The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-12-07
by CLYDE w. ENNIS.

Steve Virgins, the newly appointed
chief of detectives for the city of Birming-
ham, has long been recognized as one of
the most astute investigators of the south
newspapermen of this city and other near
by cities, he was long ago discovered" d"
And from sources representing every class
of society he Is being congratulated upon
the appointment made recently by the city
commissioners.
Mr.. Virgins is rather tall. He has an
aquiline nose, keen penetrating "detec-
tive eyes, is rather stoop shouldered ana
invariably wears a wide-brimmed hat
This is for the information of those "sus-
poets" who may be temporarily lingering
in our midst He wears a moustache OF
dark brown and has every appearance of
keenness and thoroughness.
Has Been Very Successful
AS detective he has been wonderfully
successful. Few men are better known
here in 1890 and accepted a position on
the police force under Aspury Thompson
then mayor. The chief of police was A. O.
Pinkard. Mr.. Virgins served only
short time and quit under the administra-
ton of Mayor A. o. Lane, who is now al
the head of the department of justice.
He went with the Waterworks company
subsequently re-entered the service of the
city. Mr.. Virgins quit again and spent
few months in Florida, his native state
During the Cotton States exposition he
was a foreign" detective on the Atlanta
force. making 1t decidedly uncomfortable
for the army of pickpockets that beseiged
that town.
He was almost begged to remain there,
but came back to Birmingham where he
thought there was something doing
Under Frank V. Evans as mayor he went
on the force again. resigning subsequently
when A. G. Frazier. superintendent Of
the Southern railway asked him to come
over and accept place in the special
service department.
Like Whispering Smith, he cleaned up
a host of crooks that line. In one
noted case he caused to be arrested every
man in the offices at Columbus, Miss. ex-
cepting the agent, and confscated from
merchants of that place over $500 worth
of stolen goods. He quit the Southern,
went with a law firm, then with Sheriff
Hgdon chief of detectives, and then
into the Virgins Detective agency. He
is at the head of that company now.
Connected With Many Cases
Mr.. Virgins has been connected with a
great many celebrated criminal cases. HI
laid the trap which resulted a few years
ago in breaking up a gang of highway
robbers here and two of the negroes en-
gagged in that pastime who We're caught in
his drag net were hanged They were
the first ever hanged here for highway
robbery. He was not in the raid. but fur
nshed the Information to the police and
was kept away from personal particiya-
ton on account of a freight wreck hold
ing up his train at Weems.
Mr.. Virgins is liked by all the police
officers of this city and they have from
time to time given him all cooperation
He and Chief George Bodeker are per-
sonal friends and have worked in har-
mony on many big Investigations
Among business men he has a reputs
tion for honesty uprightness and fearless
ness that is unsullied. His keenness is
known to all crooks. They know
how persistent he is and they are usually
rather disturbed when s. Virgins starts
on the job. He has been a criminal in
vestigator for years, and is peculiarly well