The record-union., 1894-04-12
Chief of the Detectives of New
York City.
Some of the Methods by Which He
Controls the Criminal Classes-No-
torious Criminals Driven out of
New York to London. Paris and
Berlin,


reau at police headquarters to an extent
not known there for many years. Super
intendent Byrnes' eyes twinkled with
interest and his shoulders, somewhat
stopped with increasing years and trou-
bies, raised themselves a bit, when on the
days following the discovery of the muir
ders I called on him to get his ideas. The
Superintendents greatest fault is his de-
tective proclivities. He organized the
bureau and made it what il is. and when
he was advanced to his present position
his pride in his career as Chief Inspector
was such that he made it condition of
his acceptance of the supervision of the
whole department that he would be left
in control of the bureau with door ana
a bridge between that Office and his new
one. So it happens that Byrnes always
knows what the fifty-two detectives are
doing, and himself directs their work
when important cases come up.
When on Saturday afternoon, March
18th, it was reported at headquarters that
Martha j. Fuller. young woman en-
ployed in a lawyers office on Nassau
street, was shot and killed, perhaps by
her own hand, more likely by the law
yer's clerk, Magee, the superintendent
was told of the circumstances and he took
the case in his charge. He sent his favor
ite detective Sergeants McClosky and
Titus to the scene, and when they got
back the ''Super' said: Murder" and
set out to prove it.
On Monday morning a more odious
crime was discovered to have been done.
The trunk OF child was found headless,
armless. the legs cut away and the body
Slashed, in a dirty cellar under a filthy
n e X The m
of missing child identified the clothes as
those OF her daughter and that was all
that has been learned of that case. But
Byrnes took charge of it also and now he
is directing the detective work on both.
l care no more about the details of those
crimes than do the readers of the RECORD
UNION, but they have brushed up Super
intendent Byrnes' recollection, and he
has talked nearly a half-hour day with
me about previous cases, his methods
and successes. These | take it would be
interesting III themselves, but they have
the additional merit Of dissipating some
widespread, yellow-backed ideas of de-
tectives and detectives lives.
NO, there is nothing new in the Fuller
case" he said last Monday. There's not
much to work on, you see. But it's MUIR
der sure enough, and all the more inter-
esting because of the few clews we can
get. viii have it all clear by the time
find the mans motive. The rest is easy
comparatively easy-that is, you un-
derstand. Running down facts is always
hard, as newspaper men know. and de-
tectiYe work Is much more like some
newspaper work than it is like that de-
scribed in the novels l never read.
Take my detectives, for instance; they
don't look like leuth-hounds, do they 1
think they look more like gentlemen,
and the training of law or journalism is
the best preparation for their work here.
(Titus is lawyer by profession.) Per-
sistaucy is the first quality, then under
standing and sagacity, not so much
shrewdness. They must know how and
where to get facts-that's the newspaper
nose as you call it-and how to make
evidence, that's the law OF 1t.
There's not much of the ShadoWing
business to be done, either, but a great
deal of 'spotting.' After the suspicion is
fixed we settle the mans home and visit
ing places, thus learning his habitat, so
to speak. and his companions. All that
remains is TO get the warrant, and thus
armed, go to place where the man is
sure to come and take him. In ordinary
criminal work this keeping posted on the
resorts of criminals is the chief business
OF the bureau. Our men have their special
ties and they keep informed about the
groups OF CROOKS etc., where they con-
gregate and where they dispose of stolen
goods. 1t is well known that thieves
specialize, too, and we get our suspicious
usually from the article taken, the char
acter of the place entered, whether bank,
store, private dwelling or clearinghouse,
and the method of the work"
Byrnes did not and will not say how
much OF his success has been due TO some
proSaic modes OF detective work. Thus
The can hardly be expected to confess he
gets great deal of effective help by keep
ing on good terms with keepers of pawn
shops, keepers of saloons where crooks
congregate, and himself posting what are
called "stool-pigeonS," men who are en-
gagged and paid or rewarded to bring him
Information. Mother MandleDauin, who
died lately in exile in Canada and was
brought here for burial, was the only
buyer of stolen goods who had the repu-
tation for keeping "honor among thieves"
Her pawnshop, however, was lrequented
by detectives, and one of them married
her daughter. 1t is said that she hired
the detectives. Almost all other receiv-
ers OF stolen goods sell information to the
police. They disclose the thief tor the
right to exist and to retain a part Of the
goods. This alliance with thieves may
be unlawful, immoral and in the long
run ineXpedlent and embarrassing. But
the connection is believed in and fostered
by the New York detective service. In
deed il is developed into perfect system.
Byrnes' skill in dealing with the GRIM
inals themselves is we'll known gen.
eral fact. Those of the professional class
he understands perfectly; and all except
the occasional criminal fall under his in
fluence in some way. To illustrate, l will
quote what he said yesterday of some of his
work when chief inspector. / had asked
him about the case of the child murdered,
ana he was drawn by the similarity of
motive to talk OF the notorious Shake
speare case, and afterwards of others
equally infamous. He said:
THAT child found in HjlPs kitchen)
was so cut and slashed that the motive
seems thus far to have been of that same
vicious abnormal nature which prompted
the old man .Frenchy' TO cut up the
Shakespeare woman. 1t will turn out no
doubt as that one did. You remember we
had nothing TO go by but the analysis OF
what we found under Frenchy's finger
nails and his habits. His accounts of
himself did the rest. He refused TO talk,
but | got him alone, and at different
times drew from him different state
ments After each statement we verihed
or disproved it. and in this way got him
into confession of falsehoods and con-
tradictions.
ITO deal with criminals one must adopt
those methods and others. That was a
great step for detective work when we
began regularly TO arrest on suspicion.
1t has enabled me to convict many afro
cious criminals. 1 get them here in a
cell and work on their feelings, their ina
bility to lie consistently and ali their
-----------