The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1910-08-28

out Of an incOnspicuous hatchway OF the
vessel in which he had come. thinking
that he was going to get ashore entirely
unobserved ana be able TO go about in
cogn!to as "Mr. Dewhurst," a respectable
English business man. he was nearly
overpowered 10 find forty newspaper men
and as many photographers waiting 10
greet him.
That. 10 most American minds. argued
total lack Of imagination A New York
Central once man. crossing the ocean
under similar circumstances, would have
realized the sensational character OF the
flight He would have known that II
would attract the attention OF the two
continents. Though in mldocean he
would have pictured the American news
papers reveling in that dramatic sus-
pense; following the pursuit Of the slow
er steamship by the faster. day after
day; specializing on the possibility that
the suspects might prove 10 be somebody
else; giving the various steps that would
have to be taken to arrest and deport
Crippen. and sarnishing all this with
photographs OF everybody concerned.
says the New York Post.
An American detective would have re-
allied all this and have been actually ex-
pecting the four score newspaper report
ers and photographers. As nearly as can
be made out, the stoHd Scotland Yard
man never even dreamed Of such
thing.
Called sIoVv-vvItted
More than one American will argue
from this that the Scotland Yard officers
are slow-witted and clumsy-going lot.
Conan Doyle did a good deal to create
this impression. for after most Of sher-
lock Holmes brilliant deductive triumphs
the author brought in a SNUG inspector
from the Yard and let him make him
self odious TO the reader by taking all
tho credit which properly belonged 10
the remarkable Holmes. Sir Conan's !
stories patronized "the Yard" In a banter
ing way. He has had millions Of read |
ers in America, and probably the prevail !
Ing opinion OF Scotland Yard here Is that /
its reputation is greater than its ability /
and that its self-importance and conceit /
are large
This Is literary fiction extraordinarily /
far from true. Scotland Yard is the
greatest crime-detecting organization in |
existence. Any person versed I'm detective /
work viii admit as much. No country
has more effective bureau The New
York Central ONCE Is not its equalizer
tsinly not its superior, taken as a whole
It's men have many characteristics which |
seem unftting-even absurd-from an
American viewpoint; but the things they
accomplish are great
First Used Thumb Prints.
Conan Doyle's stories really prove this.
for they were all based on Scotland Yard
exploits recounted to him by Scotland
Yard men. The wonderful feats of de-
duction attributed TO Sherlock Holmes.
though undoubtedly made more remark
able by the author. were founded on real
cases.
Sir Edward Richard Henry Is present
commissioner Of police in London. and
receives $4,000 a year He is the man
who suggested thumb prints as means
Of identifying criminals This system has
been adopted IN most of the countries Of
the civilized world.
Sir Melville Leslie Niacnaughton Is al
the head Of the detective service and re-
ceives 100 a year.
The police headquarters Of the metro \
politan district Of London is at Scotland
Yard. and from this fact the c. I. d. or
criminal investigation department takes
its name. Frank Forest, whose name has
appeared frequently in the London cables
on the Crippen case, is the superintendent
Of Scotland Yard
In order 70 understand the work Of ,
these English police. II must be remem-
bered that they have entirely different
kinds OF criminals to contend with there :
or rather they have the same kinds in !
entirely different proportions. Ii
They have far fewer murders than the I
police on this side. America, Of all mod r
ern civilized countries. the in the place {
IN which murder IS practiced must ruth s
lessly and abundantly. There's a reason. Z
OF course America has those hordes OF G
foreigners pouring IN at Ellis Island con- 7
stantly. and those hordes include the re- r
iuse OF European nations. and this refuse T
furnishes a large proportion Of the :
crimes which so swell the homicide sta =
tisties. The fact that the New York q
police cope as we'll as they do with the I
tremendous influx OF forelgners-each for
eigner an unknown quantity-is a fact
greatly 10 their credit. The London DO
lice have more settled population 10
deal with. and they are spared much Of !
the homicide problem.
Few "TegEmen" Abroad.
They have few "yeggmen." safe crack r
ers, and bank robbers nowadays. America n
is the field for that sort Of operations. b
because its population is diffuse. its t
stores and banks are less safely guarded. a
its habits are more careless. and It's d
nevertheless are Of the clever Il
est. England is a compact country. well
settled, well protected. place where all 81
the means Of prevention have been de- s.
veloped TO the highest degree Il
In that word prevention is the KEY TO &
much OF the work of Scotland Yard. That v
wonderful police machine bends all its G.
energies 70 prevent crime, so that Il VIII Il
not have 10 60 20 the effort OF hunting d
down the criminal after the wrong has G,
been committed. %
Many OF the larger post-ofices IN the OF
United States. for instance, the branch A
ones in the new custom-house on Bow HI
ling Green. New York City-have secret E
galleries in the masonary of the walls c,
From these galleries person can obtain
2 view Of the mail clerks at work without
4 possibility Of being seen himself. POST =,
)ffice inspectors enter these galleries from a.
line 20 time. unannounced. and watch =,
he clerks. Il is needless to say that in ).
such post-oflces the number OF letters =,
stolen is not very large. ~
That is precisely the principle on which NJ
Scotland Yard operates to q large extent "
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