The sun., 1899-04-23
HIDING In BLUE UNIFORMS.
CRIMINALS VINO ENLIST IN THE
lRMY OF NdVr.

OF tOtherB-UneTpeCteO Bheet1nkA OF hunt-
ed Men and Pursuers on Board Ship.
WASHINGTON. April 22-The Berton charts
OF all the soldiers and sailors. regulars and VOL
unteers. in the American Army and Navy have
been q good deal thumbsd during the past year
BY detectives. The charto are filed away In the
Army and Navy departments and are open to
the in spection OF properly accredited hunters
OF criminals. The detectives have found the
charts useful only In the cases OF such crim
nails as have entered one OF the services after
having been described by the Bertillon sys-
tenn by the civil authorities. Not much has
been said about the criminals who have
taken refuge from the law In the army or navy,
only to be identified and apprehended by
means OF the Bertillon charts. but number OF
captures have been made with the aid OF the
charts. nevertheless. 1t has been observed By
recruiting officers. since the adoption Of the
Bsrtilon system in the army and navy. that
quite number OF otherwise acceptable appli-
cants for enlistment have baked when they
arrived at that point OF the physical cxamlna-
ton at which the recruiting Sergeant began
to mako a chart OF them. The recruiting OFF,
GERS have naturally concluded In such cases
that tho men have possessed ample reason for
disliking the Bertillon systen,-that they had
been criminals In civil lifs In short and have
abruptly told such men to put on their clothes
and get out OF the recruiting offices at once
There are no terrors In the army and navy
Dertillon chart except for the applicant for
enlistment who knows that there is another
chart OF him Of the same sort neatly filed away
at some police headquarters.
Tho advantages Of tho military services
as hiding places have often been appreciated
and grasped. by criminals OF note. The hand OF
the civil law reaches far. but 1t has generally
missed the military establishments. With the
beginning Of the Spanish American war shrewd
detectives arrived at the knowledge that the
craftiest Of evildoers prefer the.disRuise OF a
uniform to the seclusion OF the. e.remotest and
presumably the safest huddle OF shacks dig
Difed by the name OF town. In some OF the
countries Of Europe the army has. for centu-
ries been the refuge Of lawbreakers. When
tho French were at the height OF their endea-
vor to do business with the Arabs at the edge
OF the sabre. the French army In Algeria was
the soft spot IT ade for by most OF the famous
French criminals. This thing wore out how
ever. The French police became firmly rooted
to the habit. when they failed Immediately to
apprehend a murderer for profit. Of Struggling
their shoulders and murmurnC Chasseurs
d'AfriQue." and when considerable branch Of
tho Paris Police Department was transferred
10 Agiere. the desertions from the ranks OF the
Chasseurs reached astonishing figures
In this country the disposition Of criminals
with an eye to safety has been to Join the navy.
rather than the armv. Eight years ago the
cashier of one OF the big real estate firms Of
San Francisco went cut to luncheon one day.
After he had been away for three days the
members OF the firm took a peek into his
books They discovered that he was shy
matter Of 5000 in his accounts. which. they
further discovered, he had lost at the races.
The police system Of the State OF California
was Immediately put into operation. and the
c,-operation OF all the other American police
systems. and those Of Mexico and several
South and Central American countries. was re-
quested. 1t was thought that the fugitive had
taken one Of the Panama boats and landed at
one OF the minor ports of Central America or
Mexico. A detective went down TO those re-
gions and came back month later with
blank look on his face, Then 1t was figured
lulu. and thence to japan. favored deter-
tive was sent on this pleasure junket. but he
had no prisoner when he returned to San
was decided that the man was in police par
hs e to s Sse nd that
| One OF the younger memb bers of the firm hap
rened four or, five months later to meet
naval officer whom he knew at the bohemian
Club. The naval officer was attached to a
cruiser then lying at the Mare Island Navy
tate man to run up to the ward and take lunch
con with him aboard shin. and this the man OF
bTsiness did , on the following ,n sunday In the
the navy yard. the officer took him aboard the
receiving shin lnderendencei to show him
how naval recruits are Knocked into shape.
The men on the lndependence, several hum
dred in number. were doing fine trencher-
mans duty a: the long rows OF mess tables on
the main deck Of the OLD. housed over tub. 1t
/ was the supper hour. The officer ard the real
estate estate man passed fore % and at alont the mess
excitement at the gangway There mad been u
splash in the water when the marine corporal
| b!uejacket was seen swimming across the
stream in, the direction OF Vallejo. the town
Man overboard!" was shouted all over the
old frgate. and in a liffy the crew of the stoam
cutter was in the boat and she had showed OF
, % the rescue. The swimmer apparently didn't
want to be rescued; He had almost made tho
Vallejo pier. when the cutter pulled alongside
of him, and he struggled iuriously when the
coxswain and couple "f seamen hauled him
into the boat. He saw that the prorostion
gave him a lab or two with the boathook. and
he sat still in the stern sheets for the remain
S ,hs n nc the
stood on the platform at the top Of the gang
way, watching the scene.
Some quarantincd chap despe rate to make
liberty. probably" said the officer
Then the steam cutter pulled alongside the
oh guess not" said the real estate man
when he had look at the countenance OF the
prisoner In the stern sheets Of the cutter.
to The tune OF $4,000. We've spent another Of
| SlOUOO trying to find him. He mus. have
| seen me come aboard here and got scared"
The man was taken to San Fran cisco, trie 4.
and got a long torn at San Quenin. 1t was n
! foolish thing on his part to scramble into the
water when he became aware of the presence
Of the member OF his firm aboard the receiv-
ing ship. He would probably not have been
discovered had he remained quiet and bent
his head interestedly over his plate when the
real estate man approached him.
More than dozen years ago the old Rich
mond pulled into the harbor Of New Orleans.
1t vas during the exposition Mt New Orleans
and the languid Southern city was filed with
detectives from all parts Of this continent.
The day after the Richmond drorpel her mud
hook in the harbor the gangxay was thrown
! down to ship visitors. one of the ship Visitors
was u New York detective. who is still in the
traces The detective had simply gone aboard
the ship out OF curiosity. not because he
fancied he would find any business, in his par:
ticular line. He was taken in hand BY one of
the Young watch and division officers. The
two men were standing on the POOP. looking
forward when the detective gave start, and
then. to cover it up, he turned facing aft and
said to the young officer:
| THAT young fellow shining the brass bridge
| rails-what name is he shipped under?'
The officer, somewhat surprised gave the
mans name.