The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1910-02-11
NOTED SLFUTH
IS NEAR DEATH
Ex-Superintendent Police Byrnes
of New York is Serious
ly III.
HAS HAD A NOTABLE CAREER
During His Thirty Years Service in
Police Department He Landed
Many Crooks in Prison-Ter-
ror to Evil Doors.

New York, Feb. LEX -Superin-
tendent of Police Thomas Byrnes is
seriously i'll at his home i'm West Sew
enty- seventh street and il is feared by
the doctors and the members of the
Byrnes family that he will not re-
cover from his illness, which is de-
scribed as acute Indigestion. The pa
tient is nearly seventy years old and
his constitution, once remarkably ro-
bust, is no longer astute enough to re-
sist disease or to throw off its debili-
tatlng effects.
Mr.. Byrnes retired from the police
department in 1895 after more than
thirty years of efficient service. After
his retirement he had a private de-
tective agency for a time, but soon he
abandoned that business and retired
into private life altogether, living
quietly at his handsome home, with
his wife and his two daughters. Dur
ing his long career Mr.. Byrnes accu-
mulated n handsome fortune which he
increased considerably by occasional
flyers" i'm Wall Street.
Although fifteen years have elapsed
since Mr.. Byrnes retired from the
metropolitan police department. the
memory of his wonderfully efficient
service is still fresh and stands out
in bold contrast to the deplorable
nefficiency of the police department
at the present time During Byrnes'
regime he was so feared by the
crooks, that many of them, who had
been notorious, emigrated to other
parts of the world; while at the pres
ent time the city is overrun with
criminals of every kind and the police
department seems helpless and alb
solutely unable to find any clue in
scores of the most startling and helm
Gus crimes.
Byrnes was appointed a policeman
on December TO- 1868. He served as
patrolman five or six years and accu-
mulated large amount of knowledge
which later became of great value to
him. In due time he became sergeant.
which position he held about ten
years. He made a study of criminals
and crimes and even when he was but
a sergeant, knew nearly every crook
in the city. He first attracted atten-
ton by saving the lives of three per-
sons at a fire and short time after
that he was made captain.
The Manhattan Bank robbery offer
ed an opportunity for the exercise of
his remarkable genius as a detector of
months after his appointment to a
captaincy. He landed the robbers in
prison and they were convicted i'm due
time. His reward was an inspector
ship. He was put in charge OF the
detective bureau and built up that
branch of the service to standard of
efficiency which 1t had never before
approached and which ii never re-
gained after he left the service. He
continued the study of criminology
and personally investigated and stu
died every case of crime in the city.
He came to know New York as no
other man had ever known 1t, and he
had q way of turning up at the most
unexpected times and places. The
crooks became filled with supersti-
tious fear of the man and 1t is not
surprising that I'm the course of time
Byrnes became the hero of countless
romantic and sensational stories and
yarns which went from mouth to
mouth and made Byrnes appear en-
dowed with almost supernatural pow
ers of penetration and divination.
Byrnes proved himself a man of
exceptional energy, ability and deter
mination. He never shrank from
hard work and often would work on
important cases for twenty-four
hours in q stretch. His persistence
was proverbial and he was never
known to abandon a case until he had
exhausted every resource and had
sifted the clues to the very bottom.
Although he had surrounded himself
with the best detectives obtainable I'm
the country. he never depended upon
them altogether. but did most of the
work himself.
1t was under his regime that the
so-called dead line was drawn for
the protection of the financial district
I'm the lower part Of the city and II
was Byrnes who originated and used
the Third Degree" in the most effec-
tive manner to obtain confessions from
suspected evil-doers. His methods
were criticised by some persons as too
severe and even inhuman. but there
was never n complaint of inefficiency
or the slightest suspicion that he
ever used his tremendous power and
influence for the purpose OF grating
Mr.. Byrnes was made superintendent
Of the entire force In 1892 and filled
that position ably and to his ever
lasting credit until he retired from
the service In 1895.
The record Of Mr.. Ryrncs' work dur
7 .t.f.t.. ....~. ~ hla rnuugrflnu