Evening star., 1912-10-06

Froest, land he was in London before
l knew Ii. and two English pals of his
have told me that they stopped him from
finishing me In Regent street by pulling
him into a doorway. After that got
busy and dropped on OBrien while he
was tackling a good English porterhouse
steak and chips in Gattfs restaurant in
the Strand. He saw me coming" added
the detective, 'and got out quick and he
thought he'd give me the slip. but I was
behind him in the street before he knew
ii. and as we We're too many for him to
have any chance i'm fight, he threw up
the sponge. That's his gun over there.
Yes. a wicked gun
frankie here sent O'Brien back to
Paris said w. A. Pinkerton. and there.
You know. he killed another American
crook named Reid Waddle at the North
station. and they wanted TO behead him.
but the authorities there decided that as
he had merely wiped out another bad
man he'd only get lifer.' so they sent
him to New Caledonia
Talking of Froest later on. Pinkerton
said: Il have known every superin-
tendent of the criminal investigation de-
partment OF Scotland Yard I'm recent
Years and there has been no one to ap-
proach him in ability. lie is as game
a man and as clever one ever |
have known in the detective business
As fact. Froest's admirers do not
know which To admire most-his Porthos-
like strength or his shredwneSs. which is
that Of DArtagnan. The secret of de-
tective work. he said to me- lis the
elimination of the unnecessary" and. like
Rouletabille in The Mystery of the Vel
low Room he always has taken hold OF
the right end of his reason 1t was
under his direction that Scotland Yard
drew the net OF evidence tight around
Crippen, another American. by the way.
and of the scores of stories they tell OF
his Shrewdness one may be recalled be-
cause il is rather funny.
Near bungalow in the country man
was found dead, head down i'm a water
butt. There was an ugly bruse on his
forehead. and as the local police believed
there had been foul play Inspector Froest,
as he was then. went down TO investigate.
He looked over the scene and his eyes
twinkled.
This is not "A case of murder he said.
THAT man was a tramp. He hurt his
head in climbing through the fence-he
probably was going TO break into the
house-and went to battle ii in the water
butt AS he put his head down he slipped
and fell in.
1t was like Sherlock Holmes lecturing =
Lestrade and Gregson. but one of Froest's $
hearers was not convinced.
impossible" he cried. and to prove
that it was impossible he leant over the
water butt A second later his heels
were i'm the air. there was a splash. and
If FrOest had not fished him out prompt
ly he surely would have proved the SUI
perintendent's theory to be right.
In his 'active service" days. Froest was
d master of disguise and mane-up. ana
could dress any part at a few moments mo-
tice from peddler to priest. such priest:
too as would convince the Pope himself
of his innate s2intliness. Since then he
has trained many a pupil. and from the
big red brick building on the embankment
you will see go forth at various times
city men in silk hats. carpenters. rae
ing touts and men who look like doctors
all Of them the superintendent's hench-
men, and each playing his part In the un-
ending fight with crime. while up in his
Office sits Froest, pulling the strings.
When he quits. definitely, next month,
he is going to take pleasure cruise TO
the West Indies, and then will look in
on YOU in God S country" for bit, visit
ing his friend. Big Bilr' Pinkerton, and
perhaps Col Little of Baltimore. Md,
with whom he worked i'm the Moore case.
and who still writes to him at the begin
ming of every new year. After that he is
coming back to settle down in the west
country and. in the season. indulge i'm his
favorite hobby. which is shooting lin
preference to being shot al"
Meanwhile he will rest-which he has q
right to do If ever a man had.
Copyright. 1912. by Curtis Brown)