Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1907-10-03
The Detective Genius.
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES



usually leave out It's luck. My
opinion il that it's nine-tcnths of tho
game. Napoleon. the great war gen
! ius recognized this and had every con-
fidcncc In his star of destiny That
| star went down eventually md left
him IN the dark like other people. The
next best thing to luck consider IN
tuition. or the feeling that something
IL so without knowing 1t to he So
made big reputation In my day.
my only aids being these two luck
and feeling. The case that did mo
most god and made my supcrlors
think | was II great detective were
brought about almost exclusively by
luck. ! was In government service
then and was sent out west To look
up the perpetrators of some $1,000
counterfeit bills. ST. Louis was the
point the money was supposed 10 en-
anatc from. and there | went This
WAS the only pointer l had and my
work WAS very much like looking for
IL needle IN n liaystack.
a good way to get rid of these coun-
| tcrfclts of large denominations Is In
| EllllDlllH nOuStS WI SiUhtb
are played for There's too much ex-
element for people TO scrutinizc any
thing closely. After spending several
days without even getting Il suspicion
| OF clcw to work on went one even
Ing into gambling den. l didn't go
there to get clcw because hadn't
then thought of the facilities such
places afforded for distributing the
queer" went because don't
know what went for. The place had
| been recently opened. and the owner. Il
respectable looking man, was dealing
faro. watched the game for some
Time went out 10 the thcntcr and came
back about half past IL. Fact Is l
was hungry ard I'd heard that n fine
supper was set out after II. After
supper | lit cigar and went To the
faro table The game. which when
had left it early In the evening was
| small, had grown very large | no
ticcd several piles before different
players to Indicate that the bank was
having a run OF bad luck.
I've always been n bit OF n gambler
| myself. had no money to play with,
for was ut the time drawing n small
salary and really had no funds with
me except Tor ordinary expenses. The
truth IS that from the time had en-
tered the gambling place had burned
| to take n hand ut the game. | had
| torn myfclf away to the thentcr, and
| question II my return wns not as much
| due to the Fascination the game had
| for me rs the supper. At any rate tho
longer | looked on the more resistlcss
became my desire To try my luck.
had several OF the $1,000 counterfeit
bills In my pocket and was tempted to
| make start IN the game with one of
| them. but. besides the dishonor of play
! Ing counterfeit money, suppose should
| he detected using it. could never ex-
plain the matter. 1t was unexplain-
able Then the idea came into my
head that | might claim was work.
Ing In the line OF my business, though
that would be pretty thin. Anyway, !
finally couldn't withsuigl the tempta-
ton any longer and, pulling out one of
| the bills, slapped 1t on the big square
| to win.
The dealer started. 1T was natural
that he should start. Thousand dollar
bills weren't plentiful, though l had
caught sight of two or three during the
evening changing hands. One winner
| had seen paid one by the bank Still.
| coppcrlng with one was unusual. The
dealer looked Mt me with the most
! curious expression l ever saw on
mans face. Then he asked us calmly
| US Sucking dove:
"How much stands?"
give hundred" l said.
The cards were dealt, and the big
square Won was handed five 500
bills. four of which I showed I'm my
i,ocket with the counterfeit, putting
the other on the game. I soon lost all
| had won and, realizing the risk had
run. left the house
On the street man spoke to Inc.
LET up" he said. There's been de-
tectivcs sent out from Washington;
probably in town now"
1t didn't take me SIX months to dis.
cover that I'd struck something pretty
big, though l hadn't the remotest idea
Of an explanation.
"All right" said whats the next
movc!"
Don't know yet. Who put you onY''
"You keep your end to yourself, and
I'll keep mine"
what were you up to, anyway,
Shown the bilI?"
remembered the curious look of
the dealer when I'd made my bet. and
ray of light began to break in on
me. The faro bank must be distrIbut-
Ing point. Persons supplied with the
bills would come in, bet them and
they would be paid out to winners
| who. IL they discovered the counter
felt, would be chary OF making n
charge that would be confession that