South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1922-07-03
Disguised ID / c k
OF Yesterday Is
No More Success
Capt. Hamilton Tells of Quail
ilCatiOns of Present Day
Detective.


sinking along the highways and by
ways magnifying glass In one
hand a revolver in the other a false
beard on his face rubber shoes on
his feet tracking his quarry from
footprint % footprint. and pausins
ever and anon 20 gaze intently al
some finger smudge. presumably the
fug.tIres through his trusty glass.
such Is the distorted X-ray OF
detective visualized by the majority
OF people following an excessive diet
90 some OF the more lurid Wild and
WO0Iiv detective tales.
Nothing like it, Those days are
gone forever. as the popular saying
goes" said capt. Horace Hamilton
~ the local detective department..
Makeup Not Needed.
In the first place" he went on.
no self respecting detective would
20 around with a makeup like that.
in trying 20 run down A modern
crook. We have already had crooks
tell US that they could recognize US
more than three blocks away. just
bv our manner OF walk. so 1t would
not help US a great deal TO disguise
our faces As rule we can get close
enough 10 the men we are after.
without rcsOrting 20 a makeup
"I dare say I could 90 down the
street on crutches or with whiskers
down 90 my knees" said Capt Jim
Schock. and I would not be able TO
get very close before most OF them
knew who II was.
I'm small cities. especially" Capt.
Hamilton said. the matter OF dis
guise is Impractical There are cases
OF where a moderate disguise has
helped materially I'm running down
a gang. but that Is usually In the
larger cities 40 doubt YOU have
read OF the prohibition enforcement
agent in New York city He has
been exceptionally fortunate in the
use OF DISCUSSES. going so far as 10
pose as a Chinaman 10 obtain evil
dence and got away with f.. The
use OF DISCUSSES. TO such an extent
costs considerable money and the
average city detective department
cannot afford 20 pay it,"
Work Fascinating.
A local attorney was asked his
opinion of the use of a makeup for
detectives.
Even when was a small boy"
the attorney said Il had a banker
ing TO be a successful detective and
have read considerable about their
work i'm connection with my practice
OF law. Your question made me
laugh. because it reminded me OF
the cheap melodrama type of de-
tective. But all joking aside | think
detective work is very fascinating
and more difficult than the average
citizen imagines."
There is no profession in the field
today" continued the attorney,
which calls for keener mind. a
more Intelligent brain and a quicker
wit than that - the detective. The
detectives game is a continued bat
tie of wits He must he more nimble
mentally than the criminal II he
expects to get anywhere. The freak
makeup is a thing Of the past and
is now seldom resOrted to.
Intuition. That is a wonderful
asset to the detective, IN fact, II IS
one OF the most valuable vet indef-
mite assets he can have. With II he
lis able to read a face az a glance. tell
criminal the minute he sees one"
The attorney paused 10 give the
interviewer the once over, at least
he appeared TO be doing so. and evil
IDENTITY assuming that his victim was
neither a pickpocket nor a thief, ne
continued the conversation.
Demand Big Pay.
ITO be a good detective a man
must be a good policeman. BY that
I mean a policeman who Is on TO his
job. who performs his duty and then
some. The ordinary policeman IS
paid too much, a good policeman Is
never paid enough.
Every department should have a
training school similar TO the Rock
les school I'm New York city; but u
costs money and that automatically
rules il out. Police forces all over
the country, with the exception OF
New York city. are practically In the
same position as they were many
years ago that is. as far as intellect
uality Is concerned. They have
grown I'm numbers but not in brains
IneN nave sIOOQ sui. partly Dt-
cause of the lack or proper schools.
I believe every department should
have a school IN charge OF an expert
who could outline hypothetical cases
and compel the men 20 hand in writ
ten solutions, 70 be corrected and
handed back Nothing would please
me better than TO hear that the local
department possessed such a school
10 would not be necessary 20 bring
IN an outsider. as believe there are
men IN the detective department OF
South BEND who could handle this
sort OF work cseditably.
Thing of the Past
such n school in this city would
be continually training the future
detectives and at the same time
would help IN making better police
men Of those who are travelling
beat
We might live 20 see the day that
South Bend viii be compelled TO re-
sort 10 a trick disguise for the ap-
prehension OF organized bands OF
counterfeiters and the like but
think 7 can safely say the disguised
detective Is becoming a thing o. the
past except IN the most unusual
cases