The daily Alaskan., 1908-11-24
DETECTING
 A DETECTIVE.
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that meant that he was honest and faithful and would not betray his trust. With his chief 1t meant that he did not have to watch him quite so closely as he did the others of his stafr. Mir. oulrk had never read the stories by Gaboriau, De Bolsgobey or Yldocq, Ro- nance had nothing to do with his talk Ing up detective work He was not down on crime and criminals and hunt ing bad men into prison from any feel ing of duty toward the law.
 MT. Quirk realized that as detective he had a good thing in his grasp. There was a field open to him that is open to no other man outside the pro fesslon. It was for him to work that field. Detectives have sold themselves out for a few hundred or few thou sand dollars. In Mir. Quirk's opinion such men were asses and had mistaken their vocation. He sighed to be rich, but he didn't propose to blunder about 1t. Be must first get a standing with his superiors and the public. Be work ed for i've years to accomplish this. A dozen traps were set for him, but be escaped them all by being incorupu- ble. He worked case for all 1t was worth. and he never let up or com promised. If he caught a broker in a gambling house he had no more mercy on him than the thief he caught steal ing lead pipe. The burglar who offered him S1.OOO to look the other way for a moment fared as did the politician who offered hlm a like sum to "let up" tn court Ills fellow detectives pocketed their "dlvvies" and called him fool, and his chief looked over bis reports and almost believed that be had found a subordinate deserving of medal
 The day came when Mfr, Quirk real ized that he had established his repu- tatlon and that he could pull or his scheme with sarety. He had it in view for a year. He had several times been called in by the president Of the --- National bank to stralghten out crook ed things and had thus become well acquainted with the bank messenger, old Folsom. Folsom was sixty years old. He walked with hobble. He had rheumatism, and old age had weaken ed him. Yet tho bank kept him, and seemingly by some act of Providence he had never been attacked by the class always looking for good thing. In making his rounds he sometimes carried $5OO,OOO in checks. In return ing to the bank he sometimes brought S2OO,OOO in cash with him. Mir. Quirk fully realized what an easy thing It was, but he uttered no word of warn ing. He was waiting to establish his reputation.
 After calling at the last bank on his route old Folsom always took short cut through an alley to reach hl5 own institution. It wasn't an alley so much as 1t was passageway. It was only six feet in width and used by pedestri- ans only. At any moment from 10 o'clock in the morning til 8 iu the afternoon you could look up or down the alley and count at least twenty pedestrians coming or going, There were doors opening into the rear of office buildings, and there was one door opening into an empty building that had formerly been rag shop. One afternoon Folsom failed to return to the bank at hls usual hour. When half an hour had passed, an alarm was given. Men were found who had seen him In the alley, but an alarm of Are was on at the time, and there were much excitement and confusion. At 10 o'clock that night Folsom was found in the old rag shop. He had received a severe blow on the head and was tied and gagged. Something like S1S0.0oO in cash had been taken from his satch- el. It was MT. Qurk who was given the case and 1t was Mir. Quirk who found the old man after long hunt
 It was four days before Folsom re- gained consciousness and told his sto- ". There was very little to tell. Be had backed up against the door to stand for a moment and look for the fire. and tue door had been opened, be had been drawn in, and then followed the blow on the head and darkness. He had not even seen his assallant. He was very grateful to Mir. Quirk, and he felt the fullest confidence in him, and yet there was clew that be suppressed. Why he did he could not have told himself. As he fell he must have grasped the mans coat and, torn of a button. for there was the button clinched tightly In his hand. They took 1t from him at the hospital and, strangely enough, said nothing about 1t until two weeks later when he was dis charged. Then it was among his things. Folsom could not make 1t out at first It had the name of tailor on 1t. and he had never patroniZed the man. He believed he had seen but tons like that on business suit, and It came to him after that the suit be- longed to Mir. Quirk. The tailor cor rOborated him.
 MT. Folsom was old, but he did not lack wit and acumen. He set himself