Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-09-25
APPREHENSION OF CRIMINALS.
a Detective Talks Of the Ruse of Get
ting Clues,

Several recent sensational homicides and
the active pursuits Of the alleged murder
ers by the police in the cities where the
crimes were committed, and of the law Of
f1cers in the different parts of the country,
call up a fact about the apprehension OF
criminals" said a headquarters detective
sergeant to Star man this morning.
ITO the ordinary observer one would
think it would be comparatively easy to
commit a crime, whether of robbery or OF
homicide and escape detection especially
appear to be very easy in that whirlpool OF
humanity for a man to secret himself lie
low, wait until the affair blew over and
then seek safety in flight and oblivion in
some distant part Of the country. To a
stranger it would seem that a man could
be entirely lost from observation In New
York, where one does not know the resi-
dents Of his own apartment house, or even
those on the same floor with him, much
less the people upon the block.
THE two great reasons why such an es-
cape Is not made by the culprit lie In his
lack Of nerve once blood has been shed by
him. and from the further fact that we all
have our little worlds in which we live, and
when a stranger comes over the threshold
thereof we at once detect his presence
Thus while man who had committed a
crime in large city would Think himself
safe in some small town or village, he be-
comes on the contrary Immediately an OBJ
ject Of suspicion on the part Of the resi-
dents, who. though strangers to him, are
known to one another, Until this suspicion
is cleared up he Is a married man. and,
being a stranger. he is as readily picked
out as a man in uniform upon a city
street.
But in great city, you say, he would
be safe. A great CITY IS Simply an aggrega-
man comes to a lodging house or a board
ing house or to a hotel IN any quarter of
town, if he Us notlas he represents himself
to be his real Identity is soon discovered.
strata Of city 1ife;;, in each little world he
shows himself Tits iYfhab itants to he a
stranger, and the Suspicion 1 sneak of at
taches at 6nee toooa greater or lesser de-
gree.
And thus are clues given to the police.
The stranger Is discovered aud reported
directly or fhdifectiy. He is not one II the
regular frogs IN the particular pond in
those from whom he had fled 1t is really
astonishing how Quickly mar is detect ed
out Of his regular environment and sphere,
and the first thought Of a man who has
committed atcrimsfs to get out of Ais renu-
lar environment and into a new and un-
familiar onento him
"a crimina1 who seeks the environment ct
tramp, as IN several recent notable cases,
is detected ,fby theg men whom he tries to
simulate just as readily as a man in the
lower walks Of life who commits a crime.
obtains money and seeks to float in an at
mosphere to which he Is not used. These
men betray themselves and ara caught, and
because of this trait or human nature show
ing Itself over and over again the police
are able to lay their hands SO quickly upon
offenders They have learned where to
look for their game. Like tn. hunted Wild
animal, they run in the same. paths whefe
pursued, and are quickly sbeougns at bay or
shot down. -
Each year the catching Of offenders of
all degrees against the law Is beng worked
down to a fixed science. This chances OF
q man escaping after eommlotinsy crime
have been greatly reduced duri ty the past
decade, end with each ensuing decade they
will be still 1essened.