The record-union., 1899-12-08
WONDERFUL DETECTIVE.
BETTER THAN DIR. DOYLEs
SHERLOCK HOLMES"
His Marvellous Performances and
Thrilling History Re-
M called.


sherlock Holmes" was not real, but
Or. Conan Doyle has told us that he
MAD an original who was in every way
IS astonishing. And in thlrty-seven
years old number of the "Atlanuc
Aonthly" appears an account Oh
Ohacacter whose performances were
more marvellous and whose history
more thrilling than that of DR.. Doyle
hero
Yet at the age of 35 his peculiar fac
Ulties were entirely undeveloped. AT
that time he was a rich manufacturer,
but the burning of warehouses in which
his uninsured property was stored re-
duced him to poverty. Mr.. Sidney (the
paper name given him by his maya
zine biographer) suspected fraud, and
began an Independent investigation. He
discovered that the storehouses mad
been insured beyond their value, that
Insurance had been laid upon more
merchandise than the buildings could
contain, and further that much goods
had been secretly removed before the
fire. With evidence tending to fix the
crime upon the rich and respectable
owners of the building, he demanded
from them payment for his own loss.
It was refused. He gave them thirty
days, stating that his demand would
never again be presented. Again he
was refused, and from that time he
gave himself UP to the pursuit of these
criminals.
In the course of his Investigations he
presently discovered a vaster organiza-
ton than this combination of men of
his own town. 1t was ''the most stu
pendous league of robbers ex-
tending into every State and Territory,
and numbering over 700 men
of influence and power, whose business
asa copartnership was forgery, coun-
terfeiting, burglary, arson and other
crimes that might afford rich pecuniary
consideration" Against this combina-
ton Mr.. Sidney set himself single
handed.
What were his advantages? In per-
son he was commonplace, weighing
about 200 pounds, with fiorid face and
sandy hair, small and piercing eyes.
His intellect was keen. His nerve and
courage were unshakable. He had
great patience. And his sense of wrong,
which for many years kept him exas-
perated, lent him the energy for his
task. But he discovered within him
self greater qualities yet. Pursuing his
researches systematically, he develop
ed abnormal qualities He was pres
emily able to read character almost at
a glance, whether in face and figure or
in handwriting.
Every country" says Lavator "ev
cry nation, every city, has it's peculiar
handwriting" 1t is easy, we are told
for ordinary observers to distinguish
nationality and sex in handwriting. A
Jews writing need never be mistaken.
Pride or affectation are very obvious,
and in simple manner the more mark
ed characteristics may be distinguish
able. But Mr.. Sidney could do more.
His biographer, temperate writer,
claims for him:
THE power of discerning in a single
specimen of handwriting the character.
the occupation, the habits, the temper
ament, the health, the age, the sex, the
size, the nationality, the benevplence,
the penuriousness, the holiness or the
timidity, the morality or the immor-
ality, the affectation or the hypocrisy
and often the intention Of the writer
This remarkable ability Mr.. Sidney
seldom disclosed, either to increase his
power over criminals for to save him
self annoyance. But occasionally he
exhibited it to his friends, when he be-
heved he thus could serve his own pur-
poses. On such occasions he respond
ed to every test. For instance, he was
once requested by hotelkeeper to read
from their signatures on the register
the characters of certain hotel guests
Coming to one which he declared an
assumed name, a fuller description of
the person was required Mr.. Sidney
gave it n these words:
He, sir, was not christened by that
name. He could not have written it be-
fore he was 80. He has assumed il
within a year. The character is bad
very bad Judge him to be a gambler
by profession, and-something worse
He evidently is not confined to one de-
partment of rascality. He was born
and educated in New England, is aged
about 80, is about five feet ten in hight
and is broadshouldered and stout His
nerves are strong, and he is bold, hypo-
critical, and mean. He is just the kind
of a man TO talk like a saint and act
like a DEVIL
The physical description was correct
But" was the response, 'he is the
clergyman who has been preaching
very acceptably at the church
these two months"
Mr.. Sidney as a test, wrote on a caro-
and sent 1t to the clergyman's room
requesting him to come Immediately tc
the Office. The Clergyman" locking
the door, made his escape by means OF
a spout. and was never heard Of again
At another time Mr.. Sidney was be-
ing tested by the Directors of a bank
The superscription of a letter was
shown him. He began Immediately:
"A clergyman, without doubt who
reads his sermons and is little short
sighted. He is aged 81 is six fee
high, weighs about 40, is lean. bony
obstinate, irritable, economical. frank
and without partical Of Hypocrisy o.
conceit. He is naturally miserly, and
bestows charity only from sense OF
duty His mind is methodical an6
strong, and he is not a genius or an in
teresting preacher. If he has decid-
ed upon any doctrine or constructor
of scripture, it would be as impossible:
to change him as to make him over
again.
The company began to laugh, wher
one of them said:
"Come, come, Mr.. Sidney, you are
revealing altogether too much of my
father-in-1aw."
Mr.. Sidney's second accomplishment
the ability to read character from q
glance at the person, was no less com
plete than his first. Each of us is, to
certain degree, skilled in tracing how
1.-THE heart of man changeth his coun