Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1890-11-08
A DETECTIVES STORY.

DIX III IL SiiI Ill tile anu
,na tel for an lour or so. lime emcd
.,h X heavy Oh their hands until ut 1 1
'.rcli new arrival made his app ar
nee. He was known to the six men,
I'd his name was Joseph Lewis, a
iorner Pinkerton detective, says the
New York World.
TEL us story, said Harry Williams,
one of the party.
"ie doesn't know any," interrupted
Louis Jackson, a grain broker.
"'ll take YOU all to Mon nth Park,
remar,ed T. f. Sykes. advertising man
for Life, "if Mr.. Lewis will tell us some
thing.
Mr.. Lewis hesitated for moment and
said:
Il know no stories of my own, but
herris one told me Sunday la t by a man
who was talking fac;s. l will use his
own word4." And the ex-detcc,ive told
this story:
A pale faced man sat on the steps of
west side boarding lou sc the other even
ing, talked of the hot weather, and in
general comported himself like any other
mortal. He was the new boarder, and
therefore an Object of interest to the resi-
when not attendin strictly to business
lown town consisted i'll trying to find
out what they could up town of their
fellow boarders' private lives.
"You are a lawyer, then?" ventured
an old lady whose interest in the new
arrival fairly overflowed her bump Of
discretion and whose perceptive quail
tiles were so rampant as to manifest
themselves every few moments.
mo, madam" said the pale faced
Young man. II am travelling man.
"In the dry goods line?" queried a
sickly young man seated higher up on
she steps.
Something of that sort, " indefinitely
murmured the object of all this solicit
.ule as he leaned back against the stoop
railing and apparently went off in a
1oze.
In short time the occupants of the
steps had taken themselves off in differ
mt directions and nobody remained but
;ne non committal new boarder and
oeardess youth, who was smoking a
cigarette on the top step.
Don't you find the travelling business
monotonols and tiresome?" inquired
ne beardless youth-"a sort of routine
,etwcen here and Chicago?" The pale
ooarder glanced quickly and curiously at
lis questioner.
why should II" he asked.
Don't you remember me?" went on
The beard ess youth. "You were work.
ing up the-case for so and so in 1S-
let me see-S5, wasn't it? Your name
is"
Hush, said the pale young man.
"Wcll," continued the youth, "Mr.
Hush. wish you would talk to me and
tell me something, and I'll swear never
to let soul know who you are, or why
you are stopping here.
81 am writing, he continued, a "treat-
lse on detectives-ti, ,ir use and abuse
and if you will emil rhten me little I
shall be obliged, and will in return
keep mum. :"
ats go" said the pale faced man,
but not here. Come up to my room. "
he beardess smiled and followed the
new boarder up stairs A leather trunk
stood in one corner of the room, and a
small satchel reposed on the bed, but
otherwise there was nothing to attract
attention.
what want is comparative facts"
bc~an the beardless
that's exactly what propose to give
you, said the pale young man, smiling,
''and you must work rapidly, for have
an engagement to meet a man later on
"Wouldn't the man be glad if you
didn't meet him?" inquired the beard
less
Possibly, went on the new boarder,
relaxing his features slightly and begin
ming to talk
"The French, English, and American
systems of espionage and secret police
work are all radically different. In
France the agents, as they are called,
are divided into two classes, the state
and municipal force. A great deal of
secrecy is used there among the agents
themselves, and l suppose that not more
than 40 of the state class are known to
each other. These men are paid large
salaries, and work only for the govern
ment in bond forgeries or fraud cases in
which officials or others are robbing
France. They are very clever and
many of them are rich.
"The city detective, the Vidocq and
Lecocq style of thief taker-is the
cleverer of the two classes for the reason
that the variety of his work gives him a
more liberal education in the business.
A great many people believe that the
stories of wonderful disguses told of the
French police are untrue, but positively
assure you that detective there who is
not clever enough to disguise himself
utterly and thoroughly, could not hold
his position for moment These
changes have to be made to stand the
light of day, too-by the way. imagine
our McGinnis, of the Central Office here,
trying to fool anybody on his appear
ance.
"If any large robbery occurs-say in
some big institutions-the police are
summoned and the matter is kept quiet.
A new clerk may appear, that's while
in England burly, red faced, pompous
looking person would come in the bank
--if such it were-and metaphorically be
introduced to all the clerks, He would
do his business in plain sight of every
one. French detectives never work in
pairs as they do here, although any
number of men may be detailed on a
case Each one thinks he has the proper
solution to the crime, and generally one
of them is right.
"The use of decoys and spies among
the criminal classes is more general in