Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1905-06-06
DAILY SHORT STORY

ADETEcTIVE-7URoLAR.

| finally brought influence enough to
whose dull wits no one need fear. 1t
| was natural enough that the officer
1 should feel sore and Fevengeful. There
| was place Ia private detective
agency awaiting him, but after think
| ing things over he concluded TO turn
| criminal himself. He had been honest
| and square. but If he was not to be re-
| warded he would be the other thing.
| He knew scores of men who were
| looked upon as suspicious characters
| who were no doubt pickpockeJs.
| thieves and burglars-and they seemed
10 get along all right and have pull
| over him.
A man who bad been pursuing GRIM
iDaIs for years aud years on the one
side and dealing with honest men Oh
The other cannot break away from the
routine all al once il took the detec-
tive six weeks To fully make mp his
mind and locate job to he done,
| but be got nj il at last. As detec-
| tive IL had come to his knowledge that
| certain rich old woman had u cash
| box in the house and was in the habit
| of keeping bonds and II cOnSidera bic
| amount of cash therein. In fact. he
| had felt ii his duty to caution her
| against such careleSSness. He knew
| her habits-how best 10 enter the
| house-where the box was kept. 1t
| would he the easiest kind of job to
| break in and carry the plumber away,
and who in the world would suspect
| him: The eX-Officer sat down and
| went all over the case point by point,
as be used to his other cases. and
when he had finished he was firmly
convinced that by no possibility could
he be brought under suspicion. The
| crime would be laid at the door Of
| some crook. and they would run in
| some one of the fraternity and railroad
him 10 state prison.
| At IL o'clock one dark and rainy
| evening the eX-detective set out for
| the house he WAS to rob. He had dis
guised himself TO look like a working
man and had put Oh false whiskerS.
He had u slight limp IN his gait. This
he did not take into consideration. 4
cross eyed man does not go around
| thinking that everybody takes notice
of his infirmity. He had been u bit
lop shouIdered for years, but lie did
not pad the shoulder up when he
donned the coarse clothes. He would
have argued that on such night and
| in such disguise not one chance IN
million would come up TO give him
Iaway He knew that he was always
studying criminals, but that they
should study him was different
1 xKrhn h.
IN block of the house They spotted
his limp mud his lop shoulder.
! To effect entrance to the house Nc
Queen must cut and bore away a stout
wooden shutter. He provided himself
with new brace and bit and saw.
When the shutter opened he laid the
saw Oh the ground, where it was found
next morning. He knew what sort OF
catch was OH the window, and he had
come provided with an instrument to
spring il back This instrument WAS
left on the front stOop near which he
was working after being used. There
was plenty of mud on the crossings.
Mcqueen bad won several cases by the
muddy or dusty tracks left behind.
There was grass at hand on which to
clean his boots, and he entered the
window without doing SO.
The treasure box was in an unlocked
bureau. while the owner slept in a
room adjoining. Nineteen burglars out
of twenty could have got the box
without awakening the woman, but AS
Mcqueen got hold OF ii he knocked
bottle OF the bureau with his arm.
1.-The old woman screamed out. and he
lied leaving his dark lantern on the
bureau. He had planned TO reach
home by certain route after the
burglary. AS he started to take that
route he saw d policeman barring the
way and had to take another. Almost
!st his own door he encountered ii third
criminal who knew him in spite of his
disguise To crown all the owner of
the box had finally taken his advice
and deposited her bonds and most of
her cash in a bank, and all the detec-
tive got for his crime was $26.
The case was given to about the poor
est detective on the force. Mcqueen fe-
Ilicitated himself that he was perfectly
safe, and three days later when arrest
ed and he saw the evidence arrayed
against him he was appalled,. The bit
aud brace and instrument for spring
ing the window catch were traced to
the seller, aud he said the buyer was
Mcqueen There were six or eight
muddy tracks on the floor OF the bed
room. and they were found 10 ft the
ex detectives shoes. AS a matter of
fact, some OF the mud was still cIinging
10 them, he having failed to take the
most common Precaution. The second
night sfter the robbery he had got rid
OF the box by throwing 1t In a pond
back of the house. A hoodlum of q
boy housing around had seen his ac-
ton and next day recovered the box
SilIiest and most foolish of ell, the
man had taken his old dark lantern
with him, and there were marks on it
that were recognized by half q dozen
OF his Obj comrades
One of the sharpest detectives In the
country bad planned q crime that he
I