The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1915-03-04
A Detective
Renaissance
By M. QUAD
By M. QUAD
Copyright, 1915, by the Mcclure
Newspaper Syndicate.

When | retired from detective work
after an experience of sixteen years
the public press and my friends were
pleased TO say that | had done excel
lent service. On the whole, this praise
was deserved, but at the same time,
IN one case at least, had shown a
stupidity worthy Of the greenest pa
trolman Oh London's police force.
had been at Scotland Yard for three
years when / removed my family to
Queen street. 1t was to an apartment
house, and we took the second floor.
On the floor above were Il married
couple named Hadan. The man. as |
came to understand, was manufac-
turing jeweler in small way Tie
Hadans lived very quietly and made
no display, and the wife kept very
much TO herself. Not as detective,
but as an occupant, learned that the
husband was home only two nights
week.
At about the time of my removal /
was set to watch in a general way a
certain dealer in bric-a-bra named
Saunders. His shop was good three
miles from Queen street. He dealt liz
all manner Of art goods. secondhand.
and it had been pretty well established
that he bought goods without asking
any questions. In watching him | as
sumed another identity and became a
Ua tn hn
friendly terms, and ! flattered myself
that he had not the slightest suspicion
OF the part ! was playing At one
time and another was the means OF
enabling a number Of householders to
recover stolen goods Saunders han
bought. but the man always evaded
the law. | got TO know that he lived
IA Jane street, only few blocks away.
where he had wife and one child.
One OF our men occupied room in
the same house, and in casual way
he had learned that Saunders was
home only two nights week He
came and went as did my neighbor
Hadan.
A year after | began watching the
bric-a-brac shop there were complaints
made about a certain merchant tailor
named Dawson. He was making suits
TO order so cheap that other tailors
declared the goods must be stolen. As
a matter of fact. several bolts of cloth
stolen from a tailor In town fifty
miles away were found in his shop,
but he proved himself clear of the law
by a narrow margin. ! became Gus
toner OF his. as ] had been of Saun.
ders. There were times when we had
a glass Of ale and a pipe together. and
from the very outset / used my best eff
forts 10 get on to his little game, He
continued to make suits to order far
cheaper than his rival. but though his
shop was searched again and again no
more suspicious goods were found.
Dawson was full OF talk and seemed
TO be without suspicion. but ] got no
information from him 10 help my case.
early ascertained that he lived In
Montgomery place and had wife and
two children. BY the merest accident
/ further learned that Mr.. Dawson
was at home only three nights a week.
Now, then for six years knew these
three men. and two OF them were un-
der espionage. talked with them. ate
with them. drank with them and never
imbibed the falntest idea that | was
the biggest fool in the world. One day
a man who was in machine shop not
far from detective headquarters was
killed hy accident ! happened to be
almost the FIRST one on hand. recog-
nized him at once as the tailor. and the
body was taken home. While doing
his work the undertaken found that
the black hair and mustache and wart
that he wore were all false. This was
a revelation even TO the wife. The
affair was published in the papers. and
in less than two days II was found that
Hadan, Saunders and Dawson were
one and the same man. He had pad
ded his body 90 increase his size and
apparent weight. and false tooth.
whiskers. mustache and a wart bad
done the rest. You will say ought 20
have detected the cheat by the voice.
In an ordinary case. yes, but TINS ulah
had made a study OF Disgusting his
voice.
You win say that good detective
ought 90 penetrate such shallow. dis
guises rs false whiskers. In answer TO
that let me say that whlskers or mus
tache can be made to look 30 genuine
that no living man can detect the
cheat The wart was a new dodge and
one ! was not up to. IL was 80 well
done that hnd seen the man pick " /
with a pin and crinEe little as be did
n I should have felt bad enough az
being fooled even had there been no
rase in II. bot there vas case. The
was 4 "fence" Tor thieves
he t,ric-a -hrac man was another. aud
he tailor was q third tie was mar
-1cd "a three different women. be lived