The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1908-10-20
FEARS NO ENEMY
SECRET SERVICE MAN LA,Ieue
AT PERIL.
"'e''s OF Criminals Whom He Has
Been Instrumental in Putting
seh'nd the Bars Have No
Terrors for Him.

That threatened men live ,o,., T..
an adage as true as it is old : 70,
marked an ex-chief of the IInited
States secret service, who is stiu AZ.
i've In the detection of criminals
don't know how many roenas 7
nave arrested and sent to iail naitt
er can l recall how many of them
have threatened to take INV life o.
soon as they were free"
why don't they?" was ssLed
Don't they hate. you more when tbav
get out of Jail than when thew went
In? Think of the months and vears
they nave to treasure UP their wrongs
and plan their revenge"
Yes, that's all very well, an.
swered the detective, but it's YER,
desperate man indeed who is nof
coWed and tanned by imprisonment
were you ever in prison and did you
ever see the way that discipline il
enforced? There is no Please do tb,s,.
When the keepers speak to the nrison.
ers. The commands they give are in
the superlatively imperative tense If
they were not, few guards could not
mold In check for five minutes HIM.
areas OF convicts. The average Grim.
lnal is no gentleman. He Is as cow.
ardly and as fierce as a tiger. Only
rear and force rule him. But his snirit
is usually broken, and his inseparabIe
companion is fear when he comes ont
into the world again. don't mean
that he won't fight when he can't pct
away. but, as 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 moment by one of those fellows +.
| had secured the evidence and ar.
rested man for counterfeiting. He .
was subsequently sent up for a term .
ot years. forget how many-but I .
remember that he cursed me in the
courtroom while l was giving nv evi- F
dence, and threatened, in the most
dramatic and blood-curdling manner
to kill me when he got out. The af.
lair had passed out of my memory
when man came to me one day years
later and told me that this counter
feiter had been released from iail and
mad been heard to repeat, in the pres
ence of at least so persons, his threats
TO kill me on sight I was cautioned
to be wary, and not to give him
chance to do it,
Two or three months afterward
got off street car late one night in
Philadelphia. had a heavy bag in
each hand
And who should I see coming
coward me, but the man himself l
recognized him first. My first thought
vas for the contents of the bags l was
'arrying-counterfeit plates that had
seized and was bringing from Wash,
ngton to New York. didn't want to
ret killed and lose those. naturally. 1t
vas two blocks to the station, land
couldn't very well run.
1T was only a few seconds until I ,
ne the man face to face. was just
about to drop my heavy ,
'alises and pull my revolver when the
x-counterfeiter saw and recognized
ne. He stopped short for an imper-
eptible instant, and then he turned /
all and ran as if the devil was after e
i'm, like the coward that he was
Why did he run after he had threat :,
nd over and over again to kill me? /,
We told you. Further, he knew that !,
'ould probably have shot him frac- r
on of a second before he could spring
me-"