St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-12-05
Special to the Globe.

Speclai 10 the GLOBE
WASHINGTON, Dec. 4.-The solemn
secrecy, the mysterious dignity of the
modern American citizen who ssunes
the duties of a detective, are as amusing
to the average citizen as the comicali-
ties of the opera bouffe.
Jim Eye is the sheriff of Hennepin
county, an old soldier with a record, who
has been twice elected to that office
merely because he was a good fellow
not because he was smart, or cunning,
or a deep thinker, or a trained intellect
ual athlete, or even an educated detec-
tiye-but solely and only because he
was generous, kindly, sympathetic, and
loved the boys.
Then there is Win Bracket. Win is
a somewhat greater man than Jim, and
yet his overshadowing fame and sur
passing enoW also eliminated in an
election to the same Office of sheriff of
Hennepin county SIX years ago.. Since
that Mr.. Bracket has been chief Of
police and general manager of the eX-
position in Minneapolis, and has grown
in grace as in greatness.
Last Thursday night Two tall and
suspicious-looking gentlemen, bearing
unmistakable evidences in their toilet
of their origin in the wild and woolly
West, speaked furtively off a railroad
train and crept cautiously up
the dark and disreputable side
of Pennsylvania VENUE to Four
teenth street. They wore slouched
hats pulled down over their eyes in a
secret II sinister manner. They had
each a grip. 1t would be hard for the
trained guardians of the public peace to
tell whether these men were burglars
or detectives. These two classes. to the
innocent, have the same m%annerisms.
They crept cautiously into the Ebbit
house by the ladies' entrance. After
peering around cautiously, and looking
su~spiciously at the hotel loafers in the
office, n of them stood guard while
the other approached the counter and
registered-in a bold, bad hand:
an. w. Bartlett, st. Louis.
Henry E. James, C%bicago!"
Then Mr.. Bartlett beckoned the clerk
aside cautiously, and handed him a card
upon which was written:
flames II. Eye,
"W. NJ. Bracket, Minneapolis"
"Sh-h-h!' he Kissed. 1--WE have reg
iStered under an assumed name. If any
mail comes for these m send it I'D
to our roomp'
The poor clerk was startled, not to
say scared. Ten minutes after a GLOBE
representative entered the Ebbitt. The
clerk was pale. "Say!" he whispered,
do you know these %stiffs?" and he
exhibited the card. YES" "Who
are their nibs?." ''Harmless-entirely
innocuous-fairly good citizens of a
very reputable little town out in my
country. Why?" "Hush-h-hp' whis-
pered the clerk. They're up stairs in
No. 902." "Well, what of il? l don't
think they will rob your guests. They
don't plumber nights. anyhow. What
jobs they put up are all done in the day
time. They have a fairly good reputation
out home" II don't like their looks.
They have the appearance of running
away from somebody. They look scared,
like" swell, keep your eye OH them.
These are queer times. There are lots
of defaulters nowadays. Watch 'em."
Then the reporter, with the memory
OF cute Frank Nye, of Minneapolis,
strolled out and notified all Newspaper
row that Jim and Win had come, that
they were in No. 9O2 at the Ebbitt, and
that the clerk had mistaken them for
burglars who burgled.
Next morning their names, their er-
rand, their personal appearance-the
entire snap appeared in the press re-
ports of the whole country. and they
awoke to immortal fame. While they
slept the sleep of the just the telegraph
was notifying the universe that Sheriff
Eye and ~eX-Sheriff Bracket were
in Washington intent on getting
papers from the state department to
make a winters trip to Honduras for
the arrest of Menage. Before noon of
the next day Manages friends had
telegraphed him that the sleuths were
again in full bay; and that, as usual,
they were accompanied by a brass band,
a hand oigan,a battery of GatIing guns,
four bass drums, six bull terriers and a
pack of bloodhounds.
There is nothing the modern detective
really enjoys so much as plenty of adj
vertiSing. 1t conduces to fame; it brings
business; it adds to the amount of the
fees; it makes them celebrated. 1t is a
little expensive for the taxpayers, per-
haps. but then the money is well ex-
pended, if it adds to the over
%shadowing reputation of the detectives.
OF course the capture of Menage
is a matter of secondary Importance.
moves in a mysterious way His
wonders to perform" Being against
Menage and his methods, the Almighty
will somehow see to it that the princely
scoundrel is melted out justice in the
end. But evidently it will not be
through the agency of the amateur de-
tectives-who are fitted tor almost any
duty in life except to detect.
AFTER MENACE.