Coeur d'Alene evening press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1907-1929, 1909-02-20
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Ing crowd samples Of how the craft
ferreted out crime, 1T was q stroke Of
genius.
A message was sent In to our Of
fee by Abraham Hunker, a farmer.
that he had lost his life's savings,
some $1,000 in gold. He had kept Il In
a stocking in his chimney, having tax
en- out brick at one side, leaving
space just big enough to hold the gold.
One day while the house was left
alone some one stole the money. He
asked us to send man to work up the
case.
Dan Chadwick was in charge OF the
Office at the time and arranged the
plan on which the work was to be
done. A few days after we got the
message a man from the agency APP
peared at the nearest station to Hun
ker's farm, hired a horse and drove
out to see the farmer He worked
openly, talking about the case In
presence Of any one who happened to
be about. After several days spent In
this kind Of detective work he went
away.
"Some Of the people thereabout who
knew a thing or two remarked that
the fellow was a queer detective, let
ting everybody know what he and his
business was. He wouldn't be likely
to learn much that way. The way to
work a detective case was for the de-
tectiye to keep In the dark himself
and put a 'bullseye' on everybody else.
They gave up any expectation Of Hun
ker ever seeing any of his money
again.
I'm about ten days another man
from our office went to the neighbor-
hood, though this one didn't spend
much time with bunker. He went
about among the farmers, told them
all that he was detective and en-
gagged in hunting for the man who
stole Hunker's money. This man didn't
ask many questions. He didn't tell
anything except what l have stated.
Then he went away, leaving the farm
ers to talk about his visit and to specu-
late from what he had mot said as to
whether he was getting ON to a clew.
Within a few days after his visit the
news of 1t was spread all over the
county.
at was about two weeks later that
another man appeared in the same To-
cality. This man was more like what
people expect a detective to be. He
went ostensibly as an agent for a
steam pillow, but he took SO many peo-
pie into his confidence that within a
week after his departure everybody
knew that another detective had ar
rived, detected and departed.
1.-THE next man that went on the job
put on an air Of profound thought,
He stayed among the people several
days before he let It out that he was
a detective. But by this time they had
become wrought upon by so many de-
tectives coming among them that he
had only to let the cat out of the bag
to have the news go like a prairie fire
all over the country. He made no mys-
terry of the matter. Indeed, he told
Hunker that the discovery had been
made that the money had been stolen
Wy hA0M LIVING HI Alc
and 1t would soon be recovered.
Why doesn't he get away with itT
asked bunker.
"If he should move he would ac-
knowledge himself to be the thief You
wouldn't need a detective to tell you
that any one leaving this region just
now would be going to spend his stol-
en- money somewhere else
after that the farmers began to be
distrustful of each other. They didn't
talk any more about the case. They
were uncomfortable about 1t. Every
man felt that he was being Swallowed.
No farmer could go into his house or
out Of it without fancying that some
one stood behind tree watching him.
They began to wish Hunker had let
the money go without subjecting them
to such surveillance.
"About a month after the loss one Of
the farmers sent word to the agency
asking that a man be sent to him.
When the detective arrived he found
a pale. haggard man who looked as II
he had been keeIhauled. He took the
detective back Of his house and told
him to dig in a certain spot. The de-
tective dug and brought up a cigar box
containing the stocking with Hunker's
gold In it. When the money was count
ed every dollar was there"
The speaker paused, and some one
asked, well. how did it all come
aboutT'
1.-The first man sent up did not APP
pear as detective. He learned that
no stranger had been to the house
about the time the money disappeared.
The gold had been kept I'm the same
place for years, and knowledge Of its
location had doubtless come to some
one OF the community. who had been
tempted to steal It. Chadwick. the
greatest detective genius / have ever
known. conceived a plan for forcing
the culprit to confess. He sent the
first man. who appeared openly for the
purpose OF spreading abroad the news
that the DeighborhoOd was being
watched. sending others to confirm