The daily morning journal and courier., 1898-05-30
STORIES OF MONTE CARLO.
Things Seen and Heard by an Ameri-
 can Detective

can Detective.
 To be detective at Monte Carlo is to be all things to everybody at one time. The place is no sinecure. spent2 seasons at it, and felt an exhaustion when I finished as the veriest roue did who had spent his time in every dis honest game.
 My life there was one absolutely be- hind the scenes. was not 9 detective for the gambling house, but for pronli- nent jewellers; a firm who had to watch every jewel of note and value. worn in that rendezvous of advent uresses, ex-convicts, swindlers and sharpers.
 The diamond necklace worn by the beauty at supper would be rented from us; would have to keep ten paces near her. during the ball or dinner. Did she dance, I glided about the room; did she have quiet irritation in a recessed corner, I was there: did she take sup per deax, watched every mouthful. Was afraid she would run away with them? Possibly! But what I did think about was this, that the hand that dangled the monocle was ready for the revolver the instant some man attempted to take the jewels from her throat
 Would she thank me forever for my kindness? Perhaps so; perhaps not!
 She was most probably in the scheme. She rented the jewels at 8 good price. A man-her accomplice-would rob her of them in dark corner; she was ac- cepting his attentions ostensibly be-
 ha p1l Y,k Ghn NpIT11 report in tears of her loss to the firm;
 but what could she do? she would ask. Her accomp1ice would have time to disguise himself and get to Paris sell the jewels. and finally the two would divide the profits. They might actual ly be of noble birth.
 And for these tricks and my col- leagues watched and waited. It was a nladder, wilder life than any one knows. That is why I can tell you stories no one else has ever told you;
 tales that have never yet appeared in print.
 In ways that are dark commend me
 to the habitant of Monte Carlo For ex-
 ample, look at the reported suicides! am not advocating the cause of the Pince of Monaco when I declare that stories about suicides are absolutely
 absurd. In two full seasons I only saw one authentic suicide from losses, and heard of dozens. Every death by acci- dent in Monte Carlo is put down as a, suicide; 8. man with heart failure, apoplexy, the mass of consumptives at Mentone, who sometimes end their lives
 from nervous inability to stand the
 ravages of the disease-all these deaths are wildly reported to swell the bogus list of gamblers suicides.
 Now, let me tell you a story that no l cue but a detective could tell you!
 Those suicides are fakes! they are the
 despair of those who are there to catch | up with them. I'll give you one of my hardest cases. A man passed a forged draft at the
 jewellers in Nice for jewels; then an- other at a shop. was put on his track. Here's his history: John Jones was swell in fashionable outfit, cane, 1 monocle and all the paraphernalia of | sdudsm." He "went broke' at the | table and applied to the company for money to return home (they always | give that). He was identified as a | player by the banker-who watches ev- cry face-given sufficient money to take | him home, pay his hotel bill and send l him out of town in good manner. He | had to sign a paper saying he would not return to the table or allow the money they had given him to be placed on the carpet.
 He returned from the first station, | had barber shave him; instead of the l blond mustache are black side whisk- l CTS and jet black wig. a pair of col ored glasses finishing the disguise. He 1 boarded at a, new place, called himself John Smith and played his return | money. He goes broke, applies at the office for return money under new name and face Now MT. Smith is no more, but I had widow, fascinating, | coy and young. The disguise was ex- cellent. The veil had to be kept down, or when raised fan kept at the mouth. The poor widow was not lucky; she lost again and again, and went to the office for her return money. The fouth disguise was that an old man, suffering pain, fearful of people, l shy. He was very cautious, avoided ev- l cry one; he was registered James | White. He lost and could get his re- turn money, but says he would rather 1 kill himself thAn humiliate himself. I The next day a hat, coat and note are | found near the sea by reporter for a 1 famous journal in Nice. Hush money
 was paid, and in Nice I found my 1 young fellow, running a cafe, and sell | ing to victims a sure combination to
 win at the 30 and 40 or at the roulette;
 also ready to write the most sensation al articles for newspapers.
 This is how I found him: I was | watching with suspicion young wo- man. She took the train for Mentone;
 so did I. OD the car I played the hay | seed, made inquiries about the game, | and interested her so that she promised 1 to go back the next day with me and l show me some combinations. have a talent for playing the provincial, and l fooled her She told me she played ir-
 regularly for fancy; her husband at
 Mentone was dying of consumption. ] went home with her in a casual man.