Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1912-10-08
Mistetlaaeuus Rsaains.
WAS NEMESIS OF CRIMINALS


Famous Scotland Yard Detective Tells
Experiences in Catching Crooks.
Scotland Yard, orld-famed for its
detectives, is shortly to lose one Of the
most famous investigators of crime
that 1t has ever produced-Frank Fro
est.
| Perhaps the best testimonial to his
prowess as a detective lies in the fact
J that his retirement from the Criminal
Investigation Department Of the Metro
politan Police force is nine years over
due. Even as 1t is, he would not be re-
tiring now were It not for the fact that
his eyesight has given him some trou-
BILE lately.
Almost the whole of his official ca
reer-34 years in all-has been spent in
the &c. I. d." for very early in his
career as a member Of the Metropoli-
| tan police force he showed that natur-
al aptitude for criminal investigation
which has brought him not only fame
and reward in his own country, but
also honor and official recognition in
the United States.
There Is nothing of the traditional
pearance, dress and speech he Is who'll
ly unlike his prototype in fiction and,
most Of all, dissimilar to that master
piece of analytical deduction, Sherlock
Holmes. AS his surname and the shape
Of his head indicate, he is Of Scandina,.
Wan extraction.
To appreciate Frank Froest fully one
must know him. Perhaps the charac-
teristic which strikes acquaintance and
friend most is his natural geniality,
which no worry, no stress Of work can
smother He Is an optimist through and
through, with great sense Of humor.
For his notices he might have taken
two: BE thorough" and Keep smil-
ing"
1t Is said that no man Is indispensa-
BILE. Probably that Is true. But the re-
tirement Of this superintendent Of the
&C. L. D." will leave gap which only
big man can fill. Froest is a big man
physically as well as mentally, for
what he lacks in height (he stands
about. five feet eight) he makes up in
breadth. His e-cropped hair
ed head, his short, thick neck, his deep
chest, massive shoulders, burly frame
and slightly bowed legs all suggest
strength of the bulldog kind, which
when once it fastens on its quarry will
not let CO. He is born fighter, but he
is also diplomat.
He was responsible for one Of the
greatest reforms ever accomplished at
"The Yard" by breaking down the rule
Of maintaining an obdurate silence to-
ward the press. At one time newspa-
per men were received with scant court
esy at "The Yard" 1t was Frank Fro
est who showed that this policy was
all wrong, and his reform was more
than vindicated at the time of the Grip
pen case. The first day the story Of
the crime was published he wrote for
the press an official summary Of the
details Of the crime so far as they had
been discovered, a proceeding which
would have caused the authorities ten
years ago to gasp. His action was JUS
titled by the accuracy which character
lied all the newspaper stories, and his
originality Of method was further dis
played in the same case when he util-
lied wireless telegraphy for the arrest
of the criminal.
Frank Froest, however, recalls with a
chuckle one occasion on which he sue
cessfully avoided newspaper men prim-
ed with questions for him to answer.
That was in Chicago, when the head
lines announced: "England's great
sleuth from Scotland Yard arrives"
But they never tracked him down,
though he was In the Windy City"
for a week. He had made up his mind
not to be caught and interviewed.
His sanctum at Scotland Yard Is a
plainly but comfortably furnished
room on the entrance floor Of the big
red brick and stone building which lies
Embankment, almost under the shad-
ow of the Victoria Tower Of the House
Of Commons. A large bookcase which
stands against one Of the walls Is fill
ed with all the latest directories and
reference books dealing with persons,
residents and offices, while on the three
outer walls are hung photographs Of
friends, colleagues and superior off,
cials. A large fat-topped desk, on
which all the paraphernalia for writ
ing are methodically placed, three or
four chairs, a couple of cupboards and
a screen at the door constitute the rest
of the furniture.
To the visitor the most interesting
objects are the three revolvers which
adorn the mantelpiece. Each has a
history. The large black six-cham-
bered Colt originally came from Amer
lea and is a relic of visit to the Unit
ed States. It was taken from a man
named Tom O'Brien, who intended to
shoot him with it. Altogether Froest
has a fine arsenal of revolvers and pis-
tolls. Some of them he keeps at his own
house, notably one, presented by a
grateful donor which has a mother-of-
pearl stock and a silver barrel.
The visit to the United States which
he remembers with the greatest satis-
faction lasted five months and brought
him the thanks Of the American gov
ernment for his services. This was in
1892 when he helped convict William
Lord Moore for using the United States
mails for fraudulent purposes Moore's
method was to write to credulous peo-
pie in England and France telling them
he could help them to get their shares
Of unclaimed millions lying in banks.
Moore was tried at Jackson, Tenn. The
jury disagreed twice, but the third
time it found him guilty and sentenced
him to nine years penal servitude.
There was a strange sequel to his
case. 1t is best told in Froest's own
words:
Moore escaped from prison." he
says, after serving a short period of
his sentence and was completely lost