The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-12-02
LUCK IN DETECTIVE WORK.
How Fleeing Cashier Was Four Oils
covery of Counterf:iters.


All professional criminals and most po-
lice officers and detectives are supersti-
tio,,s. They believe in luck. 1t is luck
if the criminal gets away, and it is luck
If he gets caught. Fortunately for society,"
the luck is usually against the criminal
and on the side of the law
one detective on the central staff was
looking for a pickpoeket recently, says
the Chicago Tribune, and was in FEVER
of impatence to get hold of the man that
afternoon because it was feared he would
leave town. The pickpocket could not be
found at any of his usual haunts. He was
known to be a baseball fan, and the de-
tective, who was the only man on the
force who knew the offender by sight, de-
cided at once that he was attending the
game 1t happened, however, that there
was a game that afternoon at both the
ball parks 1t was a question OF South
Side or West Side, and the detective
fipped a coin to see where he should go.
The coin sent the officer west, and his
luck was with him. The pickpocket was
located in the grand stand and followed
and taken into custody as soon as the
game was over.
1t is astonishingly easy to make mis-
take in tracking down a criminal, ana IL
is no dsparagement to the police that "a
blunder sometimes on the part "t the OIL
fender and sometimes on the part OF the
officer often carries the hunter straight
TO his quarry. A recent instance or TINS
kind seems almost providential. Inc CASH
ier of a grain company on La Sale street
had been punging on his own account
and was behind in his cash to the tune Oh
several thousand dollars. His employers
complained to the bonding company which
stood responsible for him, and at the same
time the cashier got wind of the exposure
and bought ticket for his home town in
wisconsin and left on the afternoon train.
detective was after him within two
hours.
But the detective, to while away the
time on the train, engaged in a game or
whist with a party of drummerS, and be-
fore he realized it was carried two towns
past the station where he was supposed
to change cars Cursing his luck, the
sleuth left the train and found by inqur-
les that he could not get back to the
junction point for two hours.
He wandered around the village streets,
and ran almost into the arms of the fu-
gitive, who, by a cute trick, was waiting
there for train to take him westward.
1t is such things as this that cause de-
tectives to believe in luck
Some time ago an odd piece of luck ena-
bled the city police to tin off a den of
counterfeiters to the government detec-
tives. In raid on a poker Joint young
man who was known to the police was
captured with the other players, and at
the station it was decided to search him,
Just for luck Several new ha,f-dollars
were discovered in his pockets, and these
were found to be counterfeits of the clev-
crest kind, being of good weight and ring
ing almost true.
The man was detained and his room on
Illinois street was searched. A quart or
more of the coins were found in the bot
tom of his trunk, but no dies or melting
pots were discovered. 1t was clear that
the poker player was Showing the queer
for n den of coiners. Nothing was said
about his arrest, but government detec-
tive rented the room across the hall and
Swallowed every one who called to see the
man while he was lying in the station.
That night the plant of the counterfeit
ers was discovered in basement near the
north branch of the river, and the entire
gang is serving time.
A notorious French murderer was dis
covered by a lucky accident in cafe at
Havre. detective who was dining there
happened to overhear a young man maxi
ing inquiry of the cafe keeper as to the
formalites necessary to secure passage
for America. On being told that first OF
all his papers must be in order. he adj
mitted that he had none. The detective
took him in custody on the chance that
he might be a criminal When he was
searched documents were found connect
ing him with the Pantin murder. a bloody
mystery which at that time was creating
an immense sensation all over France. 1t
eventually TRANSFERRED that this youth--he
was but 10 years old-had in the most
cold-blooded manner murdered a family
of eight people in order to secure their
little hoard of money. The police had not
single cew until the accidental discov-
cry of the fact that this young man had
no passports.
1t was luck-and bad luck for him-thdt
caused west side woman to write q let
ter to her criminal lover with a hard pen.
Gil a soft pad OF paper The police
had been watching her for a week i'm a
vain effort to discover his hiding place
They knew she was writing to him. hut
they never could intercept the mssives