The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1907-04-18
Dominated by a Woman.
lOriginal.l

have different ways of accomplishing
this, but they are all of the same genus
an advantage of sex.
| We Of the police are constantly sub
jected to this domination of women.
We therefore often appear to err in
judgment or in ordinary caution, while
we err in neither, being simply mas
tered by the woman and forced to uO
her bidding. l was once sent with q
single assistant to go and make all
| arrest The offender was woman who
lived in luxury and refinement. Of
| course we went in plain clothes Leav-
| ing my assistant at the door, entered
on being bidden to do so by maid
| and asked to see the lady. The maid
asked so many questions as to my
business that, having been warned
against slipperiness, l went upstairs
and straight into large room used
for boudoir. A LADY, had her pho
tograph in my pocket-rose from a
lounge and confronted me.
Madam" said, 81 am sorry to
have to place you under arrest"
The look she gave NE made me feel
all there is of contempt that could pos
sibly pertain to my errand. 1t said to
me without word of speech: 'You
have come unbidden. into lady's pri-
vate room. You are on level with the
brute" Had the words been spoken
they would likely not have affected
me. As it was, felt abject shame.
Then in a twinkling her manner chang
ed to sort of friendliness.
81 see," she said in a voice full of
melody, 'you are a police officer not in
uniform, but still an officer. You are
simply doing your duty. May l ask
what you are going to do with me"
explained to her that l would be
obliged to conduct her to the station,
where in default Of bail she would be
locked up.
Il do not think" she said, that I.
having lived so far above such things.
could survive an hour In cell. If you
will permit can attend to the bail be-
fore leaving here. l ask your permis-
sion to send messenger to an attor-'
ney asking him to come here and take
charge of my case from the beginning.
l am completely ignorant Of such mat
ters."
Somehow the look she gave me. taken
with q certain reasonableness of the
request, decided or, rather. dominated
me. 1 told her to write.her message
and l would direct a man had posted
at the door to allow her messenger to
pass. She was going into the next
room when / stopped her.
Surely" she said, you do not ex-
pect me to 60 to the police station In
this costumew
How could I? She was en- deshabille.
I permitted her to 60 both to write the
note and change her dress. She told
me that to save time she would send
her messenger first and don another
costume afterward. AS soon as she
disappeared I stepped into the hall
and saw that the room she entered had
no egress except by the boudoir. This
satisfied me. Not ten minutes after her
disappearance young man Of swarthy
complexion and a black mustache, with
q note in his hand. hurried out OF 1t,
passed me and went downstairs.
called to my man to suffer him to pass.
II the lady was expeditions in send
ing her note, she certainly took her
time in changing her dress. l waited
both for the return Of the messenger
and for her temperance. / waited In
vain for both. went to the door lead
ing into the adjoining room and listen
ed. l could hear no sound. Suddenly
q great misgiving welled up within me.
I opened the door and entered.
There in a heap on the floor were the
clothes she had worn at my coming.
An enormous coil of hair lay on the
dresser. A box Of brown dye stood un-
covered before q mirror. The lady had
passed out as her messenger.
l sprang downstairs and to the near
est telephone, where confessed what
had occurred to the chief. He told me
that he would have the railway depots
watched. but as a steamer was to sail
within an hour had better 60 there
myself, since the culprit would be
more likely to get out Of the country
than simply out of the city. followed
his directions and proceeded without
delay to the dock.
Passengers were beginning to arrive.
I made q search Of the ship. then took
position at the gangway, where l scru.
tinized every person who entered. l
saw no one whom / considered could
possibly be my escaped prisoner. The
gangway was being withdrawn when
a carriage drove up hurriedly. the door
opened, and fat woman wearing dark
spectacles jumped out She was very
much excited, evidently for fear Of
being left. sputtering French and wad-
ding to the gangway, which she
mounted as it was being withdrawn.
She WAS the last PASSENGER to 20