The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1909-07-06
AMATEUR DETECTIVE
Often Keeps Careful Watch % Men
Innocent Of Wrong Doing.
Every Move 81 SusDeste1 PeRsens
UaAes Close SrFutiny fer nonths
1t 1Tne-AeeYeta Of the
Profession.

Hundreds Of Chicago people who
have committed NO crime, who pay
their debts, and against whom no COM
plant can be maue. are tracke d wher-
ever they 60 by the numerous tribes
Of ANA eur detectives whose existence
in Chicago just now is one OF the mar
wells Of the police departmen Mt, says the
Tribune.
BY the city police and by regular pri-
vate detective agencies these men ana
women who do the shadowing are
known as kids This does not mean
that they are young. Many OF them
have white hair and earn their daily
bread at de SKIS in Offices. Their de-
tectiye work is done after Office hours
and is merely an additional way OF
earning a living. There are so many
4 of them that the conclusion that more
shadowing is being doEe now than
ever before since ls93 is reasonable
one.
Not since 1893. when the news OF I'M
pending crashes in the business word
on account Of the panic made shad-
owing a common thing. have the police
known Of so many cases in which IN
nocent persons are continually under
the eye of other persons who are not
legalizsd officers and who are hired
simply because they are not
A shadow. in police parlanee. is
man or a woman who follows sub
iect wherever that subject goes. and
who makes regular reports TO third
person. for which reports that third
person pays.
When a crime has been committed
and many persons are under suspicion
the detectives both in the city de-
partment and in private agencies who
NAV be interested in the ca Sc follow
these suspected persons They note
with whom they talk. and how long.
where they go TO dine and with whom
whether they visit banks or clubs or
parties. whether railroad stations are
on their calling list, and whether they
seem to be on intimate terms with
remorse-
Many times the wrong persons are
Swallowed. In such cases the subjects,
as they are called. never know that
their every move has been under scru-
tiny perhaps for months Again. the
subjects may reveal something that
results in their arrest. Even then the
shadow keeps in the background.
Rather. he tries to keep in the back
ground. II he always succeeded there
would be no field for kids" or ana
teur. shadows.
But the city police come TO be known
quite generally. and with them the
- ~ 70 =
cesi The necessity for adequate knowl'
edge about pc op-e continued. and there
seemed to be little chance Of obtaining
III. The fact that the shadows were
known initiated greatly against theiI
usefulness.
Then the idea occurred to some de
fec.ives to employ amateurs 1t was
demanded. first of all. that these am
ateurs should be men and women Of
irreproachab bic caution For shaco"
to talk is worse. than treason Mex
to silence, a-ersness was placed anI
then faithfulness. Ii seems strang'
that faithfulness should come "a 81. bu
it is logical. A faithful dummy wouii
be of no use. while An alert man o
woman who can keep Silent can b
: paid enough money to make then
faithful
- They were obtained in the shops. i
e Offices in positions of more or less pub
8 lie character.
III Saleswomen. many of them max
e good money after hours by tra'
y ing people in whom they have no inter
r. est. on behalf of people in whom the
e have no more. Clerks a-so make goo
~ material for amateur shadows
. As soon as a shadow is approache
- by private detective or By fris nd
~ Ahe service of some client he or she
r. told all that the agent knows abot
N the walk and conversation of the SUI
n iect or person to be Swallowed.
x Then the kid" is eft 10 his ON
~ discretion. The more time he spent
w with the subject the better the servi'
& he is rendering. He often finds il ne
~ essary to go to church with the su
* ject, and to follow him or her on sho
Is ping expeditions. TO the theater. al
M to the summer gardens.
& Everything that happens is not
~ and the notes are turned over TO Il
w person who pays for the work.
II The usual charge by a private dets
III tive agency is from six TO ten doila
* day with expenses. The kids" som
~ times work for less than this Tn
{S[ always insist upon their expen
SE money. Most of them try TO mainta
NJ the scale Of prices charged by the {
W tective agencies.