The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1904-01-03
The Plain-Clothes Officer
and Bits of His Experience
Encounters With Belated Citizens Sometimes as Unpleasant
for One a for the Other

had separated so that they could cover
more OF their district without treating sus-
picion. The one who had been on the beat
for so many months was standing on a cor
ner, undecided just which way TO go, when
he saw a young man and girl coming down
the street. walking In that slow, amDhhg
gait that only the young of a romantic turn
of mind can accomplish.
The policeman had Oh a long ulster over
coat and a broad-brimed soft hat, such as
Is worn by all sleuths; and as he mad TINS
we'll pulled dcwn over his face 1t was nara
TO tell who he was. When the young man
and the girl saw him they stopped and held
a council Of war, which lasted some three
or four minutes, after which they crossed
the street. Getting over TO the other side
they stopped again and had another look
at the policeman, then decided TO go oacK
the way they had come, and started OF IN
quite a different gait from the one they
had before assumed. When they had crossed
the street the officer recognized the young
man as a resident on the beat, and as ne
suspected what the matter was ne called
10 him and told him who he was. The only
thing the young man said was: Why In
thunder didn't you say SO before? The
girl didn't seem To be In the least affected
by the lack of valor on the part of her eS-
cOrt, and nestled up TO him again, and they
proceeded on their way in the same saunter-
ing walk.
Talk about being up against it," said a
patrolman the other night. Il was doing
plain clothes duty one time and thought that
/ had lost my place over it. My partner and
1 had separated late one night, he going on
one side of the street and 1 on the other.
We were going up North Pennsylvania, when
Just as l got in front of one of those large,
prosperous-looking residences two or three
lights flashed up suddenly in the house and
the next instant a man slammed the front
door and came running down the steps.
When / saw him come out l stepped behlnd
- -. L. = Z h. mo nrN~ NO "
and L knew that my partner was ahead of
me, so he could get him II he went the
other.
sThe. man, however, turned and came to-
ward me, so 1 just showed a pistol under his
nose and told him to halt. Well, he halted
all right, and l thought he was going TO
jerk his shoulders out of place he raised his
hands so high. | asked him TO tell all about
himself, and as he commenced TO explain he
started to make a gesture with is hands.
but told him 10 keep them up, and then
noticed that he was standin on his tip toes
he had them so high. He gave an account
of himself and l found that he was the
president of a large corporation and that he
had been suddenly called from the city. He
had telephOned for a carriage to take him to
the depot, but as the streets were very slip
perry it had not arrived in time. and, as he
walk. He was only going to be gone for one
day. and therefore took no baggage with
him.
BY that time 1 saw that he was all right.
anu III 1dNls Dlo mann 10 AAAA6 NfNS
man in indianapolis. When l let him go
he asked me who 1 was and 1 told him. L
thought little Of the incident until a day or
so afterward, when l was called to the
superintendent's office. He told me that
this gentleman had reported me. When
he said that l could see myself out hunting
for another place. The superintendent,
however, said that he wanted to congrat-
ulate me, and that the man had said he
was glad to see officers so vigilant. Maybe
you don't think / felt relieved when 1 heard
this.
There is a Merchant policeman in this
city who now believes that all things are
not as they seem. The other morning, about
3 o'clock, he saw two young men standing
on a corner. He asked them what they
were doing out that time of night, and
they replied that they had been to a dance
and were kept late. The officer had no rea-
son not TO believe this, and, as they were
we'll dressed. he let them go, after which
they started off in the opposite direction.
When he made his next round he found
that a grocery store located In the same
direction in which the two fellows had gone,
and only a short distance away from where
he found them, had been broken into. The
officer now has every reason to believe that
the job was done by mis- two dancers.