The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-03-14
TIE EVENING STOR r
The Man Who Arrived.
LIZ CLAUDE Pc ma res I

(
Drummers paid the town a visit men
| looking for an opportunity to go into
| business would come that way; strarg-
ers who didn't always unburden them
| selves to the inquisitive landlord would
come and go. Each and every guest
received more or less public notice,
/ but dropped out of mind when ne
| dropped out of sight.
The man who finally arrived slipped
/ in SO quietly that he had been a guest
for three or four days before It was
| generally known that he was present. /
! He walked up from the depot instead t
Of riding in the bus and paying q t
quarter extra. He didn't make q rush +
! for the bar as soon as he arrived. He /
/ didn't damn the train for being late, +
nor cusS the town on account OF the
mudholes in the streets. He took the /
/ landlord into his. confidence at once
and explained that he was in poor 7
i health and might spend a. month in re- +
cuperating. He ate supper and then /
sat down in the barroom and smoked I
/ and dozed and answered but few ques- |
i lions and asked none at all, and it was I
the general verdict before he went to I
/ bed that he didn't amount to shayings /
compared with other arrivals.
George K. Jones, as the man who I
arrived had given his name, moved |
/ about town for the next week without |
! attracting any particular notice, and
| without anyone caring particularly
! about his health. The landlord OF the
/ hotel had just told a friend of his that
I Jones was apparently a softly. who had
4 tired himself out in wondering why a
coffee mill turned to the right instead
/ of the left when he was asked for a
private interview. He instantly made
up his mind that Jones wanted to
stand him off, but he granted the re-
4 quest.
In two minutes there was a great
transformation Jones, of the sleepy
eyes and tagging feet. became as alert
as fox. He acknowledged that he
had registered under a false name; he
confessed that he was not what he
seemed; he owned up that he was at
the head of a detective agency and
ready to do business with his host on
the most liberal terms. There hadn't
been any crime of any account around
Br1ggsville for several years, but this
state of affairs could not last much
longer. There would be a crime-wave
sweeping along pretty soon, and his
agency wanted to be in it and make
most of the arrests and receive most
of the rewards
He was there in advance of the wave
to lay his wires. He wanted to make
of the landlord a detective real old
Sleuth of the first order, and he had a
printed commission, duly dated and
signed, that would be exchanged for
, twenty dollar bill. The landlord was
to spot robbers and n1urderers as fast
as they turned up, and send in his re-
, ports and receive half the rewards.
1t did not take the proprietor of the
Clarion over five minutes to decide on
detective business would not be less
than $4,000 a year, and might run to
three times that, and his opportunities
for ''spotting'' were Al.
J OF course, he was told that looking
I wise and saving wood was the founda-
ton OF detective work, and given
many verbal instructions and half an
, hour later he was down in his bar and
, sizing up three or four old topers he
had known for fifteen years, and Won
derlnS which Of them was plotting
murder That evening he picked out
!, no less than seven men to keep an eye
on in future, and it was generally re-
/ marked that he seemed more alert than
usual.
Next day the man who arrived
Sauntered into the livery stable He
had sauntered in there before. talked
= horse for a few minutes, and then
sauntered out again, much to the dis
gust Of the owner. This time he didn't
talk horse. The livery man was all
= alone, but he was taken to the rear end
: of the barn to be communicated with.
: Mr.. Jones had noticed that he had
! head on him. Jones had also noticed
. that he had an eye like an eagle and a
) perspicacity that enabled him to tell a
: horse from COW on sight. The livery
! man was fattered- He couldn't help
: but be. He had been called a fool
often enough for trying to conduct a.
{ livery business in a county where there
were 264 separate, distinct and steep
hills, and to find that all the people
| was like pouring sweet oil on a burn.
After an hours conversation the man
| of horses and buggies gave up S25 and
e received a commission to act as detec-
o tive. He was not to be confined to any
+ one sort Of crime, but could 20 ahead
: and do business with criminals Of all
q sorts, regardless of age or sex. Before
> Mr.. Jones had left the stables the new
= ly-made detective had made up his
: mind to keep an eye on the landlord CT
= the hotel. He had long suspected that
r. counterfeit money was being made In
:. the garnet of the Clarion.
The man who arrived took another
> fsaunter that day. He sauntered in to
=, see Mrs. Basconb, who kept small
J. millinery and notion store. He had not
q come for a fall hat nor paper of hair
: pins. What he had come for he related
q in whispers, accompanied by a cCnfiden-
d tial demeanor. His agency needed wo-
# men detectives. A word caught up now
and then as woman customer was
l. trying on a hat or buying a yard Of
l. tape might lead to the unearthing of a
: great mystery.
Mrs Baseomb was located next to
l. the postoffice. She could keep her eye
l. on the postmaster. There was q black
a smith shop opposite She could have
the smith and all his customers under
: constant espionage. AS it was duh times
2 in the millinery business, it took a full
d hours talking to make Mrs. Bascomb
II part with $50 in cash in exchange for a
lei detectives commission. but she finally
i parted, and was advised to spot" al
cross-eyed men mailing letters at night
after the postoffice had closed.
During the next week the man who
ID arrived was on the saunter most = the
ST time. The two drygoods merchants and
II one of the grocers refused to buy COM
: missions on account Of religious or some
IS other scruples. but everybody else APP
s. preached had only to be talked to for
a few minutes to pay a price If they
l. wouldn't pay $50 the price was gradual
sr ". reduced to s.. The arrest of a single
IF murderer, they were told. would make
l. them good a thousand times over.
3 Not less than twenty women were IN
~ - liz. --.L.ara he