The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-04-29
BYRNES As A ROGUE CATCHER.
Much OF His Success Due to the Selection o.
Clever Men to Aid Him.

Clever Men 10 Aid Him.
Four men were seated around a table in an
uptown cafe one night last week discussing
the detective abilities Of various nen who have
been at the head OF the Police Department in
this city. Two Of the men have held promi-
nent places in tho city government. the third
was a detective sergeant until retired In 'Os and
the fourth IL n captain In the Fire Department.
who served a long term In the Fire Marshors
Office. Every Chief OF Police, from the reor-
canization of the Metropolitan force to the
present was dissected and in time the con-
versation drifted TO Byrne's administration
TON Byrnes," said the ex-detective ser
geant. was a bright man. but he really gained
his reputation through the talent OF the men
under him. The men did the work. but he got
the credit and the notoriety. He was shrrwd
in this respect; he surrounded himself with the
best men in the department and everything
| they accomplished he took the credit for. l
remember well how Byrnes would call the news
paper men into his ONCE, and get of something
ike this About a week ago Mr.. So and sos
house was robbed Of SIC, OO worth OF jewelry.
II was reported TO me and | detailed Detectives
Black and Brown on the case with instruc-
tons how to act. Myself and the detectives
have arrested the men who committed that
crime and they are now under lock ana Key
| Then he would give the details Of the robbery and
and the arrest, winding UP with a grand Hour
ish, 1 was closeted with one Of the prisoners
this afternoon for three hours and he has con-
confessed, duplicating the other man. and IL VIII
only be n few days before we have recovered
the stolen property This next day the papers
would be full Of the story OF the arrest and con-
fession of two notorious burglars and the peo-
4. .z..lA 400. .Ilus n ~~a~H nalioap,an RyyrnaQ
was. while really tho men who should have
got the credit were inc detectives.
That's your side Of IT, said tho fire cap
tain, but I'm going TO tell a little story about
Byrnes that will show you Just how the man
worked and which will prove, | think, that he
didn't get any more credit than he deserved.
When ! WINS a deputy fire marshal I got TO know
a number Of the people around Police Head
quarters. About that time a welLknown
society leader--cau her Mrs. Jones-was Nv
Ing at her country home on the Hudson. not FAR
from Tarrytown. Her husband was in Eu-
rope and. beside the servants, she had stop
ping with her a woman friend To make mat
tiers easy we will say that her name Is Miss
Smith. One night a burglar got into the house
and finally landed in the room OF Miss smith.
She was awakened, but before she could move
she was told by the burglar, who, By the way,
was masked, that II she KEPT quiet she world
not he harmed. He must have been q gentle
man for he kept his word, and she was TOO
scared to open her ewes for nearly an hour after
he had gone. Then she set UP a big yell, but no
trace of the intruder could be found, Of course.
Strange TO gay, however, for a woman abe re-
tanned a good description Of the burglar. And
what impressed her most was his voice, which,
she said, she would recognize az any time.
The local police we're notified OF the pursiery
but nothing came Of it until two weeks later.
one afternoon Mrs. Jones and her guest drove
TO town and stopped at astore where news
papers and Stationery were on sale ne pro-
priatOr of the place was a young man who had
worked on a train selling papers. candy fn9
book. and being an industrious chap had
himself. lie waited on the customers. and.
naturally, there was some conversation over
their purchases, on leaving the store the two
women got INTO their carriage and started
for home. Nlss Smith appeared nervous and
the other asked what the trouble was,
I've found ont who the man was that robbed
u.s." was the startling reply,
who" asked her friend in surprise.
The man who waited on US IN that store
"M9nsepisn said M Mrs s,o ZONES sSd hts ; rs,p ,s,-
table man, He is married, too. j think you're
very much mistaken
But Miss smith was positive in her, corvio-
ton She said that the burglar was OF the same
height and build and To make the identified.
ton complete she was sure that the voices OF
were vnF ' ussGtIy ain alike; she Couldn't Be mistaken:
The next day Mrs. Jones's husband arrived
from Europe. He was told Of the burglary
was 40 impressed with Miss smiths conyio-
dtions THAI he had the man who ran the station
cry store arrested and lodged in Iai!. to await
was wa a nice mi9np, and III teI. YOU it looked
mighty bad for the prisoner for the people
who caused hi. srre; H. had d,; Z mood S Ss5l 2 MAN, m,
lriS"sT in !" th bae case ass" They DECLARED that it was
s,4,Gg5Ss' b to l %iss 2 s,n man p up { IN sHf ld.n n 4
him as the burglar. 50 what could be donc3
II happened that one Of the prisoners friends
he came down. to this c,ty and explained ,he
whole thing 70 Byrnes. asking his help Byrnes
promised t" do What he could
"Sume time before this Byrres had issued
an order tlat caused a lot Of dissension among
his detectives. The order required them to
give him a report each day OF every crook
and ho was to be followed a few blocks and to
End out If possible where he was going The
men thought this unnecessary, but most OF
Guirod to keep a record tor their own use.
The morning after Bryaes's Tarrg,oTEn n
case, detailing ths descr'pt,on 81 NE bmrg,ar
mcnbers Of the staff who was a very 6riaht
his note book and searched through II. on
the Inte Of tho robbery he found his memo
rantum:
Saw Red Jack on West l25th street. took a
train for White Plains; looking very seedv,,,
"A few pages further back In the book he
came across This memorandum
saw Red Jack on Broadway; looking swell.
Must have made q strike
That was dated one week later than tho
other As Red Jack Answers to the descrip-
ton Of the burglar, Byrnes gave the Young
detective instructions Ia bring Jack in and two
days ,a,sr Rcd Jack WAS at Police headquarters
What happened down there / don't know,
bur 30 know that Jack confessed TO having
committed the robbery. Red Jack ana tho
stationery man were ringers for each other,
and. that accounted for Miss smith. error
Their voices wero almost identical IN tone,
too Red Jack got five years for that lob.
Wow" concluded the Fire Captain. y think
that story, which I know is true, speaks for
itself Byrnes's detectives NAV have done
the work. hut Byrnes mapped ont the plans,
That system Of keeping tabs. on crooks was
only one Of many clever things he innuglrated
N.nr VynnVTV nTl nm