The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-04-25
THE COUNTRY DETECTIVE
His Work Is Harder Than His City
Brothers..
His Only Reliable Assistant Usually Is His
Trusty Revolver-A Case in Which
One Csed His Weapon with
Remarkable Effect.

THE detective business any way
you take ii, said member of the pro-
fession, recently, SIS interesting and
exciting. but out here in the .wilds of
West Virginia the dangers go way by
those met with in regular city work
The city detective has all the help and
needful accessories he wants; out here
| he has TO be the entire force himself
for when he is wandering around
among these mountains looking for an
escaped murderer or train wrecller he
can't have an army of police officers at
his beck and call. He and his revolver
have to be the whole thing, and the
only help he gets is what he has at
the end of bis weapon. 1t makes him
self-reliant and pretty hard to get
caught in bad place, but he has a
harder time than one thinks, keeping
himself free. He plays a game Of
risky solitaire, in fact. and the worst
of it is he doesn't even get into the pa
pers like his more fortunate. but no
Drawer, brother in the city
''All right" said one of his listeners,
as the country detective stopped to re-
light his cigar, go ahead with your
story. 1t reminds you Of
Wrong again. young man." returned
the officer, smiling, ''for it doesn't re-
mind me of any hair-breadth escapes.
Fact is. have been lucky in not get
ting into any very close places and
never did a thing that would warrant
my having my picture published in the
newspapers"
81 should hope notr exclaimed the
young man, fervently.
But" went on the other, without
noticing the interruption, I'VE had one
man down in Kanawha county whose
life was one of the saddest and at the
same time the busiest of any mans in
the state. Never mimi his name; he
was al the head Of an agency. and died
only few months ago. He had had
more exciting Incidents in the course
of his life than any man ] ever knew,
and, if it is ever written out in full, it
viii prove as interesting as any half
dime novel you could find. He was a
tall, thin man, with The quietest ways
Imaginable, and, strange 20 say, as
modest as girl when talking of any
Of the many fine catches he made.
he had been a newspaper man long be-
fore he became detective, and that
gave him a capacity for listening in
stead of talking himself. He rose rap
IDLY in the last profession he took UP.
and there IS hardly a well-known case
in the state which he wasn't connected
with in some way. He always acquit-
ted himself well, too, and showed he
understood the business clear from 4
to z. Perfectly fearless and as agile
as a tiger, it wasn't often that he was
caught unawares. But once he came
near being lost, and by the grossest
piece Of careles sness he was ever guilty
Of lie had two men, as desperate
as mountaineer criminals always are,
in his Office, They were handcuffed,
bat that was all, the guard having
gone TO get the town officials TO carry
them 20 jail. My friend was entertain
ing them in the meantime, and he got
up to speak to the porter in the ball
for not half d minute, about getting
them some water which they had asked
for, when he heard a movement in the
room. He stepped quickly back in
time 20 see one of the men reaching
with both hands for a pistol belonging
to the detective. which lay on MS desk.
lie had his hands on it before rny friend
could speak. but the detective prompt
" threw chair at him, knocked him
down. and. jumping clear across the
room IN one spring, he had the weapon
and was covering the other prisoner
before either Of them could more. de
saved himself by his prese nee Of mind
that time. but he told me he wanted I
nc 10 kick him If he ever left another
prisoner IN reach Of his dangerous
TOYS.
Five years ago he was on 2 famous .
tram wreckiug. u was hor-
rioie thing; two men turned train I
into d switch ranninZ down the river, +
as shcv afterwards confessed, because
they had q grUdge against the en-
gineer 81 the train. Several people j
were killed. amoov them the conductor, 4
Who lost his lie trying 20 get . brake
man ont from under Burning car .
but that i another story As /! sad i
nv friend hal tnis case, and TIE way
he worked * was worthy 81 ih@ EI.zc .
j never saw n5En SO tsre.ess Is he z-4s
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