El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1911-02-09

MS Chinese friends will ever disclose
| his whereabouts The CeIasffals are the
most difficult class Of criminals in the
/ United States because X IS hard for
an unframed white man to tell one
from another and to worm his way
into the confidence of their country
men.
Methods Must Change.
| A change SCENES almost sure to come
! over the detective methods in this
country. 1t was formerly the custom
IN New York, and elsewhere, to parade
a suspected crook before the detectives
at headquarters IN order that the
sleuths might have a look at him for
future reference. It was years before
any one thought or the fact that the
crooks were also storing up in their
minds the countenances OF the sleuths.
Two or three years ago the New York
detectives were ordered to put on
masks for the inspection of suspects
Inls was an eminentIy sensible thing
TO do. although It was much ridiculed
at the time. Since its value has been
appreciated it Will probably be gen.
orally adopted in the course of the
next decade
GaynOr Starts Innovation.
Mayor Gaynor Of New York has
sounded a new note in American de-
tective work. He has laid down the
dlctum that detectives should be ap-
pointed for their special fitness ire
spective Of service in the uniformed
police He asserts that man might
De an excellent patrolman or captain.
put De mentally unqualified for detec-
i've work A very apt Illustration OF
TINS was the case of Harry HOagland.
the brilliant special agent of the de-
partment Of justice, who died in Pitts
burg last year OF pneumonia He had
Deen a newspaper reporter in Washing
ton and Philadelphia, with a penchaut
Tor criminal cases. In two years ne
was recognized as one OF the ablest
men In the service, though not more
than 80 years old His work in the
Kentucky night .-ider' investiga lions
and In big strikes where government
property was threatened, gained hin, a
nationwide reputation
Much of the success for which Ia
tectives often receive credit IS only in
directly due to them. They receive
their original tip from a stool mig
con- that is, crook who secretly be-
came informer. The ethics of obraia
ing convictions on such informa rioY.
has long been a bone OF contention. b.1t
II VIII be long time before the svs-
TEN Is abolished The lzte Josiah
t1ynt brilliant writer on the under
world. strongly inveighed against 4
on the ground that IL was demoraHzlng
TO the officials The infornner sxpscrs
the police to reciprocate by overlooking
or treating gently his Own transqres-
sions. and generally receives his re-
ward.
An Effort That Failed.
There are cities which have made II
a rule not to modest a crook from else
where If he did not work in their
precincts One city in the middle west
Is notorious for this and has an aston
ishingly large population of profess
slonal thieves An out OF town detec-
i've went there year or so AGO 70
look up several men he wanted He
was taken in charge By one OF the /
local sleuths. who led him all over tha !
place on pretence of helping hin, .
IND the victims. Not one of them vas /
seen. II never occurred to the visitor .
until he had left that he had practical /
~ been put on exhibition. so thar n I
ne came again his presence and occu- /
patton would be known al once ana i
me wanted" men would take u cover
me birth OF the present-dax- detAc-
I'VE systems may be said TO date from
me time OF Vidocq, the famous CHEZ