Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1914-03-04
3URNS CRAFTY, UNRELENTING, WORKS LIKE A SCIENTIST
Great Detective Case Achieved Many Successes


eral Prison at Leavenworth. Kans.
This Was the method Burns used
when Secretary OF the Interior Hitch
cock assigned Burns to some land
fraud cases. After / time Hitchcock
called upon Burns for a report
How far have you gomez"
Ear enough answered Burns, ito
know that -- - is taking graft
and IS chiefly instrumental in protect
ing the rauds"
The name Burns mentioned was
that ~ o Republican leader in the
West and a man high in Washing
IONS official circle, and personal
friend Of Hltchcock's.
Produces the Evidence.
stop right there" said Hitchcock.
You can't accuse a man Of that sort
unless you have the evidence, Have
You got it? II not, get out Of my
office"
Burrs put on his hat and walked
cut.
But 30 minutes later Burns walked
In again with the man he had named,
and had him repeat 70 Hitchcock the
confession he had made to Burns an
hour before.
confessions from practically every
criminal he goes after because Of his
marvellous knowledge of the case,
whicn enables him 70 catch the GRIM
iual upon his slightest slip"
Burns third degree" substitutes
psychology for brutality
4 pointed example Of how Burns
employs the much-talked- of process
of elimination in finding unfindable
persons is found in this extract from
Dana Gatlin's story Of the Abe Ruef
san Francisco case, quoting Burns:
Tracing a Letter Writer.
The public secs only outside facts
and results, and the missing links
make the outcome appear mysterious.
III illustrate:
"One morning in 905, while I was
Investigating the Oregon land fraud
cases, ] walked into the office of sec
rotary of the Interior Hitchcock lie
seemed excited, and, as he was US
ually very placid, | asked him what
was the matter
There Is a letter'-he fairly bran
dislIed it--'with valuable Information
And from such a coward
Il read the letter
"'Mr Secretary ! said, there1l be
no trouble in getting this man
"But he doesn't sign his name
How are YOU going to find him
Hcre Burns dropped into the voice
and manner Of the second speaker
without predatory comment)
eve have way sometimes II
spoke with purposeful mystery. The
Secretary looked at me, and | seemed
to hear him thinking, but all he said
was:
You think YOU can do it?'
"'Yes, | think So
How It Was Done.
In a few weeks we got the letter
writer and subsequently he was in
dicted In connection with the land
frauds.
Now. let's see how this particular
mystery pans out" (Burns leaned
forward his hand upifted preoccu
pied again by the pleasure of the
chascD
THE letter was from San Francis
CO. You can get an anonymous let
ter mailed anywhere. but this letter
came from someone who, when the
land frauds We're committed was
close i'm with Benson and Hyde, OF
San Francisco, the principal defend
ants. lie was delivering goods that
not more than twelve persons could
Lave handed out
Taking up the letter by the proc
css of elimination, ! came to the con-
clusion that the letter was from some
person who had actually participated
IL the work He told things he could
not otherwise have known; and his
Information was accurate The let
ter went on to say that Burns was
on the right track but that he should
kpeu IN. his work THha writer thUuglt
| had quit.
u was able also by the process Of
elimination to narrow the possible
list of twelve down to five or six, in
Guiding the defendants themselves,
though it wasn't likely they We're Civ
ing out information on themselves.
personal" Traps Him.
Il inserted a personal in the San
Francisco papers to the effect that the