The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-03-04
.STAHL A SLEUTH!
Chief of Police Develops Into a
Sherlock Holmes.
Dyes Whiskers, Paints His Face
and Wears Patent feathers.
RAIDS A CARD GAME.
Interrupts a Social Session in
Copeland County.
Chief Says Players Were Just
E'Cashing in" When Caught.
Thinks Two Men Did Not Give
Their Right Names.

Disguised to degree that would have
stamped him real old sport; his gray
/ hair. red Whiskers and eyebrows black
ened with plumbago; his face smeared
| with red cosmetic until it looked like
/ the headlight of an engine, clad in a
/ long Prince Albert coat, with silk fac
| lngs; wearing a large white hat, of the
real short grass kind: his feet encased
IN patent feathers, long pointed and
military heeled, Chief of Police Frank
| Stahl quietly walked into Copeland
county at IL o'clock on Friday night
a stranger to all the wise acres, march,
ed upstairs, while clerks and bellboys
bowed around to do him homage, away
up on the third floor, into a room on
the southeast corner, and quietly stood
and watched four men cash i'm their
winnings in a game which just had
been completed.
And when the last white chip had
been realized at its face value one dol
lar; the last red one at five dollars; and
the last blue one at ten dollars, the
sporty-looking old gentleman quietly
walked up to the table and said: Gen
tlemen, consider yourselves under arrest
for gambling"
denly transferred their warfare from
some unpronounceable Oriental country
to the headquarters of the Kansas
statesmen, the surprise could not have
been grea ter.
.'Wha-a-at?'' they cried in unison.
COMPOUNDED and surprised. The wonder
is that none of them tainted.
Yes" quietly responded the chief
Come on!''
wen, who are you, anyway" was
asked.
The appearance OF Josiah Ross, de-
tective, answered that question Ross
had quietly entered behind his chief.
and was on hand to aid in the removal.
And the four went. AS they passed
downstairs through the lobby, the sur
prise could not have been equalled with
1an 90
batch Of Apache Indians on the war
path.
At the station the four gave their
names as follows: DR.. I. NJ. Wohr, W. A.
Myers, John Thomas, John Charey.
Vohr was arrested as the keeper of a
gambling place"
who are they?" was asked of the
chief. Are any statesmen among
them?"
Il believe there are,' said stahl, rue
fully, scratching his head where the
dye was beginning to itch. Il believe
there are some members of the legisla-
ture in the bunch. l don't believe they
gave their right names"
(which ones?" he was asked.
IT don't know?'' he replied. I'm
sure 1 don't know
saDfd YOU recognize any of them?''
Yes was the reply. i know DR..
Vohr. He is an old timer and has gam
bled in other places around town. I'm
after him, as the keeper, more than
has been going on upstairs in the Cope
land for over a month, but it has sim
ply been impossible for me to get at
them. l have tried in various ways
but have failed. So / just got a pro-
fessional yesterday, and had him dye
my hair, whiskers and eyebrows, put
a red cosmetic on my face, and twirl
up my mustache so that it stood
straight out l got a Prince Albert coat
and white hat. over my arm 1 carried
an Overcoat. Nobody recognized me
when I went into the hotel. walked
right upstairs to the third floor. In
the southeast corner, l had been in
formed, is where the gambling was go
ing on. I walked right in and the four
men whom we arrested were sitting at
the table, and cashing in their checks,
just finishing a poker game. / arrested
them, and Joe Ross aided me in getting
them to the station. They offered no
resistance. We let them go until today
when they will give bond. The trial
will probably come next week.
When the chief had finished his
story this morning, he went back to the
bath room in the police station, and in |
a few minutes, a splaShing and thresh- |
ing around could be heard, like a bird |
dog trying to get six ducks at one time |
out of a swamp. He took six bars of
soap, of the CASTLE variety, and used
most of them in his efforts to get rid |
of the dye and cosmetics
But the chief felt happy over his |
capture. He says that he took long |
but it was long enough to get |
what he was after.