The daily morning journal and courier., 1898-01-18

the woman detective popular; neither did it draw customers to her employers. It also suggested questions as to wo- mans qualifications for detective work. When questioned on this subject ex-Po- lice Inspector Alexander s. Williams said:
 'I can tell you in two words what think of womans qualifications for de- tective work-precious little. When a woman attempts to do detective work of any kind, in department stores or out of them, she is inclined to go too far, to overstep the bounds, and for that req son she is not qualified for the work. To do detective work successfully if Is literally true that one has to be as wise as a serpent and as harmless as dove. Woman's place is with her family or taking care of home of her own. Not all women can do that, however Many of them are forced to earn their own living, but my advice to them Is to earn it in some other way than by do- ing detective work.
 Woman is not qualified either phys ically or mentally to do detective work. She can stand around three or four hours in store without feeling it, but when it comes to standing ten or twelve she gets physically worn out and ner- vous, and then woe to the woman shop per who comes along wearing dress or a ribbon that does not please her taste. Five times out of ten she immediately suspects her of wanting to lift some- thing and watches her closely often ac- cusing her on the evidence that she is badly dressed or has on a green ribbon when the detective thinks blue one would look better or not jar so much on her unstrung nerves .'
 What noted women detectives have been on the police force during the last twenty-five years?" asked the reporter.
 Not one" answered ex-Inspector Williams emphatically. About twen- ty-five years ago there was a woman connected with the police department in kind of way who started out very cleverly. She was a bright, clever, pretty little woman, with a trim little figure, and, so far as know. was all right when she started in the business. But she saw so much bad that she got bad herself Finally she sank so low that she actually sold her own daugh- ter, girl of sixteen, to a man on the east side That woman saw absolutely nothing to raise her morally. Harm watch, harm catch you know, and es- pecially does this seem to apply to wo- men. Women have always been em- ployed by the police department to do certain jobs, but in all my experience never knew a woman to accomplish anything in detective work that amounted to anything Or to amount to i anything 6 thy thing herself g fterward We must all admit that the Woman detective is useful in way. She can go to live iri | a flat or den, become acquainted with | those living there, and obtain very | useful information or evidence for the police. where man couldn't do 1t at | all. But the woman detective's career | is a short one. After about year the 1 people whom the police are after all | know her, and her usefulness is gone. ''Women have one characteristic that should make them good detectives | Their memory for faces is much better l than that of the average man. once l knew man who took his wife to visit | the prison at Sing Sing. She was much interested in the kitchen. More than 8 l year later man called to see her hus- | DdHu OIlS udy, dllu SllC PoooSd thA ACos3 II the hall where they were talking. Af- ter the visitor had gone the husband | said to her:
 "'Did you ever see that man before? l "'Yes, his face is strangely familiar. 1 she answered, but I can't exactly place | him.
 "The husband said nothing mores and 1 picked up a newspaper. In about two I minutes she said:
 CT saw that man dressed in prison | stripes peeling potatoes in Sing Sing i prison kitchen.
 "She was exactly right. Nine womer i out of ten would have recalled and l placed him, and hardly one out of ter 1 men. But, all the same, women are moi 1 qualified for general detective work | mentally or physically, and it certainly | pulls them down morally. A woman | had better drive horse car for liv- | ing than to go into the detective busi' | ness"
 Captain George w. McClussy, chic
 of the detective bureau, has little bet
 ter opinion of woman's ability to hun
 out crime and criminals than the ex
 inspector, but his estimate is not likely to turn the heads of the women detee | lives.
 There are no women connected di
 rectly with the police department sait
 Captain McClusky, land none has beer
 in the last quarter of century, I pre-
 sume. Women as regular detective!
 are no good, but on special cases, whe1
 it comes to finding things out, they d. fine work. Their vanity, however sooner or later makes them overzealous
 We have two or three young womel
 that we call on frequently, and they d. exceedingly clever work, such as get
 ting acquainted with clerks suspected
 of stealing by their employers, and get
 ting into houses and making the ac
 quaintance of people. Tell you abou
 some specific things that these womel
 have accomplished? Impossible. Pub
 licity concerning their work would de
 stroy their usefulness, which does no
 last long at best. Women detective , never accomplish anything very start ; ling, you may be sure of that We d not concern ourselves about the moral of the women we employ to do detectiv
 work any more than we do about tn , morals of the men employed. Expert ence has taught me, however" admit } ted Captain McClusky with smile an l a shrug that told more than his words 1 "that women who do detective work ar 1 very broad-minded and liberal in thei