The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-08-30
A Great Detectives Imagination.

A Great Detectives Imagination.
Lincoln Steffens' story in the Sep
TENDER American Magazine of how
william J. Burns caught the land
story: it is an interesting study of
genius Burns. according to Mr. Stef-
fens, is successful because he has i'm
aglnat1on. Burns calls it forming a
tneory, but as one follows the de-
tective's story through the land frauds
one sees that his theorizing consists of
nothing but mental seeing aided by
reason The clash between Burns the
imaginative. and Hitchcock, the hard
headed is reported as follows by Mr..
Steffens:
Burns went on to say that certain
ofnc1als. whom he named-men high
up in the department: veterans in the
service; gentlemen in department;
members of good families; friends of
great men-were crooks The secre-
tary demanded to know how the de-
tective knew. And when the detective
said the fraud simply could not go on
Wlthout their knowledge and conniv-
dnce, the secretary asked for evidence
1 nave no evidence yet Burns had
TO ADMIT; that's only my theory
oh; SAID the secretary, if that's
an you've got! Well. we shall have to
nave more than theory you know
Burns did not resent the secretary's
lncredulity. He was used to it. He
tells how in his most celebrated case,
the or-Bredell-Jacobs and Kendig-
Philadelphia Lancaster counterfeit
conspiracy. he had a similar expert
ence with Chief Wilkie. Burns as
sumed that very few engravers could
have done that job. From talks with
men in the business he learned of six
work Four of them he found to be
openly engaged all the time at Iegiti-
mate labor Thus by a process of
he settled his suspicion
M h. 81
grouped mysteriously but handily for
crime, he wired Wilkie. who was then
new in the service. that he had located
the criminals.
The chief came rushing over to
Philadelphia, Burns relates, and talk
ed of warrants. He was utterly dis
gusted when I told him that 1 had
only formed my theory, and he laugh
ed Well, laughed, too. and laughed
last. 1t took year to get the evil
dence. 1t had taken only few weeks
to form my theory. But the evidence
bore out the theory in detail"
The Boy Before the Bar.
Humor and pathos alternate in a
startling fashion in the children's
court. says the Delineator for Septem-
Der. Constant contact with hard con-
ditions has often developed in the
young offenders a stole calmness and
the trails of tears are not so numerous
as one would expect.
Coffee Schlinsky' is the euphoni- |
0uS name of a youth who is charged |
with the heinous offense of using a |
slingshot in a public par. He, in fact. |
had aimed at sparrow and hit a |
peddler, and naturally the latter was
wroth. The judge explains how dan |
Zerous it is to throw missiles in a pub |
ic place. Again it is the lesson of the |
rights of others. and that the bigger |
he crowd. the less are the rights of |
he individual. So often is this lesson |
old to the youth that the city would |
suppress and repress.
How did you come to do it?'' the /
court finally asks.
Now Coffee" belongs to that large |
class of boys who in their eager search |
or information devour everything |
that comes within their
each. Neither his father nor his |
mother could read or write English, |
)ut Coffee is rapidly making up for |
my deficiency in that direction.
Coffee" squares his little shoulders |
md looking the judge straight in the |
Eye. asks:
Didn't read in the papers that the |
bird season was open?'
An Obvious Error
The Atlanta Georgian says that the name |
Taft presents serious obstacles to the po-
itical rhymester.-Daily Paper.
The Rhymester read this note and laughed.
laid he: THAT fellow must be daft
f he can't see the ease of Taft
20 poets FORE and poets aft,
n days like these, when men of craft,
When men of deep and little draft,
10 in for every kind of graft.
somebody must his nibs have chaffed,
Or else his inky niblick's sclaffed.
rs editor he should be gated
f he can't see the endless raft
If rhyming words to point the shaft
With which the expert poets watt
The thoughts their muse has paragraphed |
FOR and against old Billie Taft!
70 to, good sir You're off your haiti"
-Harper's Weekly.
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