The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1913-07-22
A Detective
Story
3, AlgeRT KENYON

What makes the detective business
30 fascinating 10 that It 10 perpetual
puzzle. Then there are 30 many In. /
genious methods Of perpetrating swim.
dies and coucealing all kinds Of crime.
A detective never knows when he 10
going to liyht on new and ingenious
device.
But II IL not in such cases that I.
now twenty yenrs detective. have
found the keenest relish. The muir.
derer is not In condition Of mind to
think out problem coolly. He IL In
an abnormal condition. For my part
| could never understand how any one
could commit crime the discovery Of
which would bring a dreadful punish.
ment Nevertheless criminals often
work out very intricate problems.
1t IL when two or three persons above
the average In the social scale and In
education conspire together that the
most ingenious devices develop. Per-
haps this is because each gives the
other courage. That IL what makes
hunting down gang of counterfeiters
80 interesting They are usually inteli-
gent men and work together. Yet there
is one thing they all lose sight Of or
disregard-the fact that they are al
ways caught In the end.
The most interesting surprise ever
encountered was In unearthing one Of
these counterfeiting gangs. say sur.
prise. for II was no credit to me that
made the discovery. Indeed. had
not made criminal Of myself shonld
never have got on to them. was put
on the case In this way: Some counter
felt twenty dollar bills were being put
into circulation. They seemed to come
to the surface In small town In Kan.
sas and drift eastward At any rate.
one of them was traced to this place.
and was sent out there to investi-
gate. There 10 always difference In
towns. some being inhabited in the
main by good. religious people. others
being notoriously bad. N. the point
where the counterfeit bill came from.
was neither good nor bad. but not long
before my arrival d party had begun
to assemble every evening to play
poker. The game or series OF games
had been started by two or three men
who had recently come to the town.
and number Of citizens had gradu-
ally come to take part In the pro.
ceedings. They were played in the
room sometimes Of one. sometimes Of
another. member of the party.
went into the town ostens,bly to
buy cattle. A day or two after my
arrival I was Informed BY man
whose acquaintance had made that
there was poker party In room up
stairs. He said he was going up to
look on. and | told him would 60
with him n be would introduce me.
The truth Is l have suffered all through
my life from the gambling passion.
Having fortune. lost 1t. and that
was what threw me into the detective
business. I should not have gone to
watch this game! for ! ran a great
risk of being drawn into It.
found a party Of good fellows. who
received me cordially. and II was not
long before ! called for some chips
soon lost what good money ] had
about me ana to recoup yielded to a
| temptation to use counterfeit bill
that I had brought with me for sam.
pie. The moment laid It on the ta'
BILE saw two OF the players give each
other meaning look; then both
| turned their eyes on me. A cold chill
ran down my back. for II looked a. Il
I were detected on the start. But my
business had schooled me In conceal
Ing my feelings. and ] returned the
mems glances with q blank stare
Doubtless 1t was this that caused one
Of them to make d mistake. He gave
me q crafty look. returned It with
one equally crafty.
| had no Idea what this meant.
happened to win the bill had put uE
and something besides. Then caution
got the better Of my passion. and
played only 10 long 40 could play or
what I had won. l saw the men who
had noticed the bill 70 on the table
watching me. Evidently didn't al
the bill Of what they had expected oi
me. FOR I got no more conhdentia
glanccs. One thing I noticed--severa
twenty aoilar bills came out fren
those men Oh the same bank a. thu
one ] had used for u stake and pass
ed Into the hands Of other players
One Of them fell to me. The man wht
had given me the meaning glance a
once asked me for II, Offering foul
'6ves" for Il But I told him woult
rather keep It, However. KNOWN,
some game was going on other thar
the open one on the table. gave It Il
him. This seemed to allay a sligh
suspicion Of me that had come to him
II was the producing OF these twent!
dollar bills. all on the same bank. ant
their passing into the hands OF other
that gave me an explanation Of th,
mystery. Counterfciters were usinl
the game to shove the spurious none,