South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1914-02-03
HI SIBLEY HELPED
To TRACK ROBBER
OVER THE SLUSH
All That You Need to Catch
Crooks is Dark Lantern,
Foot Rule and High Order of
Intelligence, He Says.
BY III SRLEN


! know all about tracking fugitive
criminals now. l helped run down
the burglar who shot druggist Fink
Monday night and l am in a position
TO know All you need is foot rule
a flash lantern and a high order of in
telhgence. ! could almost trace a
burglar myself, because / could get the
foot rule and the fash lantern
Here is the story
It was a dark and slushy night.
The clock in the tower had Just
doomed ten.
police patrol chugged out from
behind the city hail. increasing its
speed as it came. I happened To be
passing at the moment and scenting
adventure I jumped on to the rear step
and clambered aboard as it lurched
into Main St, and started north at a
lively pace
Just a short time before had
heard of the shooting of Fink and pre-
sumed we were on the trail OF the
burglar. My presumption was cor
rect. The clOse-mOuthed detectives
didn't say SO, but from snatches Of
their guarded conversation-such as
bloody footprint" Gosh. that sound
ed eXcitingD and running north" and
the LIKE put two and two together
and knew that we were on the trail OF
somebody with a bloody footprint who
simple e1ough II you sit down and fig
ure they out carefully.
Ah! Bloody Foot Prints.
Presently we turned at Navarro and
proceeded west. and at the alley be-
tween Main and Park the signal was
given 10 stop and all climbed out
Promptly the flashlights searched the
ground for fOOtprints-bloody foot
prints. Not having hashHght or
other acCOuUements OF a sleuth,
pulled my hat down over my eyes.
turned up my coat collar and assume I'd
a SagaciOuS eXpressiOn-and followed.
] kept well 10 the rea, for If the burg
lar was 10 be caught, the credit should
go to the official detectives They de-
served il and they should have IL. Be
sides. II / came upon the fugitive un-
expectedly and get shot IN the back
Il wouldn't give him time 10 pune
ture my front elevatiOn-why, 7
wouldn't be nearly as useful 20 my
family as I am now. That would be
awful.
With noses to the ground. fgurative-
ly. we continued our course due north,
minutely ScrutiniZing every inch OF the
way for tell-tale marks; occasionally a
detective would bend over and meas
ure the length OF a footprint with a
rule.
There was an alleyful Of footprints
in the soft snow and they all looked
alike 10 me. although in time I learn
ed TO discern which We're going north
and which were going south. As q
cautiously brought up the rear ny
ears spread forward for sounds oi
scufle or pistol shot suddenly my evt
was arrested by a dark object ia ths
snow. I Crept upon il @tealthily. II
was a shoe Aha" I exclaimed ir
mufled tones The mystery wa.
solved We had 2 clue.
Curses. FOilcd Again.
I went ahead and brought one OF
/ the detectives back. 7 pointed TO the
shoe. and said, triumphantly There
( you are,' He bent over and inspected
it carefully i'm The light of his fash
lamp. Then ne grunted in disgust
/ II was "a woman's shoe and had beer
/ frozen In the snow for some time
After that setback / concluded tC
/ let the others figure il out. We search
several alleys in that vicinity and
/ finally worked out way back around
| Roessler's bakery, and a block nortf
OF there found a bona-dde bloody foot
print.
| By this time IL was getting late and
as n was sort OF lonely and thankles'
work the mem oers OF the party beine
| scattered over largely area. I wen
/ back 10 the station 10 report