The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1898-04-26
Success as a Detective
Thomas Byrnes, * Chief Of the New York
Police, Tells How it is Gained.

"TO become Il successful detective ;
young man must have, first Of ALL nat
ural aptitude: then. plenty Of brains
and last. but far from least, an almosl
mcXhauStihle fund Of perseverance
Without all Of these qualifications Ii,
may grow To be Il satisfactory, or even
an excellent policeman, but he can never
hope to be Il successful dctector OF
crime
Such was The dctum Of Thomas
RryncS. cN-chicf Of the New York police.
himself, perhaps, the moSt-ronoWned de
tcctivc OF the generation. The famous
cX-chicf, although retired from public
life. has never abandoned his lifelong
pursuit, and from his new offices AT
broadway and John street, New York.
he looks out to-day on the Identical spot
Whcrcon, Is years ago, he drew his ia
nous dead line and said to the Grim
nalS of America: beyond this corner
you shall not pass
If Il man is cut out for detective
work. continued Mr.. Ryrnes, rctiectivc-
~, the fact will manifest itself ut an
early age. | don't mean that every
young fellow who soaEs his mind i'll so
called detective literature is Il pre-
ordained detective. Quite the reverse.
Nothing is 50 harmful to good career
i'm my chosen profession as an acqualnt-
ancc with trashy works of this charac-
ter
Il remember that, when | was Il lad.
my mental tendencies ran toward nveS-
tigation. Although j didn't know it III
the time, that was Il good sign for my
future success For instance, the eggs
Of n ncighbor Of ours were found
smashed and destroyed ut Irregular but
frequent intervals. The good people OF
The district were divided rs to whether
spiteful acnuaintances or the hens them
selves were in the habit Of doing the
smashing. Now. | knew very we'll that
the owners OF those eggs were simple.
honest folk without any enemies; and l
also felt sure that, although one or even
two of the hens might be unnatural
PARENTS. the entire fcathcrcd population
ur that hcnhouse would not be likely 10
develop a mania for egg destruction.
The nuzzlc bothered me. and for two
nights | selDt in the loft. overlooking
the hcnhouSe on the lookout for Il so
lutiOn. The solution came. too. 1-;l'c
un the second night Il red IRISH setter
OF our own jumped in through the open
window and proceeded to amlSe hInlScll
by chasing the hens hther and thither.
mid eggs which happened to be beneath
ms paws. | colared the culDrlt in short
order. and ever afterward the hcnhouse
window was boarded W. That was my
hr~t piece of detective work.
AS TO Il practical way by which to
start uDon n detective career | am some
What in doubt. Perhaps the real truth
Is that there is no royal road. | myself
hr@an as an ordinary police patrolman
ON December 10, 1St.;. but it is II moot
question whether routine patrol werk has
NS advantages. In one sense it is Il de-
lHmcnt. in another Il benefit. The man
iA uniform has little chance of getting To
Ah0W crimnalS-a particularly useful
possession for the detective. His brass
h"itonS are Il warning sign and all the
thieves, bunco men and the like give
nun 4 wide berth. On the other hand.
The natrolman'S life gives Il young man
haultS of discipline and obedience Then
zoo, Il lucky chance may give Il patrol
hiah the opportunity of showing certain
talents which will win him place on