The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1913-11-28
My First
Detective Lesson
BIZ ELLIOT MANSFIELD

By ELLIOT MANSFIELD
Want to learn the business. do
yen3' Closer said. We'll. the quickest
way to learn anything il to do it.
Here's q gang Of counterfeiters to be
rsn down. and I'll put you on the job
Cant you give me something easier
- begin ony l asked.
II give you this because 1t is easy"
Ne replied. "A counterfeiter is handi-
capped with a workshop. He must
have his contrivances to make his bills.
md after be has made them he must
get good money for them. Therefore
10 Is in constant danger: he's the east
ct rogue Of all to get"
The job he gave me was very easy
because it was already half done. A
man in B.. who lived alone In a
house be had rented. that was big
enough for q large family. was U 8
pected. and ! was sent to locate op-
posite him and get Information as to
what he was doing. I hired a room.
from the windows Of which l could
look right down on to his house. and
began my watch. Closer had told
me that the surest way Of getting him
was through his mall. The pOstman
sften came when the suspect was out
and would drop his letter in an out
ode box for that purpose. Seeing
him do so one evening after dark.
went across the street. took the box {"
my room. opened It. took out the let
tors. steamed the gum BY which the
envelopes we're fastened. read the
mail, put the letters back in the en-
velope and replaced the box.
The letters were nearly all from
BUSINESS houses to which the man had
applied for a position. nothing what
ever discriminating in any Of them. |
wrote Closer that there must be some
mistake. mentioning my capturing Of
me suspects mail. My instructor re-
plied that the letters had been pur-
posely left in a box to throw a shadow
q OF the track. ] must look else
where for the real mail.
The next day a telegraph boy called
at the fellows house with q dispatch
and couldn't get in. While he was
singing l went W and asked him
whom he wanted. He handed me y
dispatch. which I opened and read
Cant you come home for the week
end?" vas all there was in it. and it
was signed Mother" Giving the boy
a dime. l sent him away. The envel-
epe had been loosely gummed. and !
had no trouble In putting 1t together to
hook as II 1t had not been opened. |
showed it under the door and went to
my room. I hadn't been there long be-
fore the suspect returned. opened the
dispatch. read 1t and went into the
house.
When l reported this to Closer he
wrote me that the fellow had doubt.
less sent the dispatch to himself to
nislead a shadower. Id better look
sut for some means Of communication
not so public. Asking me If there were
any deliveries of supplies made at the
house. l told him that a bakers boy
carried a loaf of bread there every
morning. Closer wrote me to lie in
wait for a loaf and take it in. didn't
any sense in doing so. but obeyed.
The next morning. I was up early. and
when the boy came along and left the
bread I went circuitously across the
street. took the loaf and broke it into
small pieces. Finding nothing in it. !
reported the fact to my chief. who re-
Piled that II l had been seer by the
man opposite I had blocked my own
game. One thing ] noticed-no more
bread was left at the house.
Closer wrote me that It might be
q good idea to scrape an acquaintance
with the suspect. met him (pur-
posely, just before he went into his
house and asked him to tell me the
way to the Union depot. he seemed
% willing to talk as I was. and l soon
learned that his uncle owned the
house he was In and permitted him to
room there while he looked for a posi-
ton. This seemed to explain every.
thing. and I wrote to Closer that he
had sent me on a FOOLS errand. was
tired Of It and was going home. He
replied that I'd better remain one day
longer. which l did.
The next day about noon | saw sew.
efal men lettering around the suspects
house and presently saw the suspect
led out with a pair Of bracelets on
Ais wrists. l was dumfounded. Not
knowing any better way to find out
the facts. ! went home and straight to
Closer.
Who arrested that young mani"
HE was arrested by my order"
'sBut I've found out nothing against
him."
mo. you haven't, but others have.
You wanted to learn something. and I
ssnt you where you could do 80. I had
the fellow nearly cornered and sent
@--~ A. -.~k~A 49, g. ~-A~~ - Ah.~-,