Evening star., 1909-05-23

ago you had a personal interview with
me in regard to becoming a member OF
this association. 1 have made UP my
mind to appoint YOU as my special agent
and representative to represent me In
that district. If you desire to take up
this matter. our membership is SO per
year. payable in advance. have a case
in SmithtOwn for you to work upon at
once soon as you become a member
of this agency. Let me hear from you
by return mail If you wish to take up
this proposition or decline, SO 1 can ar
range for another party in view. Kindly
send me $40 by return mail and / will
forward instructions on the case. I in
tend to be in Smithtown about April
(signifcant date. suggests Chief Wilkie)
to assist you. Kindly treat this matter
as strictly confidential and allow no one
to know your business"
Products of these agencies and others
who think they are natural born sleuthS
are treated in the same manner by the
secret service bureau, and each applicant
receives a neatly written stereOtyped let
ter on nice white paper, informing him
that there are no vacancies at present
Some call on the chief of the secret
service and those that do see him leave
the office in most pessimistic atti-
tude toward the business of detective
Born sleuths who want jobs in the city
detective department sometimes prove
themselves the worst nuisances with
which the chief of the department has to
SoIiCHu. ~ OlleT tlf1leS lney appear
when the chief has a few idle moments
on his hands. and their self-praise is a
source of some amusement. 1t certainly
varies the monotony, and nobody is the
worse for wear. Inspector Robert H.
Boardman, present chief of the local secret
service department. seldom finds much
time to spare when such persons appear in
his office, and gets rid of them with a
jolly. There was a time when police
officials were hampered in their work by
such 9nnlipantS hllf mi nf bor
appear now. although there is a surpris-
1ngly large number Of persons who ant to
become detectives.
+ \
Occasionally one OF the so-called born
detectives will manage to reach the of
flee of Maj. Sylvester. Many cranks call
there, most Of them seeming to look
upon his office as the clearing house for
their imaginations and hallucinations,
and the chief places many Of the want
to-be detectives In the crank category
He has no time to discuss sleuthing
qualities with the rattle-brain candidates
for positions. and in cases where the
persstency of the applicant becomes an
noying the born detective Is referred to
the man on the fifth floor, who has Off
cial connection with the broWnstone
structure on the hill across the river.
During the days when the late John A.
Frank was sanitary officer many a born
detective had his ambition crushed.
Capt" Frank, as he was called had a
way Of his own in dealing with all COM
ers, and on many occasions callers were
sent to him to be disposed of. 1t mat
tered not to him If his customer were
crank or a man Of brains, rich or poor.
a giant or Weakling. He was a man of
few words and his callers had to remain
only a few seconds to understand him.
Nt,ar r,nf nh ~f <I11 6{yl1 to
his makeup and it made no difference
to him IL his caller went away pleased
or angry.
But" remarked a newspaper reporter
one afternoon, when q colored man called
at headquarters and told Of his seventh
son-of-a-seventh-son powers. there is an
exception to every rule. Send the Dorsey
Foultz detective to Gap" Franks Of
flee"
He was referred to as the Dorsey Foultz
detective because his chief recommenda-
tion for a position was the claim that he
could apprehend the colored man who
had made life SO troublesome Ior local
bona .fide sleuths Up the winding stairs
at the old building that was occupied as
the headquarters Of the police depart
ment went the applicant for . position
as detective.
why do you come to me for q posi-
tion?" inquired the sanitary off1cer. eiz-
ing up the caller as probable patient for
the mad house
"Ain't you Capt Frank?" retorted the
man, who was more than anxious to be-
come paid member of the force.
I'm not captain said the sanitary