The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-09-19
A FAMOUS DETECTIVE.
Inspector Jarvis's Career, AprODOs
of His Approaching Retirement.

London Telegraph.
After thirty years service, including a
fun quarter century Of experience as
leading detective, Frederick Jarvis, chief
inspector of Scotland Yard, enters upon his
well-earned retirement next month. 1t
would be difficult to find officer more
Numerically opposed to the popular con-
ception of q detective. Mr.. Jarvis stands
close on six feet and the dominant impress
sion conveyed by his personal appearance
is that he is a good-naturcd provincial
rather than one of the shrewdest and clev-
crest hunters of criminals that ever exist
ed. There was a time when good detec-
tive had to be either rough fellow able
to mix in the lowest society without eX-
citing suspicion or comments or a highly
educated man able to direct the operations
of others. Mr.. Jarvis is a combination of
both these types Starting in the force as
a constable, his first service was in the
A division, in the course of which he was
on duty about the houses of Parliament.
Drafted soon into the detective department,
he devoted all his energies to one object
a thorough acquaintance with the ways of
criminals. With this end he freQuented
courts and prisons, race meetings and dens.
One of the first cases in which he distin-
guished himself was the LEROY murder.
After this came the Fenian and dynamite
outrages of DIR. Gallagher and his assoc-
ates, and of Cunningham and Burton A
celebrated task imposed upon Mr.. Jarvis
was to trace the career of Neil Cream, the
Lambeth pOsoner, in America and Can
ada. One of the officers specialties in
criminal investigation was the detection of
forgeries, and it is claimed by some of his
admirers that as a result Of his efforts In
this direction an act of Parliament may be
instanced This came directly from the
sentence of ten years imprisonment on
Barton for fOrgerieS on the Northwestern
Railway amounting to over $4,000 The
was followed over half the continent.
The most sensational of Mr. Jarviss
cases was the arrest OF Mendell Howard
for extensive bank forgeries in France,
America, Germany and Belgium This
forger, who was watched for over two
years before he could be captured with
proof sufficient to insure his conviction,
was taken with q complete forger's fac
tory at Chester terrace. Eaton square.
where he lived. Another forger who owes
his incarceration to the vigilance and
ability of the retiring inspector is Dom
completing a ten years sentence, with
whom was also captured Laterner, who
got three years These were arrested as
they were getting off the boat at Dover
with forged bonds and notes to the value
of thousands of pounds in their possession.
The Sunderland Bank robbery was
striking instance not only of the brains
and money now employed in such enter
prises, but of the difficulties with which
modern detective must contend. Here was
no case of cracksmen who go on the spree
as soon as they secure their booty and
betray themselves, but Of men with cool
nerves and money enough to take them to
the ends of the earth, If need be, to elude
capture. That Mr. Jarvis was able to arrest
these criminals is high tribute to his
skill. That he should hold the criminal
after capturing him is proof that his long
experience in handling such criminals has
not maze MN lOOlndIuy. ne kept d SUOu
hold on Armstrong and promptly secured
him in a cell, while the other prisoner
easily slipped away and is still at large.
To the average reader it will be a sur
prise TO learn that DISCUSSES form no part
of the modern detectives outfit There are
two ways by which the perpetrator of a
crime becomes known TO the polce-that is.
supposing, of course, that his pals do
not peach" One Of these is by an exam
nation Of the scene OF the felony; the other
is by the Information received at Scotland
Yard, which is. in reality, little more than
a bureau of information. It is next to inn
possible for a burglar or forger 10 do
piece of work without leaving some trace
or clew sufficient for an officer of Mr.. Jar
viss experience If there is absolutely
nothing the officer must rely on sudden abb
sences or unusual displays of prosperity in
criminal quarters. If neither of these
means succeeds he must rely on informa-
ton which is almost certain to come in
from one place or another giving some in
dication of the men. Then comes the hard
part of the work. Sometimes the case can
never go any further because the detective
fails 10 find, not the man he wants but
proof of his guilt A good instance OF this
occurred in a celebrated murder case not
long ago, In this as IN several of Mr.. Jar
vis's cases, justice had to wait on expedi-