The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-09-14
STRANGE FOLK
O,QUEER THINGS
A GUARDIAN OF THE
STRAND.

SlkAND.
II Is now neighboring on thirty years
since the weekly newspaper which has rev.
olusionized London Journalism was started.
j WAS not a member OF its original stan,
but ] Joined II in its second year. War and
travel and the writing OF many books took
me away, and nearly a quarter OF a CEN
fury had gone by when my old chief wrote
10 me, asking me TO undertake n special
bit OF work for him. The task implied
complete examination of that parish OF
London of which the Strand forms part,
and II was necessary that should be shep-
hcrded through the inquiries had to make
by some old and experienced hand. All
Official preliminaries were arranged for me.
and was instructed that at certain DAY
and hour I should find my man awaiting
me at Bow street.
The Strand had been a haunt OF mine for
mary years. and have a visual knowledge
OF many of it's frequenters. / recognize now
the forms and faces OF hundreds Of people
who go up and down that great thorough
fare at certain hours. though i have no
knowledge of their names and occupations.
j have seen some OF them grow up from
comparative youth TO middle years. and
others growing down from stalwart man.
hood TO gray hairs, and the approach of
the decrepitude of age. I had known one
figure, very casually observed. for a long
timc-I should be afraid to say quite how
long. 1t was that of a well-heshed, clear
eyed. bucolic-looking man. who seemed to
have perennial interest in the shop win
dows. If thought OF him at all thought
of him as a country-bred man who had
somehow come into a little handful of
money. and had a coed deal Of leisure on
his bands. But when I presented myself at
the Row-street Office at the appointed hour
II turned out that this was the gentleman
appoinied TO pilot me through my enter
prise. How / had failed TO associate him
with his proper business do not know.
Many Of his colleagues were known 10 me.
and had been engaged in adventures of
interest with some of them. but 1t had
never occurred TO me to associate the man
from the country with the police force. and
i was family surprised to meet him.
was standing amongst half q dozen people
who had business there, but he came
straight to me and saluted me by name.
He introduced himself to me, we shook
hands. and went about our business. On
our way Strandwards told him that had
long known him by sight. but that had
never identified him with his business.
"You know me?" added. Why yes. he
answered. he knew me. It was his partic-
ular concern to know everybody who went
up and down the Strand. His beat extend
ed from the Griffin. at the site Of old Tenn
pie Bar. to Trafalgar square. and he had
paced that ground thousands and thou
sands of times at every hour OF the twen-
ty-four. At the Gaiety bar we fortified our
selves with a whisky and soda and a cigar
and fell into camaraderie. I began to get
an insight into the general nature OF my
companions occupation. and quite inciden-
tally became aware Of his possession Of a
special faculty.
II should be doing him the poorest justice
II allowed II to be imagined that he boast
ed OF this faculty. In all the things he
told me about himself in the course of our
three days companionship he talked simply
as any workman might talk of his trade to
any one who cared to know how and why
things were done in It, I could see. he told
me- that what a man in HIS line of business
was there for was to be notice-taking. That
was thing which came by practice. You
got into the habit of it. and there you were.
Suppose. now, you had nothing else to do
going up and down a strip Of London street.
1t might be a bit confusing at the very
first. but In while you'd begin to sort 'em
out. Very soon you'd know the regulars
by sight. You'd get to know where they
dropped In for lunch. or dinner or drink
You'd get to know which men stopped to
shake hands with each other. how people
formed themselves into groups. as you
rnfOhf Nafnra1lu IN might N "a n hit
OF time to do IL. but as you got used to
the job you'd begin to know mems bust
nesses and names. In a street like the
Strand, now. there were heaps of people
who were living on the cross In various
ways. In the course OF time you'd pick 'em
out. and in a general sort of way you'd
know what every one Of 'em was up to.
and you'd spot his associates. The essence
OF the game. OF course. was to be notice
taking. You had to keep yourself as dark
and quiet as you could, but even then you'd
be known to hundreds in the course of
time. That couldn't be helped. of course
and Ii didn't make a great deal Of differ
ence In the end because IL you saw any
thing that gave you an idea that a person
ought to be Swallowed you could pass a
stranger on to him. But living that notice
II for good many years you picked ur
one habit to an extent you'd hardly believe
You got into a knack OF remembering faces
Now would you fancy that among all the
faces that go along the Strand you'd be
able to spot one you'd only seen once be-
fore. and that a matter OF five years ago.
Well, you did actually get II down as fine
as that Londoner. what you call a
Cockney. couldn't tell one sheep IN a flock
from another. But you ask shepherd
Habits everything.
II you came TO persons you had taken q
real interest In. why. of course, II was very
simple. Only yesterday there was a party
in victoria. He was stopped by the traf
&c for a quarter OF a minute just opposite
the Lowther Arcade. logged up to the
mines. Might have been a member OF Par
lament by the look OF him. Got him sever
years six years ago. Saved a bit OF hi:
time at NORWOOD Scrubs by good con
duct. and out again. And. bless my heart
he'd ind a spoke in his wheel in less thar
no time.
In the course Of our three days traffic m,
cicerone and 1 must have passed nearl,
every policeman who did duty in that re
gion. but IL was a noticeable thing that no