The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-08-21

| feet to change almost every election
| and, as a result, a great many criminals
escape who would be captured if ex-
perienced men were retained on the
force. To illustrate I will tell you an
incident that came under my observa-
ton in Des Moines, Iowa The police
force there was changed by new ad-
ministration and all of the force, ex-
cept one detective, was discharged and
new men put on. The change was OF
course soon known by the crooks all
over the country and one night about
two weeks after the new policemen
were put on one of the boldest robberles
I ever heard of was committed Three
crooks came down from Chicago and
after doing a little light work in the
way of picking pockets, working the
hotel graft and the like, they decided
to make a big haul They secured a
team and wagon and one eevning drove
to a glove factory where there was no
night Waterman. They backed the
wagon up to the door, which they easily
opened. and began loading in goods by
the Wholesale. When the new copper
came along they addressed him by
name and asked him If he didn't think
it was a blankety shame that men were
obliged to work at night after laboring
hard all day. The policeman gathered
from their talk that they were en-
ployes of the concern they were rob
bling and Joined with them in their
howl about the oppression of the labor
ing men, He talked with them until
the wal on was loaded and driven away
and did not learn until the next day that
they were robbers. Now you can easily
see that this could not have happened
had there been an experienced man on
that beat. / can cite a dozen cases that
are worse than the one I have just told
you, but it illustrates the point want
ed to make. One good experienced man
on the police force is OF more value
than dozen new ones.
Did you notice that there We're a
number of negro men employed py Ine
Wallace show?" continued Mr.. Snyder.
"Well, I will venture that you nave
never seen a show in this country be
fore that had as many as we have we
do not employ them as rule because
experience has taught the show man.
ager that negroes do not make good
showmen, but at present we nave tWeh-
ty-four with US. When the show started
on it's tour this year there was not a
negro with us and it looked as though
we would be able to pull through tne
season without them but our luck
changed and we had to DO It II nap
pened this way: We struck Muskegan,
Mich. last month and this Dlamed
prosperity the country is having had
caused the milsl at that place 70 40
rushing business They were all look
ing for help and when the show came
along they didn't do a thing but go
among the men and offer them sol
day and steady work. This was more
than we could possibly pay and 80 men
quit us and went to work in the mills:
We were up against 1t haro ana %
course wrote to our employment agent
in Chicago for men. He sent up the
twentv-four negroes and we did not
know that he had sent that color until
they arrived. All he said in his dispatch
was that twenty-four men were COM
ing If we had known the color l haro-
w believe the management would nave
let them come. AS it is we Will make
the best of it until good men can pc
secured One objection to the negroes
is that the other showmen object to
having anything to do with them ana.
as a consequence, we are always having
fights and quarrels Inc average SNOW
hand at best Is not a very good man
but it has proved to be the case that
negroes are the worst possible ana tnat
is why you will seldom see them with
that the work is too hard for the aver
age negro and If you will notice you VIII
find that negroes as a RUE aVolu haio
work This Is true in the north; IN the
south we find more good negroes IMAM
we do white men"
1--WE do not have the trouble with
crooks following our show that we for
merIy had" said Mr.. Hynes, one of the
employees of the Wallace show who has
charge of the detective work among 9TH
er duties. In the old days 1t was me
general impression among the peopls
that they stood a very good chance OF
being robbed or having their pockets
picked by the crowd of crooks who toi-
lowed all SHOWS, anu the SSllSIdl
sion was mighty nearly correct. 1t Is
said that some shows even went so far
as to employ crooks of various KINDS TO
accompany them. The crooks We're given
car which was furnished ana they were
given board the same as any employe OF
the show. In return for this per cent
of their gains was turned over to the
show There was a chief of crooks VINO
received all plumber and kept an ac-
curate account of the amount each man
turned in At the end of the season
division was made and l have known
men to make as high as $4,000 for the
seasons work. OF course all the snow
men stood in with the crooks and would
give them tips OF Jays VINO carried Dag
rolls and fat pocket ooks- For instance,
if some man would pull out roll of blils
to pay for a lemonade, the lemonade
vender would watch which pocket he
put his money in and in short time ne
would tell one of the crooks who would
easily manage to get it. If by any
chance one of them was detected and a
row raised, the shOWmen would gather
OStenSibly to help catch the thief but IN
reality to cover his flight. That is all
changed now and instead of carrying
along thieves the shows are carrying
detectives, men who have had years or
experience in our different cities and
who are acquainted with most OF the
faces in the rogueS gallery, and num-
her of faces that are not there but
should be. Every year the circus detec-
tive aid in capturing number OF noted
crooks. The three shell man is a thing
of the past as are almost all of the skin
games that formerly accompanied every
circus OF course there are men VINO
TO follow and take advantage or
the crowds, but they are comparatively
few and their absence is due to a great
extent to the detective departments of
the shows
ST. LOUIS SWELTERS.