Los Angeles herald., 1907-09-12
Equitable Savings Bank &C.: f! 4; :s -:
DETECTIVE OF SCOTLAND
YARD HAD BUSY LIFE
ADOPTED MANY DISCUSSES IN
HIS WORK
Captured Gang Long Known as "the
Cabinet of Crime"-Played Many
Roles to Get Necessary
Evidence
From the London Mail

After twenty-six years excitlns serV'
ice in Scotland Yard. Detective sergeant
Thomas Gregory, known as "Gentiemai
| Tom" has retired on full pension.
II was il 1881 that Mr.. Gregory JOINED
the metropolitan force. He performed
his first tour of duty in Regent street
and Piccadilly, and was stationed al
Vine street, where he remained Tor sew
enteen and a half years.
In his prime Gregory arrested many
notorious criminals. He captured gang
who were known as the "Capinet OF
Crime" and under whose guidance all
big robberies were carried out Gregory
was gifted with facility for Disgusting,
and he appeared in many strange char
acters. In order to enter and raid
club in Soho he was given the task OF
gaining admittance to the premises AT
an appointed time dressed as poor old
man, he was lurching against the door
laden with a basket of groundsel. The
doorkeeper, a pugilist, knocked him over
into the road, but this gave the waiting
officers an opportunity for getting inside
and effecting their mission.
Cabman and BootbIack
In order to keep observation on GER
tain houses Gregory often adopted the
role of a pavement artist Another
disguise was that of cab minder on
door and taking top he many time
heard a snatch of convers alton which
"nut him on the track" of some crime
or criminal.
One summer for weeks he might
have been seen daily outside the gen
eral postoffice as a boot cleaner, and
eventually he brought off the arrest OF
a gang.
Obtaining the position of valet to a
wealthy coiner who kept mansion In
Westminster, Gregory, with other Of
ficers. contrived a big coup four con-
federates being sent to penal servitude.
Yet Gregory himself did not escape
arrest. Once while lounging about
Portland place, dressed in rags, he was
arrested and taken to Marylebone po-
lice station as vagrant. he was
watching a house when constable ar
rested him. Gregory tried all he could
to persuade the constable that he was
a detective, but to no avail. 1t was
only upon arrival at the police station
that his identity was established.
At one time dozens of cases were being
reported to the police of women decoy-
ing men into houses in the Soho district.
where they were drugged and robbed.
Gregory one night dressed as woman,
and by this ruse brought to justice sew
eral men who aided the women in these
robberies
Scotch Thrift
An amusing story is told of one of
Gregorys adventures. He was keeping
at the corner of Dean street
west and had adopted the plan of SELL
ing matches. He had only two boxes,
a large and a small one. A Scotchman
went up to him and offered a halfpenny
for the large box, and at the same time
handing the officer a penny. Gregory
said he could not let him have that one,
but would try and get one for him.
Just at that moment the man ne was
wa tching passed by, and Gregory went
after him and located his residence, Some
forty minutes afterward Gregory re-
turned to the corner of Dean street and
found the Scotchman awaiting him for
his matches and change.
A Bond street capture is quite a dram
attic little story. One morning Gregory
noticed in Bond street landau stop out
side a jewelers. shop woman dressed
in the height of fashion alighted and
looked into the window. She somehow at
tracted the detectives attention and was
seen to drop her parasol through the
grating under the window.
The shop assistants noticed her troubles
and came out to help her recover the
article. No sooner had they left the
shop than two ''swells'' entered and pro-
ceeded to fill their pockets with jewelry.
The detective got assistance and arrested
all three. who turned out to be old
convicts.
Gregory received many rewards for his
exceptional acuteness and many COM