Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1914-03-04
3URNS CRAFTY, UNRELENTNG, WORKS LIKE A SCIENTIST
Detective No1V Case AceUed Many Successes

I
eral Prison al Leavonworth, Ksns
This was the method Burns used
| when Secretary OF the Interior Hitch
| cock assigned Burns TO some land
| fraud cases. After q time Hitchcock
| called upon Burns for a report.
How far have you gomez"
Far enough answered Burns ITO
| know that --- - is taking graft
and is chiefly Instrumental in protect
| ing the rauds"
The name Burns mentioned was
that Of a Republican leader in the
West and man high in Washing
toms official circle. and a personal
| friend Of Hitchcocks
Produces the Evidence.
stop right there" said Hitchcock
You can't accuse man OF that sort
unless you have the evidence Have
you got It? If not, get out OF my
Office"
Burrs put on his hat and walked
out
But 80 minutes later Burns walked
in again with the man he had named,
ana had him repeat to Hitchcock the
confession he had made to Burns an
hour before.
Chief Wilkie once said Burns gets
confessions from practically every
criminal he goes after because Of his
marvellous knowledge of the case,
whicn enables him 10 catch the Grim
inal upon his slightest slip"
Burns third degree" substitutes
psychology for brutality.
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 sees only outside facts
and results. and the missing links
make the outcome appear mysterious.
III illustrate;
"One morning in 1905, while ] wa Is
investigating the Oregon land fraud
cases, / walked into the Office of Sec
ietary of the Interior Hitchcock. He
seemed excited. and, as he was us
ually very placid. | asked him what
was the matter,
There IS q letter-he fairly bran
dished it-'with valuable information.
And from such coward
u read the letter
"'Mr Secretary l said, thereu be
no trouble in getting this man
But ne uOtSI I sigh ms Idilc |
How are you going to find HING
(Here Burns dropped into the voice |
and manner Of the second speaker, |
without predatory comment)
1--WE have a way sometimes |
spoke with purposeful mystery The |
Secretary looked at me. and | seemed |
10 hear him thinking, but all he said |
was:
"You think you can do it,
"'Yes, ! think so
How Il Was Done.
In a few weeks we got the letter |
writer, and subsequently he was in
dicted in connection with the land |
frauds.
Nov, let's see how this particular
mystery pans out" Burns leaned |
forward. his hand uplifted preoccu-
pied again by the pleasure of the
ChaseD
"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 were committed was
close in with Benson and Hyde. of ,
San Francisco, the principal defend
ants. He was delivering goods that
not more than twelve persons could
Lave handed out,
Taking up the letter by the proc
ess of elimination. ] came to the con
cluslon that the letter was from some
person who had actually participated
In 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 |
keep W his work The writer thought
had quit.
Il 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 II wasn't likely they were Civ |
ing out information on themselves.
personal" Traps Him.
Il inserted n personal in the San
Francisco papers to the effect that the |