Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1899-12-30
A DETECTIVE
r. WHO r.
DETECTED
BY Philip G. Hubert. Jr.
hNZINS Copyright. 1898 GINS
Nv ~ b. J. P. Lippinoott Co. ~

cure had a keen sense OF humOr, and
loved now and again to play little jokes
upon her victims. We are apt to think
OF Nature as stern, majestic, unrelent-
ing, pitiless. But is she really so?
Animals have no sense of humor, so il
IS said, although have seen a dog play
tricks upon cat that set q whole room
full of people in roar of laughter.
These, however, were clowns farces,
while Nature plays serious jokes. For
Instance, is it not an exquisite joke to
Amplant in the bosom or the brain OF
n man born to play the melancholy
Dane the notion that ne is really fitted
10 do the comic policeman and convulse
the audience by sitting down in his
sEife's pumpkin pies? That used to be
the height of the comic mans comic
achievements when 1 was boy. 1 have
lBeen even Warren do st at the Boston
Museum 1 don't want to say how many
years ago. Nature gives a man the
physical and mental outfit for an un-
dertaker, and at the same time a drop
OF poison which impels him 10 play the
clown This is her little joke. Il is a
despicabie trick both upon the man
and upon the community called upon
90 witness his misfortunes. L speak
somewhat feelingly because am only
too sure that Nature played little joke
lupon me when she filled me with the
Idea that 1 was born to be detective,
whereas, as matter of fact-bCt that
In my story.
was still very young man, as are
most men when the detective fever
Reizes them, at the time / entered the
employ of the Morning Gazette as re-
porter. 1 had no advertised and ac-
3xnowledged speciality. l felt myself a
journalist, and everything pertaining
80 journalism was my field Neverthe-
less, if there was one thing hoped and
perhaps prayed for, it was that some
tremendous crime might come to light
1hrough my exertions. When the police
of New York. or perhaps of the coun-
ary, or even of the continent, or of two
or three continents, acknowledged
themselves beaten and baffled, 1 should
proceed to delve and think until the
criminal was landed an Jail solely
Through my delving and thinking.
.Ruch things had happened.
There was a reporter named Bangs
On a Philadelphia paper who had
achieved fame and fortune by tracking
n supposed murderer for three months,
might and day; that he nearly succeed
ed in getting the wrong man hanged
was his-the reporter s-misfortune,
and not his fault. Has newspaper ac-
knowledged mis- enterprise and reward
nd 1t. He got it into his head that a
certain man, who happened 20 be per-
&ectly innocent, was a criminal, and
having formulated brilliant theory
he worked it out so well, he piled has
damning evidence so high and found so
many facts to fit his theory, and if they
didn't fit made them fit, that, as / say,
he came near hanging his victim. and
thereby won the admiration OF the
whole newspaper profession of his
town. This splendid achievement led,
of course. to emulation. For a long
time all the Philadelphia reporters
went about with the idea that every
stranger they met was a deep-dyed vii
lain, and worked upon the theory that
all men were guilty until they had been
proved innocent.
Another noted case occurs to me:
that of a reporter-this time from Bos-
ton-who stood one day at the ticket
window of railway station buying
= ticket for the suburb where he lived
when another person asked for ticket
for Quebec in so peculiar voice that
the reporters detective instinct began
TO work. The mans hand shook so as
he held it out to receive the ticket that
the big diamond on has little finger
CLEANED all the more. Between his feet
he Rugged a fat valise. Everything
pointed 20 the defalcation of at least
a million-nervous man, ticket for Can
ada, big diamond, fat valise. The train
was 10 start in six minutes. The re
porter wrote a hurried note TO his chic
telling him that if big bank defalea
ton came to light that evening he hao
the man and was going to track him Il
his lair.
He managed to get a berth near hi.
victim, who snored for eight hours
probably ruse-while the reporter re
manned on the alert. When they reached
Quebec the man turned out to be tn,
clerk of big jewelry firm; he had beer
TO Boston TO buy diamonds, and was
perhaps nervous about thieves. Tha
reporter went home feeling that he ha,
done his duty; for if there had been
defalcation that man must have beer
the defaulter. 1t is of such stuff tina
specially newspaper de
tectives-are made; men who stop a
everything and can make somethin.
out OF less than nothing.
To return to my own adventures il
this exciting field, was highly delight
ed when one day the managing edito
of the Gazette called me into his room
and closed the door.
"Mr. Seymour" he said, you ma,
not happen to know at, but the Gazett
has recently been imposed upon in
most shameful manner. Did you rea
the story in last Sundays supplement
called 'Daisy's Quest'?"
''Of course" 1 returned. ] made j
a point never TO omit line of the Ga