The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1898-11-19
S&leGt Stprp&
THE CARBON STREET AFFAIR.
From Tit Bits.

NV name Is Arthur Clarence tltZGer-
aid Mackenzie-rather an aristocratic
name, you will admit, am %, tall,
good looking and clerk. [ am not abso
lutely miserable. but am, nevertheless far
from happy.
Among my own acquaintance | find
men who are unhappy because they are
rich, others because they are poor, some
because they have wives, some because
they have none. In fact, [ have made
this discovery, that if certain thing makes
one man happy, you can generally find
another who is miserable from the same
cause. The cause of my own unhappi-
ness is that l cannot alight upon the par
| ticular walk in life in which my abilities
are destined to make me famous.
1t was my father great principle that
every man is genius in a particular de-
partment but the chances are million
to one that he never finds that depart
ment.
There are hundreds of smart young men
who are veritable geniuses in the draper
assistant line, and who mi ght, with reason
able prospects Of success, aspire to the al
titude of shopwalker-in chief. The pity
Of it is that these young men usually
imagine they are poets or artists great,
of course-and the result is that the world,
instead of gaining fair verse-thumper,
loses good counter.jumper.
This, as | mentioned, was my father
,.,.o,+ ;lo, ,,,l h. ,,-n Gfn ,u,,, ,Uof,,l
example of its truth. For 80 years he
worked at the trade OF bootmaking with
out becoming pennypiece the richer, and
it was only on his deathbed that he found
he ought to have been Cabinet Minister.
Ny OWE delusion was that | came into
this world for the sole purpose Of showing
its inhabitants something startling in the
detective line.
did not jump at this conclusion; it was
the result Of long and deep meditation. |
read the Chronicles of Bow Street and
made myself thoroughly acquainted with
the tactics of the famous ''runners. [
learned the various devices of criminals
through the medium of the Newgate Cal
endar, and studied philosophical deduction
from Sir Francis Bacon and Mr.. Conan
Doyle. did not get on very well with
Sir Francis. | read few of his essays
and came to the conclusion that he, like
my father, had missed his vocation
With Mr.. Conan Doyle, however, | was
in my element | devoured the adven-
lures of the great Sherlock until | could,
with perfect ease deduce most appalling
string of horrors from what to ordinary
people would have appeared but trivial
circumstance.
Ny opportunity came at last. was
walking down the Strand in that calm,
thoughtful manner peculiar to people of
great brain power, when passerby looked
searchingly into my face. 1t was only
glance, and he passed on almost immedi-
ately, apparently satisfied with his inspec
ton.
| literally jumped with eagerness and
delight The man, though outwardly re-
fined and gentlemanly, had very strik-
ing face His eyes were small and bright,
overhung by cliff-like brows. His jaw
was square and massive, and his mouth
looked like a thin, cruel knife cut
That man, said | to myself, "has
every indication of being villain
Then a thrill of excitement ran through
me. As he walked ahead [ noticed that
his ear tapered to point at the top; it
was, in fact, splendid example of what
is known in physiognomy as the criminal
ear:
'sThat man is villain, said [
Having come to this rather important
conclusion | Immediately formed the idea
of following him. First of all turned up
my coat collar 70 you this may seem
strange conduct, but if properly dedueed
you will find it is the right thing to do.
A detective must not on any account be
conspicuous. Now my linen is always
white Us snow, and, therefore, necessarily
conspicuous. By turning up my coat col
lar covered my linen and thus rendered
myself less liable to attract attention,
[ then followed my man in a slouching,
shufHing way, in order to show people that
| had no object in following him. [
rounded up my shoulders, bowed my
head, looked up under my eyebrows with
the most approved ferret expression, and
followed my quarry with the pertinacity
of bloodhound.
Nothing important happened for the
first half hour, except that the man S con-
duct in general was highly suspicious.
Suspicious, of course, to me; to ordinary
people he would have appeared nothing
out of the common.
'His general appearance and demean-
or, | soliloquized, 'are indicative of re-
fnement; he is, therefore, gentleman.
Being gentleman, it cannot be his object
to perpetrate common burglary He
has the aspect of foreigner. Being
foreigner he may be Russian; and being