The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-12-03
From Tit Bits.


 N IL the burglars forgers and other
 (PD eminent criminals who conduct
 their operations on a large scale
 and are frequently on the wanted list,
 even if only for a very short space of
 time, will be greatly interested in an an-
 nouncement that has just been made to
 the effect that Chief Detective-Inspector
 Frank Forest has been appointed superin-
 tendent of the criminal investigation de-
 partment While the criminals hate MT.
 Frost as their arch enemy and the man
 who is continually thwarting their
 schemes, they have nevertheless the
 greatest admiration for his superlative
 cleverness, and they are as well ac-
 quainted with his personal characteristics
 as they are with those of their own broth
 CTS.
 This change may make a great deal of
 difference to them, though they are not
 quite sure yet in which way it will do so
 As the chief of the detectives who went
 out to catch criminals with their own
 hands, Mr. Forest has always been re-
 garded as one of the most ingenious, dar-
 ing and intrepid of the smart men who
 have come from Scotland Yard. Hundreds
 of times has he risked his life in the ex-
 ecution of a daring scheme for the cap ture of some much-wanted criminal, and on many of these occasions it has looked
 as If the fates decreed that there were to be no more Forests. But he will tell you pleasantly that he has a lucky star
 that Is always in attendance on him,
 and that his life is charmed.
 He has had a finger in nearly all of the
 great coups of Scotland Yard during the last few years. For the future, however,
 his work will be more passive and less
 active, for he will not personally go out
 on the trial of the criminal any more, but will sit in an office at Scotland Yard and
 think out schemes for others to do so. He
 has been made superintendent of the criminal investigation department, and as
 such it will be his business to direct all the operations of the great Scotland Yard machine.
 Superintendent Froest Is not exactly a Sherlock Holmes in appearance. He is a squarely built man of enormous strength, with small mustache and bald head, although he is only 45 years of age. But such anxious times as he has had do not conduce to the retention of the hair. There is nothing mysterious or suggestive of cum ming in his manner. He is bright and vivacious, and is always anxious to tell you good story. not infreauently con- nected with some of his past experiences
 which have passed into the stockpot Of criminal history, and tho telling of which does not matter. But 1t is the hardest
 thing in the world to get him to relate a single fact concerning any Scotland Yard job that may be in hand for the time | being. He will tell you that the work of his men is hard enough and sufficiently
 dangerous without its being made moro
 so by that kind of thing.
 Dangerous? Well, one of their most in- teresting curios at Scotland Yard consists of bowie knife which has six notches on it, and if there had been a seventh there
 would be no Superintendent Froest Each notch was made in the knife by an Amer ican prairie cowboy on the occasion of a murder that he committed with it. After doing these murders one after the other in America the cowboy set sail in a cattle boat for England. Scotland Yard was ap- prised of the fact, and sent young Froest 0his was very many years ago, almost at the beginning of his career) out onto the job of catching the man. He went to Queenstown and waited for the ship to appear in sight. and when he saw 1t he put out in small rowboat and clambered up the side of the ship.
 There were several men on deck, and as soon as the detective found himself there he tried an old ruse, which was quite suc- cessful Addressing one of them who looked the most likely, he asked him if his name was K. mentioning the name of the man who was wanted The man started back in surprise
 "Whatr' he said. You have" and then he remembered and corrected him self saying. quickly. 'oh, no. my names not K" But the inspector knew now that 1t was.
 "Yes, it is." he said. "and I'm police officerl''
 Instantly the cowboy drew the bowie knife and leaped at him. The two closed and rolled over and over on the deck, the
 knife several times going through the de- tective's clothes without injuring him. But after a terrible fight the detective got the best of 1t.
 The daring and the resource of this young detective were discovered by his superiors very early in his career, when he was one of those who were put on to mystery that was causing deal of trou- ble In his theorizing upon the subject he came to the conclusion that If he could come into possession of a certain photo graph he could get to the bottom of the whole thing. But the picture was being