The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1893-03-11
DETECTIVES FOR THE WORLDS FAIR,

Many VIII BE Sent from England for Private
Service-Extent Of Their Employment
Westminster Gazette.
The rumor lately put into circulation
that a great number-one telegram said
two hundred. another four hundred-of
English private detectives had been In
vited to 60 over to the Chicago exhibition,
suggested an interview with Mr.. Henry
Slater, the weil-known chief of Skaters
Detective Agency" with view to ascer-
tanning the exact amount of truth in tho
statements. and what the men might be
wanted for over there.
Mr.. Slater, who was found in his com.
Portable office IN Basinghsll street busily
engaged on wha' described as ''the
usual pailful OF rk," found time
listen to the astt z statement with an
air of what app To be astonishment
mingled with ration of the geniua
which could have invented the statement.
-Four hundred!' he exclaimed. after a
brief pause. possibly to regain his breath;
well. that is a large order! OF course there
will be q gOod many men sent out, but
nothing approaching that"
'How many do you think there will Be
then. Mr. SlaterR"
well. really can't say. We have not
completed our numb Der for Chicago Yet,
but when the exhibition Is in full swing
We may have-let mt see-perbaDs twenty
five men out there. We sent out nine or
ten men on the TeutonIc six months ago
and ad vertised the fact that their services
could be obtained. But the advertisements
had rather curious result. In what wayf
Why, the correspondence we received IN
answer to it was very amusing. We had
letters and kilograms from all parts of tho
cOuntry-of course, suggesting posi- bic
employment-but asking where these men
were to be found and how they were TO be
recognized. need hardly say we did not
care to tell how our men were to be known
and avoided"
These men," Mr.. Slater explained, have
not, of course. been sent ont for the use Of
xEI a N
private work-s0clal matters needing in
vestigatlon, and things of that sort. They
will be engaged to detect swiDdling In the
exhibition. Financlers and business men
will want to employ their services. This
last. indeed, is q strong feature of the prI-
vate detective work In America. At every
turn men are TO be found working in busi-
ness transactiOns-fndiDg out market
secrets Inventions watching what specu.
lat0rs are doing, and that sort OF thingJ
ana. as will tell you In a moment. that
sort of thing Is becoming more general in
England"
There may be many foreigners in Chi
cagO. OF courseW
"Of course there will-yisitors. adven-
turers and sharpers. but not detectives.
The foreign detective is, as a rule. a diff
J cult man to work with. He is generally
very clever In his W az. but his methods ara
not our methods There is this about him,
however-he resent les the Englishmsn
rather than the American in his ability Id
keep himself eEd his business strictly to
himself. Ar American can do good work.
but cannot do 1t without talking-and. IN
the majority of cases. talking very tall
Now, land any English or foreign pri-
vete detective Is the samoan not Henry
Slater outside this office: l am Smith, or
Brown, or anything rather than myself
Il emphasized tie word private Mr..
Slater continued. "becanse there is a great
difference between the private detective
and the Scotland Yard man. Our men con.
ceal their identity, but the Scotland y ard
man Is simply an ex-policeman and ha
| can't conceal the fact. To use the express
sion among the criminal classes you can
smell him at once"
lis there much demand for your as
sistance ct exhibitions. Mr.. Slaterf"
Yes. great deal. We have had q lot OF
work at all the big hlbitions Al the
| first Buffalo bilP show 1 had detective
| accountant to 20 over the books. At tho
American exhibition one of my men actually
found one OF the policemen on duty en-.
| gagged in ewindling.
IL have been speaking ali along of men,
| but you must not imagine that our stan con'
sists only of men. AS matter OF TACT We
employ very few. except as MANAGERS or
superintendents. Most OF the staff ara
| women, boys and girls of twenty to twenty.
| two years of age. Young women and boys
may eat sweets or apples AL day. bnt they
| don't get drunk and oiab about ther
4 business. They have avery good time you
| know-not much to do but play draughta
| or domlnoes, walk about and hays
| plenty of amusement; but il there Is
| ANYTHING to be found ont OH any subject,
| they are certain 10 worm IT out somehow
| Twas saying" Mr.. Slater went on. THAI
| the employment of detectives by business
| men and big firms was increasing In Eng
| land. Now. at present we have a large
| number of men going about as commercial
| travellers with goods of every description
| silks ribbons. sugar and all sorts of thinga
| either to see If the travellers belonging to
| the firms By which they are employed are
! doing their work. and not. Is they often
| could 90, robbing their employers. TO
| watch the men working for rival firms.
| Men are often employed. too. TO find out
| facts about cases of suspected lob
| berry in the city. 1t was one Of
| our men who went down TO Devonshire and
| got the first information about the doings
/ of the Hansard union. And at election
times we are always very busy. AT the cleo
tion in 1856 had some seven hundred men
| scattered all over the country. seeing If the
| work of organization was bcing carried ont
| properly. and watching both friends and
| opponents OF tho people who employed
| them"
TO get at rough idea of the number Of
men who will really 90 to Chicago. then:
suppose nobody will send a larger staff
| over than your mo; think may safely
| say thar. And of course we can increase
i our staff at any time should IL be found
necessary. No shall net employ Ameri-
cans hawever: any extra men we may
! want will be sent ont from London All