The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1923-06-29
", A.P|NKERTON
TALKS ABOUT
!. CRIMINALS
Famous Detective Says Jesse
James Would Be Novice
Today.
By HORACE WADE.
Worlds Youngest Reporter. Who Writes
Exclusively for The Chicago Evening
American and Cosmopolitan News
SapvfCa

Worlds Youngest Reporter VINO "E"0S
Exclusively for The Chicago Evening
American and Cosmopolitan News
Service.
CHICAGO, June 27.-Every boy
with a drop of real bloodf bounding
through his veins is fascinated by
detective stories, and he clothes the
willy ferrets who track criminals
with powers that make Jack-the-
Giant-Killer seem the veriest four
Husher. II
Today / looked long and intently
into the gray eyes Of William A.
Pinkerton, the detectives and saw
there three words written as plain
Iv as those traced on the wall at
Belshazzer's feast - courage, re-
sourcefulness, intelligence.
He is the type Of a man who
would sit at table and throw dice
with death-one who courts danger
as a bride.
AS he took my hand and looked
down at me, and then met my eyes
aouarely, I knew that William
Pinkerton had classified me, ticket
ed me and put me away in some
cell of memory. 1t was a swift
Rlance-but it threw a flashlight on
every corner Of my being.
What Lures Boys?
why i asked him. ARE 80 many
boys-between sixteen and twenty
one becoming criminals? What Is
the lure that gets them off the
straight and narrow path?
There are no more today than
formerly,.' he relied. THAT Is,
when population is considered.
mean the ratio hasn't altered"
wanted to differ with him, but.
folks, William Pinkerton has
tone Of finally to all he says that
brooks no Quibbling.
Boys who are criminals are gen.
orally so because OF their environ
ment. Poverty feeds jails and peni-
among boys has not increased" he
said, with emphasis.
do. you believe In the parole
Gystem?" was my next query.
'.No, I do mott" he fairly thun-
dered, and the gray depths Of his
eyes glowed as summer skies with
heat lightning. II haven't the
slightest use for the parole system
NOT the least in the world. If q
man is sentenced to the pen for
from one to ten years and he has
money or influence, after q year
or 30 he is out and UP to his old
crookedness again." and he raped
the table with his knuckles, pune
tuating his remarks. @
Does capital punishment really
deter criminals?"
FavOrs Whipping Post.
elm a neasure--yes. But, I my
helf heartily favor a return of the
whipping post. Almost any GRIM
inaI would prefer to be hung rather
than publicly whipped. It's a
queer wrinkle in human nature.
But this would not apply to all
criminals-only to holdup men,
those devils incarnate, who hesitate
at nothing. !.
us the detection of crime, easier
now than heretofbre2''
mo; most emphaticalIy no. It is
harder, very much harder" he
snapped, rather testify, and all the
kings horses and all the kings men
couldn't get another word out of
him on that particular subject.
Are automobiles help to Grim
1nals! l continued.
Yes they are. Since they sup
planted horses, they make 1t easier
for criminals to commit crime and
make a getaway. Why, had Jesse
James lived today and tried out
some of his spectacular stunts he
would have been rated as a novice
and bungler-for he used horses,
and horses are off the boards now"
Would you advise a boy to be-.
come a detective?' I asked. recall.
ing my own ambitions as / poured
over the thrilling adventures Of
DeadWood Dick.
No Boy Detectives.
mot a boy-there are no boy de.
tecttves. There amt no SIGH critter.
But If a. man Is shrewd. resourceful
and courageous, let him become one.
It has its drawbacks and it's com.
pensations, just as any other call.
ing in life"
Aren't guns too much in evidence
these days?" persisted.
YES" he replied. Eyes, in the
Otden days even the most desperate
criminal would have hesitated to
draw a gun--now the veriest nov.
ice flashes one on the slightest
provocation and uses it. Why, ]
myself seldom carry one. l dread
the death-dealing machines. And !
want to put a final quietus on the
belief so current; that detectives are
In danger every moment Of the dav.
It is all wrong-absoluteIy absurd.
And one in the commercial world or
professional life stands the same
chance Of getting snuffed out of we
do. In fact, I really think the bal
ance tits slightly in our favor
because we are always on the watch