The Prescott daily news., 1909-03-01
% A NesO % Defecfix,e Method.


 AS to the Hunker case" said de- tective who had been giving an admir- ing crowd samples of how the craft ferreted out crime, it was stroke of genius.
 "A message was sent in to our of flee by Abraham Hunker, farmer, that he had lost his life's savings, some S1,OOO in gold. He had kept it in a stocking in his chimney, having talk en out brick at one side, leaving a 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 a man to work up the case.
 Dan Chadwick was in charge of the office at the time and arranged the plan o1 which the work was to be done. A few days after we got the message a man from the agency ap- 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 lpnrn nonch thot Tho tn work detective case was for the de- | tective 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.
 Tn about ten days another man | from our office went to the neighbor- hood, though this one didn't spend much time with Hunker He went about among the farmers. told them all that he was a 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 1 have stated. Then he went away, leaving the farm CTS to talk about his visit and to specu- late from what he had noD said as to whether he was getting on to clew. Within few days after his visit the news of 1t was spread all over the county.
 "It 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 blow, but he took so many peo- pie into his confidence that within q week after his departure everybody knew that another detective had ar rived, detected and departed.
 "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 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 prairie fire all over the country. He made no mys- tery of the matter. Indeed, he told Hunker that the discovery had been made that the money had been stolen by a man living in the neighborhood and it would soon be recovered | "'Why doesn't he get away with it?' asked Hunker.
 "'If he should move he would ac- knowledge himself to be the thief You wouldn't need d 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 it. Every man felt that he was being shadowed. | No farmer could go into his house or out of it without fancying that some one stood behind q 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 if he had been keelhauled. He took the detective back of his house and told him to dig in a certain spot. The de- tective dug and brought up cigar box containing the stocking with Hunkers gold in 1t. When the money was count | .N.J axorv dollar yac thpra " | The speaker paused, and some one asked. Well. how did it all come about?"