Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1912-05-28
HISTORY OF SCOTLAND YARD.
How Home of the Famous Detective
Force Got Its Name.

How Home of the Famous Detective
Force Got Its Name.
Scotland Yard. You know about it,
don't you? A place in England where
brainless detectives are harbored and
from which they are occasionally sent
out that Sherlock Holmes may fiout
them and put them to. shame. Then
the detectives hang their heads and go
back in great confusion to Scotland
Yard, while Sherlock, giving himself
another shot in the arm, explains the
mystery airily to DR.. Watson, who
cries "mahvelous," and runs off to tell
Sir A. Conan Doyle about it. Why,
of course, you know Scotland Yard
and its men-f1atheads who are sent
out to play the comedy parts. the slap
stick stuff, in the dramas in which
Holmes stars.
Well, you know there really Is
Scotland Yard, and there has been
since long before Conan Doyle brought
SHeTlOCh lItO Tic WOIlu
1t is the name applied TO the build
ing in which the London police have
their headquarters. This police head
quarters building stood originally at
don, and it was called Scotland Yard
because a long time ago, when Scot
land had kings Of its own, there used
to be a palace at this same corner of
Charing Cross where the Scottish
kings could get rooms free when they
came down to London. After the
death of Queen Elizabeth, the Scottish
king, James l., came down to London
to he king of England and Scotland,
and Scotland Yard was no longer nee
essary.
But names change slowly in Great
Britain and consequently that partic-
ular corner of Charing Cross was
known as Scotland Yard long after the
original palace had disappeared.
Well Scotland Yard-we're talking
of the police headquarters now, not
the palace-throve moderately we'll for
number of centuries, and authors
even went so far as to go there for
the detectives they needed in their
fiction. Dickens, for instance, bor-
rowed Inspector Bucket from Scotland
Yard, only changing his name and his
outward appearance a little, and ev-
erybody thought Bucket was a pretty
good detective, Sherlock not having
come from the press yet.
Scotland Yard indeed acquired so
much business that it was necessary
to move into a new house about 1890.
This new house was-and still is-on
the Thames embankment. 1t is huge
red brick building and looks like
city hall. 1t was nowhere near the
original Scotland Yard, but the British
had grown accustomed to the name,
and as it had no earthly connection
with the object to which it was ap
piled, it was, Of course, retained. The
new headquarters was called New
Scotland Yard, while the Charing
Cross building was still referred to as
Old Scotland Yard.
About this time appeared Sir A.
Connan Doyle-Only he wasn't Sir
then-leading by the hand a tall,
hatchet- faced individual, who wore a
plaid cap and a curve stem pipe (oh,'
yes, he wore coat and trousers, too
if you must be so literaD. This per-
son had piercing eyes and quiet
manner and could tell by looking at
your derby hat whether you drank
undoubtedly guessed, being a person
of some acumen yourself, this odd
young man was none other than the
great Sherlock Holmes, and that other
one hand and an expression of con-
slant wonder on his face-that faith
full satellite is Doctor Watson He
never has any time to attend to pa
tients, as he is always busy noting
the superhuman intelligence Of Sher-
lock. And those fat, burly, black mus
tached persons running towards the
woods in a body-those are Scotland
Yard men following the wrong clue.
One might have supposed that after
Doyle once got busy with his type
writer Scotland Yard might as well
have closed up, rented it's building for
vaudeville theatre, and started its
men up in the butcher shop business,
but it didn't. 1t went right along get
ting bigger and bigger and catching
more criminals every year, and it has
at present one of the most complete
systems of thief catching in the
world. Telegraph tapes are clicking
| off information about criminals day
and night. and every police station in
| London is in communication constant
| " with Scotland Yard. Much of the
actual brain work is done at informal
conferences, held in a large bare upper
room of the great building. where the
superintendent of detectives and his
various inspectors, each a skilled spe-
cialist in his own particular line meet
and talk things over and make sug-
gestions to one another.-Kansas City
| Times.
8S- Short cuts to fortune are often