The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1912-03-08

When you think hereafter of the
Los Angeles dyr mite case, you will
think of William ]. Burns. detective.
When you recall the Schmitz-Rue
graft case in IA Francisco. you will
remember Willia:., j. Burns, detec-
tive.
And it is getting to be so that when
somebody begins talking fiction about
Dupin and LeCoq n wen Sherlock
Holmes. your American blood will
begin tingling. and you will think of
IL ~sure-enough American detective.
and may so SO far as to remark
"%Shucks."
Meeting this Burns person on the
street, says the Kansas City Star.
shaking hands with him. even talking
with him on casual topics. you never
would guess that here was a man who
by % years Of brilliant success in the
for himself the name of being its
best nam Nor would you imagine
that the stocky. fiorid citizen with the
open n ingenious cou..tenance had
topped off his record in the last five
years of Il series Of coups in the great
est detective cases Of modern times.
Burns looks like anything-almost
instead Of Il detective. There is
nothing OF the %ascetic. keen, intro
spective Holmes type about him. You
can't imagine him in false whiskore,
if you did. He is Of medium height,
ruddy of complexion, mustache and
hair. plump almost to p%udgincss.
There is nothing striking" about
him.
And that tMr. Burns will tell you)
is the only disguise worth while. lie
can dress n pose at willard has
done it-as a laborer in blue overalls:
as a snug. talkativc inst: nnce agent:
staid business man Dr. a Bowcry poll
tician. He looks the part In every
case. And the Heather Chinee" of
Bret Harte had nothing in the way
Of a "snilc that was child-like and
bland" that could lay over the frank.
open c%ountenance of William j. Burns
when he is at work.
Ever the Burns eyes are not strik-
ing-eXcept in one little particular.
They have been called Camera eyes
from their ability to retain. in a men
tai photograph. all they see: yet they
are of a peculiarly peaceful shade
OF light blue. very clear and steady,
hut not at all alarming. But here's
one point. The Burns eyes are cool
when Burns is merely investigating.
They grow cooler as the trail grows
l Val ALI WIlSu Nllc cIISlS VI ING
chase T. at hand the eyes are cold,
with a frigid something in them that
makes people tell things. whether
they want to or not.
MIR. Burns wouldn't talk to you
about that. He would laugh II you
suggested it. But you will notice that
he carries spectacles and wears them
at times: and you may have read
that even plain lenses mak 1t hard
IN bOofs tho avrraaet0n In n -o~o4~s~
eyes.
But Burns doesn't take much stock
in that sort Of thing. being very mat
ter-of-fact and V set in his ways.
He says plainly. Every criminal
leaves a track" And you will gain
the impression Clearing him say it)
that the track should he as easy to
follow as a wagon road in the noun
tains. He doesn't take much credit
for the tracks he has followed. He
hangs 1t on the maker of the tracks.
And he adds. There are no myster.
les" Which might sound somewhat
egotistical, II o didn't remember
that it was Burns own rivals that
named him "Never-Fail" Burns.
Some Of the tracks Burns has fol-
lowed have led him a merry chase,
for all that: There was the case OF
the Oregon land frauds. which Burns
followed until IL United States senator
ana some very prominent citizens
faced conviction. And there was the
San Francisco graft case-both az
fairs Of such size and scope that ever
a brief history would read like ma.
tional politics on a big scale. Such
matters show the range Of Burns &c.
Mus. but 1t takes a lesser and more
compact chase to show his methods
at their hest.
There was the case of Charley VI.
rich. Of whom Burns said: HE wa,
a very intelligent and gentleman.