Devils Lake inter-ocean and Devils Lake free press. (Devils Lake, Ramsey County, N.D.) 1905-1909, 1907-04-26
DANGEROUS HOBBY
To-, Study; the Ways Of Rogues
+; May Make "a Rogue of You. :
CRIMINALS BY SUGGESTION.

- -~-------- -
CRIMINALS" BY SUGGESTION.
An Abnormal Interest In the Methods
: OF LawbreaIeers Is Liable to Arouse
i Even In Normally Honest Man a
+; Spirit Of Emulation.
=! ''It is quite possible for normally
honest man to become a criminal by
suggestion" was the curious state.
ment made by a we'll known New York
detective who was in Washington re.
Gently on business. II am referring
now to men who permit themselves to
develop an abnormal interest in the
ways of professional criminals.
II wouldn't call it safe thing for
any man to attempt to figure out in
his mind what he would have done to
escape arrest had he been In the boots
or some captured criminal whom he
had read about. But that's a thing
that thousands Of men who think
they're honest are doing all the time.
When there's big man hunt on, they
follow it with acute interest, put them
selves IL the place Of the hunted man
and dope out schemes of escape for
him. A certain percentage of such cal
culators are bound to experience the
hankering sooner or later to put their
schemes for evading the officers Of the
law into practical operation, If only
for the foolish purpose Of finding out
how their plans will work.
Working in, New York now on a
salary Of few dollars q week Is q
broken middle aged man who used to
be the treasurer Of bonding and in
demnity company at salary of $1O,-
600 a year. This man developed q
queer bug for mentally tracing the
movements of fugitives from Justice.
especially embezzlers.
Il was acquainted with this man.
and he endeavored to pump me for all
I knew about such cases. He liked to
talk about the fleeing ones. He laid
out routes for them in his mind. He
knew the extradition laws by heart
and had at his fingers, ends everv com.
try In the world to which a pursued
man could run without fear Of extra
dition., Onceh:I. gave this man a talk
Ing to about this hobby of his.
You'd better. can thai stuff, fold
him, or It'll begin: Is tester IN tho hacl-
Of your head and eet vol going. Tve
Known such things 10 hannen and no
man is more than oc,,ne-eighth az strong
as he thinks he is.''
"Well, he onry laughed and told me-
that, she;.was Interested in the suhiect
as lIa,WlaSswere interested
n. eld addles Drsra reno Spotstage STAMPS
IlvfIf,sg Iaits1,,nplv addad qe
II aid in i'm aIlii yniisware sent after mo
would snrsysr ia s,Iksarted to The am-
sbarraIEss gfaaHt5s:,sf fakin,p me- because
.; EasiiS If cou,dn,t hnat
iii 3of5 fHpse IN nal
lid ai,ffs eeta wav 90 fhat
none of yti,1 !Rs;iiId ever nail me- IA
want t lis have niThead baeeed,
Isl more fhan=5s,tx months after that
III ade iiis sInInn:Ean,d got him as
easy easy as hotfooti11R banana peddler.
went straight rs Tie little villa he
had Il taken E outside Genoa, Italy. When
81 nailed him he was the most stupe-
=fied inan You ever. saw, for he'd made
Ills hop al the beginning OF his months
s sSYaeatfon and had laid all of his plans
viii what: he thought was mastery
sadToH fitness, according to his chart; with
:thirt days margin Of time to accom-
.I,liah s5tie seI,elne In. In consideration
hla net urnlng most of the swag he
.eot on weight years i.
man nut himself in the way of
epmlng a. criminal by suggestion.
His studies Of The movements Of fee
bseond ers;: developed an irrespon-
alht 81 him and an ache to put to
sthe test the getaway plans that he
spent 80 much of his time in doping out
sWhile vet he was an:honest man.
Sssssg There lie NO calculating how many
3slsoplI fters, espeelally young women,
are led Ito try that sort Of thing through