Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1896-01-16
CHAPTER I.

CHAPTER l.
4 GENTLEMAN THINKS HE CAN COMMIT A
CRIME AND ESCAPE DETECTION.
Jack Barnes never gets left, you
bet"
THAT vas a close call, though, re-
piled the Pullman porter who had given
Mr. Barnes a helping hand in his des-
perate effort to board the midnight ex-
press as it rolled out of Boston. II
wouldn't advise you to jump on moving
! trains often.
THANK you for your good advice and
for your assistance. Here S a quarter for
! you. Show me to my section. l Iam near
| " dead. am so tired. "
Upper 10. Right this way, sir 1t is
| all ready for you to turn in. "
When Mr. Barnes entered the coach,
no one was in sight. If there were other
! passengers, they were abed. A few min
/ utes later he himself was patting two
/ little bags Of feathers and placing one
/ atop of the other in a vain attempt TO
make them serve as one pillow. He had
told the porter that he was tired, and
this was so true that he should have
fallen asleep quickly. Instead his brain
seemed specially active and sleep i'm
possible.
Mr.. Barnes-Jack Barnes, as he called
himself to the porter-was detective,
and counted one of the shrewdest in
New York, where he controlled pri
vate agency established by himself. He
had Just completed what he considered
most satisfactory piece of work A
large robbery had been committed in
New York, and suspicion of the stron
gest nature had pointed in the direo
tion Of a young man who had immedi-
ately been arrested For ten days the
press of the country had been trying and
convicting the suspect, during which
time Mr.. Barnes had quietly left the
metropolis Twelve hours before we met
him those who read the papers over their
toast had been amazed to learn that the
suspect was innocent and that the real
criminal had been apprehended by the
keen witted Jack Barnes. What was bet
ter, he had recovered the lost funds,
amounting to $4,000
He had had a long chase after his
man, whom he had shadowed from city
to city and watched day and night ac-
tuated to this course by a slight clew in
which he had placed his faith. Now,
his man fast in a Boston prison, he was
on his way to New York for requisition
papers AS he had said, he was tired,
yet despite his need of complete rest his
thoughts persisted in rehearsing all the
intricate details Of the reasoning which
had at last led him to the solution Of
the mystery. As he lay in his upper
berth awake these words reached his
ears:
If knew that man Barnes was aft
er me, should simply surrender.
This promised to be the beginning Of
an entertaining conversation, and as he
could not sleep Mr.. Barnes prepared to
listen. Extensive experience as detect
i've had made him long ago forget the
philosophic arguments for and against
eavesdropping. The voice which had at
tracted him was low, but his ears were
keen. He located it as coming from the
section next ahead of his, No. s. A Sec
ond voice replied:
''I have no doubt that you would.
But wouldn't. You overestimate the
ability of the modern detective. l
should actually enjoy being bounded by
one of them. 1t would be SO much pleas
ure, and, think SO easy, to elude him. "
The last speaker possessed a voice
which was musical, and he articulated
distinctly, though he scarcely ventured
above a loud whisper. Mr.. Barnes eau
tiously raised his head, arranging his
pillows SO that his ear would be near
the partition. Fortunately the two men
next to him had taken the whole sec
ton, and the upper berth had been al
lowed to remain closed. Mr.. Barnes
now found that he could readily follow
the conversation, which continued thus;
but see how that Barnes tracked
this Pettingill day and night until he
had trapped him. Just as the fellow
supposed himself safe he was arrested.
You must admit that was clever work.
"Oh, yes, clever enough in its way,
but there was nothing specially artistic
about it, Not that the detective was to
blame. 1t was the fault Of the criminal.
There was no chance for the artistic. "
Yet Nj. Barnes had used that very ad-
jective to himself i'll commenting upon
his conduct Of this case The man con-
tinued: 1.-The crime itself was inartis-
tic Pettingill bungled, Barnes was
shrewd enough to detect the flaw, and
with his experience and skill in such
cases tho end was inevitable. "
ut seems to me either that you have
not read the full account of the case or
else you do not appreciate the work Of
the detective. Why, all the clew he had
was a button.
"Ahl Only n button, but such a but
ton That is where say that the crimi
nal was inartistic He should not have
lost that button.
''It was an accident, suppose, and
one against which he could not have
guarded. Itwas ono Of the exigencies Of
| his crime
Exactly so, and it is these little ac
cidents, always unforeseen, though al
ways occurring, which hang so many,
and Jail so many, and give our detect
| ives such an easy road to fame. That is
| the gist of the whole matter. 1t is an
unequal game this between the criminal
and the detective.
II don't catch what you are driving
| at.
It'll give you dissertation on crime.
Attend In ordinary business it is brains
versus brains The professional man con
! tends with his fellows, and if he would
win the race toward fortune he must
show more brains. The commercial man
competes with other tradesmen all as
clever as himself. So it goes from the
lawyer to the locksmith, from the
preacher to the sign painter 1t is brains
rubbing against brains, and we get the
most polished thought as the result.
Thus the science of honest living pro
sresses. "
"What has this to do with the crimi-
nal class?"
lone moment. Let the philosopher
teach you in his own way. With the
criminal it is different. He is matched
against his superior. Those in his own
| o1ogs Io not I;~,