The Lafayette advertiser. [volume] (Vermilionville [i.e. Lafayette], La.) 1865-19??, 1908-09-01
FEARS NO ENEMY
SECRET SERVICE MAN LAUGHS
At PERIL.
Threats Of Criminals Whom He maj
Been instrumental in Putting
Behind the Bars Have No
Terrors for Him.

Inat threatened men i've lOu6, ID
an adage as true as it is old" re-
marked an ex-chief of the United
States secret service, who is still &C
tive in the detection of criminals.
81 don't know how many rogues l
have arrested and sen to jail. Meth
er can l recall how many of them
have threatened to take my life Is
soon as they were free"
why don't they?" vas asked.
Don't they hate you more when they
get out of Jail than when they went
in? Think of the months and years
they have to treasure up their wrongs
and plan their revenge"
Yes, that's all very well,' an
swered the detective. but it's q very
desperate man indeed who Is not
cowed and tanned by Imprisonment.
Were you ever in a prison and did you
ever see the way that discipline is
enforced? There is no Please do this
when the keepers speak to the prison
ers. The commands they give are in
the superlatively imperative tense. II
they were not, a few guards could not
hold in check for five minutes hun.
dreds of c~onvicts. The average Grim
inal is no gentleman. He is as cow
ardly and as fierce as a tiger. Only
fear and force rule him. But his spirit
is usually broken, and his inseparable
companion is fear when he comes out
into the world again. l don't mean
that he won't fight when he can't get
away, but, as a rule, he doesn't hunt
for trouble"
But late at night and in lonely
streets don't you take the middle OF
the road? Isn't there the chance that
some day one Of your many enemies
will kill your"
Perhaps. ! remember once, years
ago, l was scared, or, rather, startled
for a moment by one of those fellows
l had secured the evidence and ar
rested a man for counterfeiting. He
vas subsequently sent up for q term
Of years. forget how many-but
remember that he cursed. me in the
courtroom while l was giving my evi
dence, aud threatened, in the most
dramatic and blood-curdling manner
to kill me when he got out. The At
fair had passed out of my memory
when a man came to me n day years
later and told me that this counter
feiter had been released from Jail and
had been heard to repeat. in the pres
ence of at least so persons. his threats
to kill me on sight. l was cautioned
to be wary, and not to give him
chance to do 1t.
1.-TWO or three months afterward
got OF a street car late one night II
Philadelphia. I had . heavy bag II
each hand.
"And who should I see coming
toward me-, but the nan himself.
recognized him first. My first though
was for the contents of the bags l wa,
carrying-counterfeit plates that I hat
seized and was bringing from Wash
ington to New York. l didn't want t.
get killed and lose those, naturally. l
was two blocks to the station, and
couldn't very well run.
TT was only . few seconds until
me the man face to face. ! was jus
automatically about to drop my heav!
valises and pull my revolver when tn
ex-counterfeiter saw and recognized
me. He stopped short for an impeI
ceptible instant, and then he turne'
tail and ran a. II the devil was afte
him, like the coward that he wal
Why did he run after he had threat
end over and over again to kill me
rye told you. Further, he knew that
would probably have shot him q fras
/ ton Of / second before he could sprinI
1T mo.r