Bennington semi-weekly banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 1894-1902, 1894-12-07
DEPOT DETECTIVES.
SHARP FELLOWS WHO HAVE INTER-
ESTlNG EXPERIENCES.

Keep an Eye on the Crooks and Protect
the Travelling Public-Spotters and 9th
er Detectives Employed by the Railway
Companies.
1t was in tho waiting room of a Jersey
City railway station. People were flying
to and fro for trains, and the scene was
quito as animated as tho rush of people
around circus ticket wagon. A smooth
shaven, mild eyed man was standing near
the door when people were pouring out
for departing trains. The man, who was
well dressed, seemed to be looking for
some one about to leave His eyes were
fastened on the door, and each person who
passed was subjected to his careful scru
tiny. After a few minutes stoutly built
man, plainly dressed and wearing a black
mustache, walked up behind the man at
the door and tapped him on the shoulder.
The man turned about and the two men
hold n quiet but earnest two minutes
conversation. When it ended, the man
with the mustache pointed toward the
street door, and the other man, with an
angry look followed his direction.
Don't come back, ;" said the man, who
gave what was apparently an order from
one having authority. He spoke firmly, in a
voice that could BIO heard several feet away.
1t seemed strange that a man attending
to his business should be ordered out and
submit to the order. The reporters curl
osity prompted him to make an inquiry.
What sort Of play was thatT' he
asked Of tho man with tho mustache.
what business Is it of yoursi" asked
the man.
He seemed somewhat Modified when he
learned that the inquiry was natural and
was not caused by Interior motives.
well, he said, that innocent looking
gentleman that you saw leave Is one OF
the best known Of the confidence men and
thieves In the east He is out OF prison
just now but is watching out for his line
of business. He sometimes hangs about
on the ferrybosts watching for victims on
the incoming trains. 1 suspect that he
was looking out today for the safe depar-
Sure OF some victim who has been finished
up by the gang and would not squeal be-
cause no did not want his name in the pa
pers. You see, we can't hold the crook,
as We have no evidence. So We give him
the run"
And what is your business'" the re.
porter asked.
"Oh, am railroad detective, detailed
here to protect patrons of the road" And
the detective moved away.
Every railroad company has a small
corps of detectives, bright fellows who do
not win big regulations in big cases, but
who are constantly employed in the hard
est and most trying work. They are trav.
cling from one end Of the line to the other,
looking up all sorts of depredations except
the work known as sporting employees.
That work Is usually done by detectives
hired from an agency. The reason Is easily
explained. Tho railroad detective, in or
der to carry on his work successfully, must
have large personal acquaintance with
the employees of the road. 1t Is ten to
one shot that if any one of them caught
him spotting friend he would BIO thence.
forth useless But there Is no end of labor.
The protection Of patrons in large railroad
stations from pickpOckets and h"1ko men
is most important work. 1t requires
detective with remarkable memory for
faces and most extensive acquaintance
with sneak thieves. He must carry the
rogues' gallery in his brain 1t often hap.
pens, though, that man possessed Of the
real detective intuition can come pretty
near locating a thief by his appearance
and manners.
For instance, while moving about in
crowd at railroad station-a crowd that
changes cOnstantly-he will perhaps no.
tice one man who remains there after the
departure and arrival of several trains.
That man is classified by the detective as
suspicious character Tho detective
watches him carefully, and then, if he ia
not quite sure, he politely asks the man
whether he is waiting for train. If tho
answer Is unsatisfactory, the detective
will observe that tho waiting room is not
public loafng place. but Is intended for
passengers. In nine out of ten cases the
experienced detective will know whether
the man is lying. Station detectives, as
they are called, must have better knowl-
edge OF thieves than the average agency
detective, for there is great roar in
railroad office whenever pocket is picked
in a waiting room. 1t is to be said, how
ever, that such occurrences are compare
lively rare. The green goods man who
goes to meet his victim waits outside the
station or on the ferryboat. There is an
end of the. old days when bad men could
play their work in waiting rooms, men
like Grand Central Pete, who got his So
briquet because he was usually found
hanging about the Grand Central station.
The railroad detectives work for the
most part is hunting out freight thieves
and employees who have destroyed proper
ty and in detecting thieves who make rail
road property mark. He is set on the
trail of the man who draws a spike from
the track or the small boy who throws "A
stone through car window. When a
switch is turned by an unknown hand, he
investigates.
The theft of ticket office calls forth
talent which may have been wasted in
proftless search for a boy who threw a
stone at the locomotive.
A duty that keeps railroad detectives
busy in times of labor troubles is the
hunting down of writer's of anonymous
letters to railroad officers. Letters from
cranks are thrown in the wastebasket,
but letters containing threats to destroy
railroad property are held for investiga-
ton. During strikes the detective corps is
enlarged the help being furnished by
such agencies as Pinkerton's and Drum
monds. Whenever u case involving large
interests and requiring a special form of
skill is to be handled, the agency is called
upon.
Express companies usually employ two