The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-06-21
the time the thing happened. At f,rst

the time the thing happened. At first
the bundles used TO be composed OF
newspapers and excelsior. and as we'd
wander along sometimes In big cases
where they wanted lot OF witnesses as
many as dozen Of US, all carrying
these stage bundles-why, II did look
fishy. so we have real bundles now.
Everything is in them that can be
in a bundle--a regular business bundle,
you know. Optical instruments, photo
graphic supplies, tailors' trimmings,
stationery. all a. obtrusiye as possible
and labelled with some business adj
dress that they never arrive at. You
see the idea7 We're busy business per-
sons on our way with the goods when
we Just stop to see what's going on.
well, the bundles have been getting
bigger and heavier all the time, see7
It's a good thing for other folks to see
the men with the bundles stopping to
rest maybe and mop their foreheads
Just as the moving picture show begins
In the street. It's no joke to carry a
heavy bundle around following u detec-
tive sometimes into all kinds OF places.
shops. stages. subways, elevated cars,
for some Of these people that are being
followed get to think it's a kind Of a
Joke to drag us into all kinds OF i'm
possible piaces--the menagerle In the
park then down to the Aquarium over
to Staten Island on the boat and back
again; then up Broadway on surface
car.
You may wonder why the detectives
sometimes there are o lot of them after
one man--don't get the party without all
this trouble. It's like this: There's
always the chance that there may be a
private detective on the job spotting the
police and us. or II there IL one man
or more on the scene who look as though
they are the kind that would kick over
a fake arrest all bets are OFF
"This keeps ns on the jump; and. he
lieve me. when you are carrying a five
to ten pound package OF some kind It
gets TO be no Joke after few hours.
especially when you happen to have to
trail along on your feet for a mile or
more. It's getting too like longshore
work for me. I wish 1 was married and
had q family growing up. A profess
sional witness who has few nice, inno-
cent looking children that he can rope
In to give their pure childllke impress
sions II something or other Is In a fair
way to get rich quick.
Then colored men are in great de-
mand as police witnesses. 1t lends
kind " picturesque touch to the thing
And you have no idea how many honest
working men and women work this thing
In as a side line when they happen t.
live In the vicinity Of police court
They don't do any fine work like spot
ting or anything OF that kind, but in
cases where n whole mob Is required to
see something that never really oc-
CURED. don't you understand, this kind
OF testimony goes and is to be had very
cheaply.
They don't have to do the bundle
act, however. and I for one am through
toting plumbers supplies and gas fix
lures around In my arms now that tho
summer has come and the Coney Island
season Is on. l am going to try to get
into the higher up witness class. which
at this time OF the year gets to the sea-
side hotels and wears evening clothes
and lives high. I've got n Son OF the
Revolution button I'm saving up for the
time when I get on that kind OF work
and leave the bundle behind me, like
the fellow in the Pilgrims Progress"