The San Francisco call., 1896-08-02
THEY WITCH
THE CASHIER
Men and Women Who
:. Act as Spies
Jheir- Business Is to Know How
Trusted Employees Spend
''- Jheir Time

Playing gentleman and earning. from St
. to 50 a day is another way of earning 6
living in the great city of San Francisco
This means of obtaining the means tc
exist is not. confined to the male sex, but
there are not few women who play lady
and draw a like amount, and. it may be
added, expenses.
Those who make a living that way are
provided by the private detective bureaus,
but their appearance, their manner of con-
Quoting themselves, their language and
ability to. Gmuse, is such that no one
would look upon them as modern imita-
tors of the great Vidocq.
The men are recruited from the ranks OF
society men whom the reverses of fortune
have placed in g position that an odd job
bringing them in few dollars every now
and then is as welcome as rain is to the
dreught-stHcken farmer.
The women, likewise, are obtained from
among q class that. has standing in So
ciety, but the greatest care is exercised in
the selection of those who have sharp
eyes, good ears for listening, are entertain
ing conversationists, can play the piano
Or the'mandoini and are not behind the
Others in taking a hand at VI hist or pro-
gregsive euchre. But ABOVE all they must
be discreet;
"You have no idea of the number of
men and women who are EMPLOYED in
this class of wotk," said one of them a
few days since. "If there is firm that
wishes to advise itself of the life of its con-
fdential employees it communicates with
my employer, and l or some one else is set
to watch the movements of the particular
individual in question. knowing the
hour that he leaves his home, am there
at that time. If he walks to the Office
am at a respectful distance behind him.
if he rides on the cars am his unknown
travelling companion; if he has neglected
to breakfast at home and saunters into a
restaurant l am taken with a desire for
breakfast, and if he goes into saloon for
a bracer have to have one also. What
he does in the office is none of my con-
Germ, but anon the watch all the time.
and when he leaves during the lunch
hour I'm after him to note where he goes.
what, he does and what people he talks
with. and this is repeated after he leaves
the office. ]. then becomes my duty to
follow him wherever lie goes, see the
kind of owl company he keeps,
make ..fair estimate of his expendi-
lures during the night and day. Often
it happens that my man visits places that
1 cannot enter, for where two constitute
company three would prove embarrassing,
but like Captain Cutie 1 make note ont
and subsequently find out her name. If
he leads proper life or if he leads fast
life and blows in money at the races, his
employers find it all out. At times l am
thrown into the company of the man am
watching and in sucn case l have to
keep on an even Keel with him. Some of
the reports turned in at the office would
make fine reading for tie relatives OF the
parties watched"
What the men watchers do is often done
by women, for they not only watch women
but they are set to watch men and report
if they are led into temptation. 1t is at
fancy and masquerade balls that they are
often sent to discover if a particular indl-
vidual is out for a good time, and the
watchers are required to give details.