The Port Gibson reveille. [volume] (Port Gibson, Miss.) 1890-current, 1890-10-10
MEN WHO NEVER SLEEP.
Thrilling Incidents In the fife OF
- an American Detective ~
How French, English and American Thief
Takers Hunt Their G@me-sh@aowfnx
Dishonest CIerts--A Few Cases
- Illustrating the Methods.

One OF the best-known detectives In tho
United States, after repeated solicitations
by reporter for tho Denver Coll Times,
consented 70 talk about the business.
There IL oil 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 la them as be-
ing worn by the Lecoqs OF the different
stories as Something utterly untrue.
Strange as IL may seem, however, IL Is true.
"a French detective who can not so dis
guise himself that his superior can not
recognize him could not find employment
In any detective bureau. Tho DISCUSSES arc
wonderful, too, and oven the strong light OF
day shows no imperfection In them. /,
"There arc two sorts Of detectives In
France-State detectives aud the municipal
or city force. Among tho former no one
knows who his fellow detectives are, and
as they never work In pairs, the necessity
for knowing each other is not so 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. IL q
@~@A@ - A1AbS4 "a nGW &16A8k8uh
teller or clerk appears In the bank day or
80 afterward. he Is detective, OF course,
and where 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 q great system Of
stool-pigeons. Among the vicious of all
classes, male and female, arc 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.
70 Scotland Yard, where Is situated the
Criminal Investigation Bureau. IL Harry,
the Swell, Is flashing great deal OF money
about the fact Is at once reported TO the
police, and II any large forgery or robbery
has recently occurred. Harry, the Swell
Is liable TO prove an alibi. Inside the great
portico Of Scotland Yard Is q large case
containing tho photographs OF all the detect
Ives employed by tho bureau. and the
crooks or thieves can have free access at
any time TO study the faces OF those who
are liable 70 be after them at some future
time. This stool-pigeon system is not used
much In America, as the police do not put
mach faith In It.
"In France or England, II the employe Of
big banking house is suspected OF irregu-
larities his habits are watched and tho
facts ascertained, wlilo in America man
will be set on the track Of the supposed
thief, make his acquaintance and ingratiate
himself into the suspected man 3 confidence.
He viii spend as much or more money than
the suspect and will go into any dissipation
any large concern, the American detective
becomes an employe Of the corporation
whether as porter or a director OF bank
The clew and tho 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 tho
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 DO solved IL
the right methods are employed. There
was case remember in Chicago.
"a well-known business man was found |
murdered ono morning In his Office Tho /
crime had evidently been committed the |
night before, for the body had been cold O /
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 rihed, and beyond the /
CHASTITY bullet-hole In the mans head, there /
was nothing 10 indicate with what tho crimo /
had been committed. No pistol was found.
81 was put on the case and reasoned 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 and the morning. Three were As
caliber, the size evidently used 70 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 a smokingc car. I ar
rested him, aud much of tho dead mans
property was found in his possession. It's
not much Of a story-if the man hadn't
pawned the pistol be 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.
''The life Of q detective Ia startling
enough, but Il gets tresome and monoto-
nous, and I expect soon toretire. remema
Der one case that happened In New York
A very swell reception was given by one of
the leaders of society. One OF the guests
had laid valuable solitaire In the ladies'
on the wash-stand, and fors
getting It. had left It. On her return 10
find It. it had, Of course, disappeared. No
body knew where II was. The trunks OF all
the servants were searched, but no trace
could be found Of the powell, which was
worth 1900. I finally found II where It
had been pawned for 5000 In pa~nshop by
a French woman. / took the visiting Lat of .
the hostess, and finally, after O weeks
search, found that one of the guests, q rich ,
woman, had a French maid, and that she
bad gone 70 Europe shortly after tho re-
ception-
n had TO wait for her return, made the
OF the maid and took her to
The pawnbroker's, where he identified her.
She confessed and her mistress redeemed I
he diamond and paid all the expenses. ,
aever told on her
"You sec also that pawnbrokers are Inn Z
oortant factors Ia our bnsiness, and that !
hey are frequently Of service in detecting
rhine. Still, pawnbrokers encourage rob
oers, for IL there were no shops the tempta- (
Ion 10 steal would not be so great
'It's singular business In every way"
,oncluded the thief-taker. "Fascinating In (
many ways, but like every thing else, ons q
yets tired of It," A.