The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1908-10-09
DETECTING
A DETECTIVE.

copyright, 1907 by ]. @. Reedl
Detective Quirk of police headquar.
sers was good man. With outsiders
that meant that he wa honest and
faithful and would not betray his trust.
With his chief it meant that he did
not have to watch him quite so closely
as he did the others Of his staff. Mr..
Quirk had never read the stories by
Gaboriau, De Boisgobey or vidocq. Ro-
nance had nothing TO do with his TAX
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.
Mr.. Quirk realized that as detective
be had a good thing in his grasp.
There was field open to him that is
open to no other man outside the pro
fession. 1t was for him to work. that
field. Detectives have sold themselves
out for few hundred or few thou
sand dollars. In Mr.. Qulrk's opinion
such men were asses and had mistaken
their vocation. He sighed to be rich,
but he didn't propose to blunder about
It. He must first get a standing with
his superiors and the public He work
ed for FIVE years to accomplish this. A
dszen traps were set for him, but he
escaped them all by being incorrupti-
BILE. He worA ed case for all 1t was
wxy0rtb onH he Inh yNr ar
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 $1,000 TO look the other way for a
moment Jared as did the politician who
offered him a like sum to "let up" in
court. His fellow detectives pocketed
their "dlvvies" and called him a fool,
and his chief looked over his reports
and almost believed that he had found
q subordinate deserving of medal.
The day came when Mr. Quirk real
ized that he had established his repu-
tation and that he could pull off his
scheme with safety. He had it in view
for year. He had several times been
called in by the president of the -
National bank TO straighten out crook
ed things and had thus become we'll
acquainted with the bank messenger. |
old Folsom Folsom was sixty years
old. He walked with a hobble. He had
rheumatism, and cid age had weaken
ed him. Yet the 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 100000 in checks. In return
ing to the bank he sometimes brought /
100000 in cash with him. Mr.. Quirk /
fully realized what an easy thing il
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 his own
institution. 1t wasn't an alley so much
rs it was a pessageway. 1t was only
six feet in width and used by pedestri-
rms only. At any moment from 10
O'Clock in the morning till in the
afternoon you could LOOK up or down
the alley and count at least twenty
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 a rag shop.
One afternoon Folsom failed to return
to the bank at his 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 fire
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 q
severe blow on the head and was tied
and gagged. Something like $4,000
IN cash had been. taken from his sateh-
FL 1t was Mr. ouirk who was given
The case, and it was Mr.. ouirk who
found the old man after long hunt
It was four days before Folsom re-
gained consciousness and told bis sto-
y. There was very little TO tell. lie
bad backed up gainst the door TO
stand for a moment and look FOR the
IRE. and the door bad been opened. he
bad been. drawn in and then followed
TIE blow on the head and darkness
He had not even seen his asss!lant