Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1919-07-25
JOSEPH e. JACOBS. MASTER
DETECTIVE
John Walker Harrington, in New
York Times.l

many VI lHS tHlnSS CONCERNING MS
career to be recorded here would
| have been familiar to all. The Post
Office Department, where he was foi
SO many years an Inspector, misses
him, the police realize that a strong
and resourceful ally has gone, and
the underworld breathes the easier
for the fact that he is no more, but
of him the general public knew COM
paratively little.
The wholesale plot to send through
the mails consignment of bombs
which might have hurled out of this
world score of prominent citizens
were frustrated, but at this writing
its perpetrators have not been found.
Inspector "Joe" had worked on the
matter some, but, rs his days were
numbered, he could give little at
tention to it. 1t was just the kind of n
case which appealed to the wonder
full power of analysis of the man and
to his bulldog tenacity. He almost
wept when he was out of the game
and the running, and the mystery of
it was on his mind up to his death
last month, when the master detec-
tive followed that slender clue to the
realm which is beyond mortal ken.
One of these days some one with
patience will write book about In
spector Joe. When this is done much
unwrtten history should emerge, for
this modest Vidocq sought always to
give credit to some one else for the
wonderful feats which he performed
year after year, and story of his
life would need deep digging into
the records.
jacobs was born IN New York
City on Oct. 10, 1850. He first en-
tered the Government service as a
pension examiner. His quicl, mind
was the means of unearthing so
many frauds that it was natural
that he should go into some kind of
secret service. He was made Il Post
Office Inspector in 1883, and assigned
to the Washington district, which
embraced not only the District of
Columbia, but several States as well.
His talents were so recognized that
in 1893 he was transferred 20 the
much larger fled, the Nov Yorl,
Division, which included only the
State of New oYrk, but had the New
York City Post Office, the most i'm
portant postal centre in the country
He was not bound down TO the city
and Safe, however,, for has duties
tok him all over the United States.
What made him great detective
was more than anything else, that
indefinable quality, intuition. He had
keen observation, one of the most
logical minds in the country; caution,
combined with II singular daring, and
q stubborn, doggci way of hanging
TO everything he undertook, even if
IL tool; him years to accomplish what
he set cut to do. But above all these
Qualities w%s that mysterious sense
Of his.
Take the North Platte affair, for
instance. He was walking down the
with a Pinkerton detective. a man
cap, which evidently he bad made
oilcloth satchel, shaped like carpet
bag.
Looks queer" said jacobs. Lets
SEQ about IT,"
He turned just in tiiac to see the
stranger go into saloon, into which
the two detectives followed him. The
man set down his bag, bought Il
drink, reached deep into waistcoat
pocket, counted out something and
went his way. He repeated this
operation in two mora saloons.
Jacobs stepped up to him as he was
leaving the last one and asked him
how he was and especially how long
he was going to stay in the city.
Better take Il wall! with me"
suggested the Inspector, and within
:. lew minutes the carpetbag knight
was in the Mercer Street Station,
detained cn the word of Jacob, who
said he wanted to be sure of the
mans whereabouts for the next
twenty-four hours.
Chief Inspector Ashe was awaken
cd at the Astor House, where he was
then living, and Jacobs requested
that dispatch be sent to North
Platte, Neb., for any information
about Post Office robbery in that
neighborhood.
Word came back from the Posa-
master next morning that his own
Office had been robbed of $4,000
worth Of stamps. Lacking a few
cents, worht, the whole amount was
found in the bag Of the man with
the fur cap. There was nothing else
in it but timetable on which was
UNDERSIGNED in pencil the name of
tie stationfi North Platte. The thief
had reached New York about the
time his ready cash was exhausted
and he was buying drinks with
stamps when Jacobs saw him in the
saloon. By the next day he would
have cashcd in his stamps at con-
venient "fcnce."
Among the duties of the Inspector
was the tracing of thefts of all
kinds from the mails, and sometimes
these were the work OF clerks in the
stations. lie was especially success
full in ferrcting out these inside
thewings. His mehod Of work was
characteristic. If, for example, q
bundle of letters of complaint were
turned over to Jacobs, he would
first separate them into classes ac-
cording to localities from which they
came. Often for an hour or so he
would sit ut a table shifting the
complaints about and piling them
with all the zesL of solitaire
ficnd He saw or heard nothing else
so intent was he on his game. Ther
sudden move, quiet smile, anC
Inspector Jacobs was off on the
trail. He had in some cases by 8
ca F.,