Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-06-09
Disguises Assumed by
Clever English Detective
Special Correspondence Of The star.

| Special Correspondence Of The Star.
LONDON. May - 1907.
I 7 is usually the heroes OF sensational !
/ novels that detectives display that re- !
markable facility for assuming DISCUSSES !
with which they are all credited in popular !
Imagination. AS a matter OF fact many OF
the most famous detectives never resort to
DISCUSSES and are far from being adopts in I
the mimic art. But there are exceptions 4
and without doubt the most notable OF
them in England is Detective Sergeant
Thomas Gregory. who has just retired from
Scotland Yard on a pension after a quarter
of a century's service a sleuth.
Gregory might have won fame as an actor
If he had not preferred the more exciting
profession of a hunter of criminals In the
art OF making up" no one on the stage
can beat him. And the multtudinous dis
guises he has successfully assumed have
had TO withstand far severer test than
those to which actors are subjected when
they appear before the footlights. Take an
actor off the boards and expose him TO the
full glare of sunlight and his makeup
becomes at once apparent. Gnegorys dis
guises have all had to stand the outdoor
test. Among the many roles he has AS
sumed are those OF n pecdler butcher,
valet. pavement artist and woman Ho
not only looked like the characters he de-
picted but in voice, manner. actions and
gestures he played the parts TO perfection.
He was thoroughly at home in all phases
Of low life. And yet his natural self was
so marked by urbanity and politeness that
his associates on the police force nick
named him Gentleman Tom"
1t was as a bootblack that he caught the
notorious American burglar Gearing. Try
ing to escape when cornered, he slid down
a drain pipe into the arms of the man who
for more than a week previous had been
shining boots at that spot for a penny a
shine. AS valet he entered the service OF
the leader OF a band of coiners who
making so much money out OF the nefarious
business that he was able to maintain an
expensive establishment. AS a result the
principal and all the members OF the gang
were arrested, convicted and sentenced 10
long terms of penal servitude.
1t was in the then notorious Soho district
that Gregory appeared in feminine attire.
Women there were in the habit OF decoying
men into houses, where male confederates
set upon them and robbed them. In Amer
lea 1t is known as the badger game" By
the ruse he adopted he obtained evidence
on which dozen of these most despcable
of criminals were convicted, and that put
stop to the business in Soho.
Disguised as an old plumber. he succeeded
in gaining an entrance to a gambling
tablishment and letting the police in after
ward. The raid resulted in the arrest OF
$50 men who were on the premises.
In order to keep a house in Portland place
under observation without exciting the sus-
| picon of the inmates Gregory once adopted
| the role of a beggar clad in rags So well
did he play his part that a policeman ar
rested him, and, despite his protestatons
| that he was a detective, logged him off to
| the station house. There. of course, his
| identity was established and he was able to
resume his watch of the house as beggar.
| He kept it up for week and at the end Of
| that week three men who were badly
wanted" were under lock and key. On
| another occasion he effected the arrest of
| notorious piano thief by hiding in a pack
| ing case While it being opened by
F! the criminal at one end Gregory crept out
| at the other end and had the handouts on
| his man before he had recovered from his
| surprise.
| His career as a tracker Of criminals has
been attended by plenty of excitement.
| Among other things he has been stabbed by
| Italians, shot at by lunatics and attacked
by fierce boarhound. The astuteness and
resourcefulness he has displayed in making
many of his captures have won him many
! Communications. One of the London magis-
! trates once said: 1T is useless to keep on
commencing Gregory; he has been COM
mended SO often Now he feels II is time
that he settled down and took things easy.
You cannot dream yourself into char
| acter; you must hammer and forge your