Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1917-11-12
Tn e Daily
Short Story
A WOMAN DETECTIVE.
By Ethel Holmes.

en- detectives. but for my part I don't
see why women should not excel in
this field. A detective needs the fac
ulty of noticing small things. as indica-
tory of large things, and that is just
what women possess,
For this reason, |. woman, chose
the detective field by which TO make
a living, and succeeded My first case
gave me standing that another might
lhaye been years in acquiring But T
will admit there was an element OF
luck in it,
A family OF some means living in A
not very attractive portion Of the CITY
had the misfortune to lose little girl
seven years of age They felt sure the
tchild had been kidnapped for ransom.
though there was not the slightest evil
dence to support the theory. The moth
er had left the little girl on her door
steps while she went to the next door
neighbor for a chat She said that
she was away only few minutes but
her statements proved that the time
of her absence was nearly an hour. At
any rate. when she returned TO her
house her daughter was not on the
steps nor in the house.
i The next day the mother gave the
case to the detective agency where I
had Just been employed | would not
have been assigned TO the work had
not every other detective in the en-
ploy Of the Office been busy. As ii was.
the chief turned 1t over to me with
| lot of instructions which were intend
( ed TO make up for my inexperience
AS soon as | left him L went to work
| in my own way After an interview
with the mother | made up my mind
that the child had been kidnapped, and
| thought it likely that the kidnaper
inhabited the region not far away
which was filed with foreigners Of
very low type / put an advertise
ment in several foreign language
newspapers that circulated in the reg
ion. stating that if the kidnapers OF
the child-giving the street and num-
ber-would leave a statement of tho
ransom required under the front door.
the case could be settled without re-
: course to the police.
4 Within two or three days Mrs. Smitz-
- burger, the mother, came to me with
n d note that had been thrust under the
front door. / examined it closely be
fore opening it, but found no clue. It
, had been written by an uneducated
: person, evidently foreigner, since
!, several words in it seemed to have
,, been supplied from some foreign Ian
- guage. / took it TO my former precep-
~ tor at the Normal school, who knew
something of every language spoken
on the face of the earth, and after
81 : A,Tl 49, :.
- had been dictated by an Irishman, but
~ the writer WAS an Italian.
u, Much surprised at this report,
-u asked him how he knew this, and he
a said that certain English words were
n spelled as an Irishman would pro-
. nounce them, and there were certain
u words that we're distinctly Irish One
Is of these was the word between, which
was spelled betune The professor
pointed out a number Of these in
an stances, and was convinced that his
'l- theory was correct. Either an Irish
e man or an Italian was the culprit, and
en- probably both were interested in the
u ransom demanded. which was $4,000
OF I dictated response to the mother
or OF the child. stating that the ransom
n. demanded would be paid and asking
II, where it could be left. When the re-
NJ Spouse was handed to me I examined
cd. it critically, as I had the first letter
nd before opening it, but I found only a
at dirty envelope. I was sitting before q
I'm table made Of light wood After read
he ing the letter. I noticed on the light
}r- surface a black hair about an incl
he long. I felt sure that It had not been
there before I had opened the letter
and surmised that it had fallen from
Oh the envelope. I took up the hair ana
10. examined it closely. It was gl0zs5
RS. black, with a tinge of grease, excep
ON on the larger end. where there was
he possibly a sixteenth of an inch of red
es. l reasoned that ! had a very low
zen class. considered intellectually, TO dea
Ter with. and bethought myself how
Ter could make the kidnapers believe tina
uI- knew them After a good deal o
an thinking, I concluded to resort agail
9TH to communication through the newspa
the pers. put personal in the papers
rty had already used as follows:
Pc THE kidnapers Of the little girl 10
ids such street and numbeF) are know
to to me. If you will return the child vi
harmed, yoj will not be prosecuted.
you do not you win be sent 10 stat
prison The mother prefers thi
gg course to arresting and Furnishing yct
ur- To convince you that YOU are know
! | will say that one Of the two partie
81 interested in the matter Is an Italian
nh the other is an lrishman. II the chill
,ua is not returned 10 her home With
idi- four days the parties will be dealt Wit
ate as criminals Private Detective
.wo I put in the ad with misglvlng
va though there was good reason to hog
sis the scheme would be successful @
IF the morning of the fourth day Of grac
of when l had given up hoping, 500
leo afteredayiight a child's cry was hear
on Mrs. Smitzburger's dooTsteps. tn
rho woman ran down and found her lit
Ire daughter.
49, My success surprised my deteeti'
associates. and ! was at once entere
-. for regular work beside old hands
co. the business. II is needless to So
- that the mother of the child was e
GO ceptionally happy.
Is =
IN TT