Lexington gazette. [volume] (Lexington, Va.) 1871-1962, 1910-01-19
Stories Of Lieutenant Sheridan,
Who viii Guard Banks.
LONG A TERROR TO CROOKS.
Well Known Detective, Formerly Of
the New York Police Department, 10
Noted For His Amazing Ability TO
Photograph Features on Memory.


as "the man with the camera eye"
recently retired from the detective de-
partment OF the New York city police
force to enter into partnership with
William j. Burns, former secret serv-
Ice man, who Is official guard Of the
1,40O banks In the American Bankers
association. trust formerly held by
the Pinkerton agency.
The remarkable memory for faces
that characterizes Lieutenant Sheri-
dams career made him celebrated In
police circles the world over. His eye
was unerrinS. and once the features of
criminals face were beheld by him
they were photographed in his mind,
and he never made mistake in identi-
fcation. III this regard he was one Of
the most valued members of the city
detective force. and as the man with
the camera eye" he was u terror to
evildoers Of every nation.
Feared by Criminals
Lieutenant Sheridan got his start I'M
der Inspector Thomas Byrnes in 1887,
a year after his appointment to the
force. He was sent after the assistant
cashier who had robbed the National
Park bank of S16J.0OO and after
search OF six months found his quarry
In hole in the Canadian hills known
as Standstead. He was instrumental
In bringing hundreds of robbers, safe
crackers and other criminals to jus
tee. He especially was valuable In
his Identification of criminals. every
mark that served TO identify them be-
Ing photographed in his memory.
Ii is doubtful II there is another
man In the United States who inspired
more fear than did Sheridan in the
hearts Of criminals with records. No
man In the history OF the New York
police department has been so quick
to see through a disguise and to iden-
tify prisoners with pictures that had
been taken five. ten and even twenty
years before.
Many city as far west even as San
I Francisco came to learn that the ap-
pearance of Sheridan in a crowd was
the surest means of Kidding the city
of band OF itinerant crooks. Sheri-
dan was the man 10 whom the New
York police department turned when
all others failed to identify a prisoner
II Sheridan passed a prisoner IL was
taken for granted that his picture was
not among the 100000 or more in the
, rogues' gallery.
Conviction of q Bank Sneak.
A case where Sheridan made good
with his camera eye is that OF a bank
sneak who was arrested In Brooklyn
in 1903 and who gave the name OF
William Murphy. Murphy's picture
was taken IN Brooklyn and sent over
to Mulberry street for identification.
why" said Sheridan. that's Bob
Suffrage; served five years in Liver
pool. eight years In Brussels and two
years in Sing Sing. He was arrested
twenty one years ago by Tom Mulvey.
on Reynolds staff"
Inspector Titus sent Tom Mulvey
over to the Raymond street jail In
Brooklyn TO identify the prisoner
Mulvey took look at him and re-
ported that he never had arrested him,
never had seen him. Sheridan himself
had never seen Bob Suffrage All that
he had in mind were the pictures that
had passed through his hands. two or
three out of a total OF 200.OOO in the
gallery Sheridan still insisted that
the Brooklyn sneak thief was the no.
torious Bob.
Finally the prisoner was arraigned
before Judge Asphalt and pleaded
guilty. The judge said to him:
NOW | am going to ask you some
questions. and if you tell the truth I'll
take that into consideration In sentenc-
ing you. Is your name Bob Suffrage?'
YES" said the prisoner. and then he
went on TO tell the terms he had serv
ed just as Sheridan had done from
memory several weeks before
How He Identified Precious Pair.
Sheridan's friends love to tell how he
identified Mott Haven Red and Frank
Codd. They had been taken I'm by
chance on the Bowery In New York.
and when the precious pair were stood
up the next day no one knew them. SO
they went on to Sheridan.
That's Mott Haven Red. alias Joe
Fay" said Sheridan instantly. IL saw
his picture ten years ago He got niue
years and eight months in Dannemora
for blowing up safe of the standard
Oil Company in Syracuse"
The prisoner stoutly denied his iden
tity, whereupon Sheridan said to a de
tective:
Pull up his sleeve and you'll find
w. !. o. tattooed on his right fore.
arm" The letters were there
"Now look on his right hand and see
II the cord on the little finger has not
been shortened" said Sheridan. and II
was. That was too much for Mot,
Haven Red, and he confessed his iden