Charlevoix county herald. (East Jordan, Mich.) 189?-1953, 1908-09-05
FEARS NO ENEMY
SECRET SERVICE MAN LAUGHS
AT PERIL.
Threats Of Criminals Whom He Has
Been Instrumental in Putting
Behind the Bars Have No
Terrors for Him.

THAT threatened men live long, is
an adage as true as it IL DID," re-
marked an ex-chief of the United
States secret service, who is still ac-
tive in the detection of criminals.
Il don't know how many rogues
have arrested and sent to jail, Meth
er can l recall how many of them
have threatened to take my life as
soon as they were Free
why don't they?" was 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"
Eyes, that's all very WE'LL an
swered the detective, "but it's a very
desperate man indeed who is not
cowed and tanned by Imprisonment.
Were you ever in 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. If
they were not, few guards could not
hold in check for five minutes hun
dreds Of convicts. The average Grim
nal 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 you?"
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 a man for counterfeiting. He
was subsequently sent up for q term
of years. forget how many-but I
remember that he cursed me in the
courtroom while l was giving my evil
dramatic and blood-curdling manner
to kill me when he got out. The af-
fair had passed out of my memory
when man came to me one day years
later and told me that this counter
letter 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 it.
1.-TWO or three months afterward
got off a street car late one night in
Philadelphia. l had a heavy bag in
each hand.
And who should | see coming
toward me, but the man himself. l
recognized him first. My first thought
was for the contents of the bags | was
carrying-counterfe plates that had
seized and was bringing from Wash
ington to New York. l didn't want to
get killed and lose those, naturally. 1t
was two blocks to the station, and /
couldn't very well run.
ut was only a few seconds until /
me the man face to face. l was just
automatically about to drop my heavy
valises and pull my revolver when the
ex-counterfeiter saw and recognized
me. He stopped short for an imper
ceptible instant and then he turned
tail and ran as if the devil was after
him, like the coward that he was.
Why did he run after he had threat
end over and over again to kill me?
I've told you. Further, he knew that 1
would probably have shot him a frac-
ton of second before he could spring
Of mo