The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-09-18

himself on is that he is a detective. not
big, husky brute, who recognizes an
eX-conVict on the street and says,
| Here, the chief wants you" but a
careful, unobtrusive sleuth, who dis
Suises his real purpose, obtains informa-
tion and then steps aside for the
coarser element to do the toughest of
the work.
Finding out things is his strong point
II makes no difference what the thing
is. he will seek it. He found the men
who were counterfeiting lottery tickets
He found the watchman who was at
work when the Kaufman mills were set
on fire and saved the city thousands of
dollars In damages. He will find "A man
who has mummy for sale If you ask
him tO, or he will get for you the his
tory of mans life from his cradle to
date, and no one will know that Slup-
sky did it,
n reporter recently talked with Abe
Slupsky and got him to give some ac-
count of his life, and this is what the
famous little man said:
I'm a Jew. My father was a Pole.
His name was SIupsky. My mother is
English. She speaks no language but
English / was born in London. So
were my two brothers and one sister. |
am the youngest. | am 80 years old and
never went TO school in my life. Ny
father is dead. My mother is still liv-
ing. She lives here in St. Louis. She
is very well off Her name is Rosen-
stein. She married a second time.
II came 10 America i'm 1869. / came
alone on a German line steamer.
la i'm \
only 10 years old, and hunted work on
the levee. | got job as deck sweeper on
a towboat. They don't have deck sweep-
ers on towboats as a rule. but | learned
10 pass the coal and made myself use
full. / changed my name. | was Tom
Brooks. Those river men would never
have time TO call me Abraham Slups<y.
1t was Tom or Jim in a hurry in those
days.
Passing the call'-you know what
that is? ON the towboat they generally
have five barges. two on each side and
one in front. The man with the lead
line calls the depth OF the water. but Il
is too far TO the pilothouse. so some one
stands half way and passes the call.
That is what | did.
II was on the river until 1875 with
Captain Davis of the Mississippi Val
ley Transportation company. lie re-
members me well.
Il saved a little money all the time
and then | opened the first red front
furniture store In st. Louis at sos North
Seventh street. | made money out of
that / made money out of everything
went into. l have always made
money.
Then | opened secondhand cloth
ing store at 302 Locust street II was
little shop. on the outside | had a
Sign, This place is in no way connected
with the Famous
II sold clothes and bought clothes. |
only had that little shop. At the back
had a hose pipe stuck in the wall.
When I could not ft a customer | would
go 10 the pipe and call: Hello. up there.
Have YOU pair OF pants % i'm the leg?
What No? All right
Then | would tell the customer I
vas all out OF that line. The hose was
a blun, but IL worked all right
II worked in the secret service for
Thicl. Clarence Newcomb can tell Won
what | did there. was doing secret
service work for George Allen when he
was mayor. ] never worked for the po-
lice department hut | have been all
over the country on that kind Of work.
! have done many very big Jobs i'm that
line and have always been well paid FOR
them. Sometimes ! risked my life ani
lived right with the people l was
after"
How do you make your money?" |
was asked.
Il make 70 every way I made Sl30) |
the other night In n poker game In n |
certain fashionable hotel in an uptown !
district Of this city"