The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-12-03
Loaned to Interior Department

"He was loaned to the interior de- partment at the request of some influ- ential officials when the land cases out west were up, as we all recollect. He went into that case, involved some prominent men and cleaned out that
 bunch thoroughly. He w~5 then asked to visit San Francisco with District Attorney Heney by Claud Spreckles. Together the attorney and detective cleaned that place of the most corrupt | regime that 1t had ever known, ac
 cording to current report. In the mean time he had left the secret service, as
 no government operative could handle that kind of cases. When that work
 was over, MT. Burns was the organizer
 of the Burns Detective Agency which
 has achived the most wonderful sue cess of any detective agency in the his tory of the world in such a short time. He unraveled the Illinois Central rails
 road cases and also handled the Illinois bribery cases while everyone was of
 the opinion that he was engaged on the Los Angeles Times case. He has now reached the most wonderful pin nacle that any American detective ever attained.
 MT. Burns is the very last man that
 would be taken for a detective. He is un- assuming, we'll bred, we'll educated, is tactful and never obtrudes himself any where. He might come to Birmingham q half hundred times and 1t would never become known to anyone unless he chose
 to tell of his visit. He is successful be- cause of his wonderful attention to de-
 tails, his courage, his undismay where influential persons are concerned and his natural shrewdness. Mr. Burns will never
 give up a case that he believes there is any chance remaining to solve. However,
 it may be taken as fact that when
 Burns continues an investigation that he
 is going to land the right persons. I can not recall where he has arrested any one and then fell down, so to speak. upon his prosecution. He pays more attention to details than any investigator in private work, and it Is gossiped about that Burns never let's witness or d juryman get out
 of sight while the case is pending.
 Makes Fine Witness
 '"rhe noted detective makes d fine wit ness. The best lawyer in the country can not shake his evidence or testimony. He
 never gets rattled or afraid of the result.
 He is always cool, collected and wise He
 is not what is commonly known as a de-
 tective. He will not take case just for the sake of a case alone. He only handles matters of some moment and that are
 worth while. He left the government ser vice much to the regret of his many friends in that work Burns and Chief Wllkie of the Secret Service are warm personal friends and am sure that Chief Wilkie regretted very much to see one of his best operatives leave the service. q believed all along that Burns had
 clear cut case against the Los An geles Times men, 1 know him so well, you know, that it was out of the question that man of his boise and character would arrest any such prominent men | and not know what he was doing. That would not have been Burns. I waited l to see the evidence develop and I firmly believe that District Attorney Fredericks | was absolutely accurate when he is quot l ed as having said with MT. Darrow, that | the evidence produced by Burns was overwhelming.
 MT Burns is known to be one of the squarest men that ever looked into a | case He will not take advantage of | anyone, aid I have yet to have anyone say that Burns is not ready to help the | innocent ones. He is so well known among detectives that all of them scout the slightest imputation that he has been guilty of the smallest kind of shady work in his cases.
 AS time passes l believe MT. Burns will continue to achieve success The recog- milton that has come to him lately has enhanced his reputation as no other de- tective of modern times"
 Captain McAdams, who pays in tho foregoing warm tribute to MT. Burns. has been in the government secret serv- ice more than IA years. He has been , in Birmingham several years and Is well known among bankers and business men. He was associated with Detective Burns in some well known eases and when | talking of MT. Burns yesterday, went into few details as to the methods em- ployed by Burns in solving puzzling mys- teries. Captain McAdams says that in his opinion the Los Angeles Times case presented the most baffling array of propositions that was ever undertaken to be solved in this country by private investigator.