose ! 60 out to follow an in
dividual. After awhile he may chance
to see that some one is on his trail.
He looks at me. lam a medium-sized
man, with two eyes. But wait, and
he fumbled with his left optic mo-
ment. Now lookn he triunphantly
exclaimed as he withdrew his glass
eye. The suspected party scrutinizes
me again. A man with one eye is fol-
lowing him and the two-eyed man is
not in sight, consequently you can
easily see how | can be OF great, OF
very great value to your firm.
but. strange to say, didn't hire
him.
detective life is far different from
what It Is pictured TO be. II Is hard
row TO travel, with but small pay
and extremely long hours, A do
tective on the trail does not
carry seventeen separate and distinct
costumes with him and make momen-
tary changes on the street to avert
suspicion. According TO the novel
sketches a good detective is char.
acter comedian, prize-fghter.
champion swimmer and runner, gifted
with remarkable sight and hearing,
and lastly possessing an education
that any college man might envy.
This is the fiction detective.
"a bona fide, common, ordinary,
everyday detective il man possess
ing fair intelligence and quickness Of
perception, who Is willing TO work
from fourteen to sixteen hours q day