Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-08-05
he FOUND THE OPIUM
How Hank Waters, Jr, De-
tected Smugglers.
DETECTIVES DIPLOMA
BUT HIS FIRST EFFORT WAS A
FAILURE.
Reused the Collector Of Customs on
Christmas Morning and Thew
DETECTIVES DIPLOMA
Reused the Collector of Customs on
Christmas Morning and They
Found Boxes Of Opium.

/ " H.
lived Hank Waters. jr.. only son of Hank
! and Abigail Waters Hanks father had
been town constable under the republican
administration. but when Governor Flower
! swept the state the old man retired from
political life and went back to the arm.
| This part of old man Waters history Is
| given merely to show that Hank. junior,
had the police spirit instilled into his youth
fui mind when quite a boy. and very early
| determined upon the life Of detective as
| his professional ambition
| When Hank was twelve years Of age he
| began to read detective stories. and his
good mother was shocked on more than one
occasion to hear expressions foreign to
her vocabulary. such as ''Douse your slim"
That fellow needs a pair of darbies.'
| Where's the swag?' and "Somethin'
a %onan Mrs ana waters nta Vas was good church
cloth, but Hank said there wasn't enough
excitement In the life for him. and he
pointed to Rev. Josiah Williams an ex-
! ample OF meekness and poverty As Is the
case with all mothers who have only one
offspring. Hank was spoiled AMI permitted
| to have his own way.
One day at Alexandra bay he carried a
| tourists grip for him, and received ten
| cents and book about Sherlock Holmes as
| his compensation The book proved Hank 8
| undcing. as far as work was concerned, for
! dItcA uCRouTlHS IT'S pages NatE dozen
| times he decided that he could not afford
| to spend any more time grabbing in the
| garden and blowing corn A weekly paper
| published In the state was regular visitor
| In which to read 1t there was suffi Client
guarantee that everything would be perus I'd
| Hank picked up the paper one day in a
| desultory sort Of way. and saw an adver-
| tlsement by a Chicago firm which guaran-
| teed to give for $40 a course of instruction
which would fit any man for the position
| of detective. and whose diploma would en-
| title him to recognition by any regularly
| established detective firm. This was Hank 8
| house." He thought he saw in that adver-
| tisement the realization of his fondesr am
billions, and forthwith sold everything he
| had and sent for the lessons. They arrived
| in due time. and told In regular rotation
| from I to XII how to spot criminals; who
| the famous criminals were; how to follow
| them; the definition of all police express
sions and terms, and the address OF the
principal detective agencies in the United
| States. Each lesson was more or less the
| same, and some of them gave illustrations
| and pointed out how easy 1t WAS to detect
| a criminal.
Hank studied these relfgiously. He could
| recite them verbatim, and before the time
| for graduation came had mastered the
| criminal pedigrees of large number of the
| prominent crooks of the country.
All Of this he kept religiously 20 himself
| He did not care to go into partnership
either In his condolences or business rela-
|
| and graduated as detective.
| Early next summer as the excursion sea-
SON opened Hank received his credentials
| and a badge which read: Authorized de-
tectiye, Graduate Chicago Institute for De-
| lection of Crime. This, indeed. WAS the
browning point Of his ambition. ana he could
not keep his secret longer. He pinned his
| coat and sailed forth that all the world
| might know and read that he was author
| lied and especially qualified to detect
crime.
His First Work Failed.
1t wasn't more than week before Hank
had chance to test his ability. One Of the
small stores in the village was burglarized
| of merchandise to the extent of $3.50 The
boys of the village thought it would be
| good chance to have some fun at Hanks
expense. so he was sent for in hurry to
| unravel the mystery. They say he ran all
the way from his house-two miles outside
Of the town-and was GREATNESS when he
arrived. He recalled many of his early les
sons. and having been given the case to
solve. went about 1t in a mastery way,
found where the entrance had been effected.
located some finger marks and other small
matters. and with this information caref,,Ilv
tabulated under the head OF "ciews' he
sailed forth to run down the criminal
He worked diligently all that day, and at
night when he did not run up for supper
his mother became anxious and Father
Waters was sent to town to look for the
detective. He could not be located then. but
turned up the next day at dinner very much
detected: 1t seems the town constable had
anticipated Hank and located the thief who
was now In Jail. 1t rather broke Hank IN
for the time. but his mother cheered him
and told the neighbors that Hank was on
the right track and would certainly have
got his man in another hour.
Hank was not called upon to do any more
detective work that summer. and found he
had to stand the jests of the village boys
who insisted on recalling that episode IN
which he was outgeneraled by the town
constable
The st. Lawrence froze over early that
year and by Christmas time the Ice was
thick enough to bear the weight Of horses.
and the people along the border made fire.
quent trips over into Canada. Six miles
northeast OF Alexandria bay there is an
other of those bustling New England vii
| lagos. This town boosted a paper mill and
Hanks sweetheart. He had been over the
mill score of times and his visit on
Christmas eve was for the purpose of pre-
| senting to the object of his affections a
small token of remembrance. When he ar
| rived at the house and gave tmid knock
(for 1t was his first visit since the summer)
his heart grew sick. He had thought by
this time he would have been married but
luck was against him. When the door was
opened and he asked for Luella he was in
formed that she had gone to a Christmas
eve dance with Lige Parker. Hank mutter-
ed few inaudible words and tried to swaI-
low the big lump that came into his throat
put on his hat and went out into the night
Quite snowstorm was developing and
Hank tucked his comforter about his neck
and walked along aimlessly. He struck the
river and started to walk back to the bay
AS he was walking along his reveres were
suddenly broken by gruff voice crying:
Get out of my way. there" He looked up
In time to a two-horse sleigh loaded
with boxes surrounding man in a heavy
fur coat AS the horses SHE'D one of the boxes
broke loose from its fastenings and fell on
the ice. Hank FASTENED forward and offer
ed his services to the man, who cursed him
roundly for causing the trouble and picked
up the box himself. placed it on The sleigh
and started off. Hank was pretty revenge
full by this time. He never liked .Lige''
Parker anyway, and this last incident cap
ped the climax. He Immediately conceived
the idea that this man was criminal and
he proposed to show him up. The more he
thought of 1t the more he became convinc-
ed that something was wrong. for he re-
membered as he thought of the accident
that the horses had no sleigh bells on, and
this in itself was against the law. So he
took after the sleigh and found where he
turned into the road. He had no trout
10 In, Fol no OBJ