Evening journal., 1909-04-02
A FAMOUS DETECTIVE
The Rise, the Achievements and
the Fall of M. vidoCq.
GREAT FRENCH POLICE SPY.


the Associate Of Thieves-He Know
the Secrets Of More Than Half Of
the Criminals In Paris.
"The fellow has made his escape by
the Eoofr
A little band of Partisan police had
paid a surprise visit TO a mean. dirty
house in one of the most disreputable
parts OF Paris. 1t was about 3 o'clock
in the morning when an officer tapped
at the door and demanded admittance
of the trembling person who opened it.
Slipping past him. they crept swiftly
and noiselessly up the rickety stairs to
the door of n room. opened it and rush
ed in. But the bed in which they had
expected to fnd their man was empty.
He must have heard them stealing up
the stairs and escaped by the window.
The officer in charge Of the party
looked out In the darkness he could
distinguish nothing. But the man
must be there. His clothes still lay be-
side the bed. where he had cast them
down when he had retired the night
before.
D0hlt VI Ant llbob VI lnG Oin-
GERS crawled out after him, while 9th
ers went for ladders to reach the roof
from the street The man must be
caught! He was found at last. Crouch
ing down and seeking to hide himself
among the chimney stacks. the officers
pounced upon him.
A short time later he was before one
| of the chiefs OF the DOlicp
Good day. M. Henri" he said. salut-
ing the stern looking official. "Some
one has once more betrayed me into
your hands,"
you are accused OF being in league
with coiners and passers Of bad mon
ey," said the official. "What have you
to sayl"
"Only that ! am innocent, monsieur
though the people in the house where
I lodged were guilty Of such prac-
tlces. / had the honor Of calling on
monsieur some time back and of say
ing that / could put it in his power to
> clear Paris of such scoundrels."
The man the officers had found upon
the roof and who addressed those
words to the police official was one
r Vidocq. a man destined to become IA
B. nous as one of the greatest detec-
d tives Of modern times.
e Vidocq had been concerned for years
e past in all manner of rogueries. He
5 had received various terms Of impris-
: onment He was regarded as one of
, the most dangerous Of the hundreds
OF criminals that threatened the hon
. est citizens of Paris. He was daring
full Of resource, a man Of marvellous
physical strength and audacity. Upon
two previous occasions his accomplices
y had, knowing how much the police val
). ued his capture. betrayed him into
their hands, This was the third time
: vidocq had so suffered. Two could
play at that game
IN. Henri" said vidocq, make m'
one Of your agents. and / swear to pu
9 you in possession Of the secrets Of hal
the criminals in Paris"
The offer was a tempting one, FOL
y the Partisan police were then bafiieC
by criminals Of all descriptions, and
c Parisians were crying out for more
{ efficient guardians.
I. 1--WE will see." replied the official
A short time later Vidocq found him
y self in prison, condemned to serve q
: sentence Of eight years. But that mis-
cradle convict sentenced TO that terri
y BILE sentence was really a police spy
He was popular with the other con
Il victs and learned all their secrets
T. Each night he used in his cell to write
d out an account of the discoveries h'
IS had made during the day. The repor
y was dispatched to the chief Of the po
! lice and proved remarkably useful.
. One day the criminal world of Paris
was amazed and joyful over the mar
velous. escape Of Vidocq from prison
7 They received him with open arms
AS a matter of fact, the authorities
had come to the conclusion that NidocC
could be much more useful TO then
outside than in that grim place. Hi
| escape had all been planned. VidocG
returned to his associates as a hero
IN fact, he was a spy-a spy with tho
keenest eyes, the most alert ears, tbs
most subtle brain, to learn all the vii
lainy going.
It was wonderful what I'll luck be
gan henceforth TO dog the criminal.
Of Paris. All their plans came in som,
mysterious manner to the ears of The
police Was it Vidocq who betrayed
them? Some OF them were so con
vinced OF it that at last Vidocq fount
it necessary to disguise himself ant
act the part among them of new
hand in crime. A consummate master
OF disguise he went among them. stil
unsuspected. in his new role.
He was certainly one OF the mos
useful fellows that the police had eve
: had as an ally.
''Yidocq" said NJ. Henri TO him on'
day. Eve must find that fellow Eos
\ sard. the man who has escaped from
the prison at Brest. He is in Paris
hiding somewhere. His lodging is in ;
house in a bystreet near TO a marke
I place. And there are yellow silk cur
3 tains to the window Of his room. II
the same house there lives a woman
+ with a bumped back. That is all cal
tell you about the fellow-all hav'
been able TO learn"
II was a vague clew to work on
n Vidocq. anxious to distinguish himself
set of. A window with yellow cur
tains, a woman with a bumped bacR
IL he raa 81, arf