Democratic Northwest and Henry County news. [volume] (Napoleon, O. [Ohio]) 1894-1905, 1896-02-20

| CRImE AND DEIbCliONs
"Jack Barnes never gets left, you
bet"
"That was q close call, though, IRE
piled the Pullman porter who had given
Mr.. Barnes a helping halS 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 quarter for
you. Show me to my section. lam near
ly dead, am so tired"
Upper 10. Right this way, sir. tits
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 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 q pri-
yate agency established by himself. He
had Just completed what he considered
a 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 direc-
ton 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 100000.
He had had long chase after his
man, whom he had shadowed from city
to city and watched day and night, ac-
tuated to this course by slight clew in
which he had placed his faith. Now,
: his man fast in 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
'ovr VI. ssvv e.l.v Slrvpo vvoraS r0aoiIoJ his
ears:
eff 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:
~ have no doubt that you would.
) But wouldn't You overestimate the
ability of the modern detective.
! should actually enjoy being bounded by
| one Of them. 1t would be SO much pleas
! ure, and, think SO easy, to elude him. u
The last speaker possessed a voice
! which was musical, and he articulated
8 distinctly, though he scarcely ventured
above a loud whisper. Mr.. Barnes eau
! tiously raised his head, arranging hit
pillows SO that his ear would be neal
, the partition. Fortunately the two mer
next to him had taken the whole sec
tion, and the upper berth had been al
lowed to remain closed. Mr.. Barnes
r now found that he could readily follow
the conversation, which continued thus
"Rut see how that Barnes tracked
this Pettingill day and night until HI
had trapped him. just as the fellow
a supposed himself safe he was arrested
You must admit that was clever work.
ooh, yes, clever enough in its way
but there was nothing specially artistic
about it. Not that the detective was tt
a blame. Itwas the fault Of the criminal
There was no chance for the artistic.
Yet Mr.. Barnes had used that very ad
jective to himself in commenting upoi
his conduct Of this case. The man con
r tinued: "The crime itself was inartis
tic. Pettingill bungled, Barnes wa
shrewd enough to detect the flaw, ant
a with his experience and skill in sucl
cases the end was inevitable.
"It seems to me either that you hav,
not read the full account of the case O
else you do not appreciate the work O
a the detective. Why, all the clew he hat
was button"
"Ahl Only button, but such a but
ton That is where ! say that the crimi
nal was inartistic. He should not hay'
$ lost that button.
ut was an accident, I suppose, ant
one against which he could not hav,
! guarded Itwas one of the exigencies o
: 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 il
, the gist of the whole matter. 1t is al
! unequal game this between the crimina
, and the detective
II don't catch what you are driving
at.
"I'llgive You dissertation on crime
Attend In ordinary business 1t is brain
versus brains. The professional man con
tends with his fellows, and if he woult
win the race toward fortune he mus
} show more brains. The commercial MAJ
completes with other tradesmen all Al
I clever as himself. So it goes from th,