Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-12-11
BY GEORGE DILNOT.
Foremost Authority on Scotland Var

v you would never find Fred Fox
" worrying, There are men at
Scotland Yard, for detectives
Il are only human, who discover
themselves keyed to fierce
nervous tension when things go
wrong. Fox was not one of these.
lie pursued his way evenly. equally,
IN all circumstances. and could eat a
good dinner, drink "A glass Of beer and
tell good story at the end Of an eX-
hausting day as if he had not a care
in the world.
Behind this, however, was an alert
ness of mind and a strong analytical
temperament that made him remark
able even among the group of remark
able men who We're his associates
while he was chief inspector of the
criminal investigation department.
His record is notable for two rea-
sons. He devised the principles by
which the London flying squad of to-
day with its swift motor cars and dis
guised detectives has become a for.
mldible menace to those rogues who
nave the local detectives "taped"; and
he put flngerprints on the map.
Do rot misunderstood me. Fox was
not an expert on fingerprints. He
would have vigorously disclaimed any
pretensions to be a scientific" detec-
tive But he handled the first murder
mystery in which finGerprints figured,
and so was indictly responsible for inn
pressing on the public mind that a
new and dramatic factor in the detec-
ton and suppression of crime was in
being.
nEPTFORD is a poor class water
side district of London. In its
narrow and winding High street there
was tiny "oil and color store" which
was under the mana gement of an el
derby couple, Mr.. and Mrs. Farrow.
who lived on the premises. They were
a reserved pair, and, after the habit
of local gossip in such localities. rea'
son was soon found for their reticence.
1t was rumored that they were miser9
who had boarded up an incalculable
amount of money.
There was plenty of mean crooks in
and about Deptford who could find
matter for thought in this story, and
il might be considered tolerably GER
tain that. sooner or later, some of the
more reckless spirits would he tempted
10 test its truth.
The thing happened Some little
time after o'clock one March morn
ing-it was a Monday girl passing
through the High street saw the
door of shattered shop slowly open.
An old bearded man. his head and
face streaming with blood. looked out
He gaZed up and down the street and
then withdrew. The door closed
Now there are slaughter houses at
Deptford. and the appearance OF men
more or less blood-stained is not un-
common. The girl, at first startled
remembered this and for the time
dismissed the matter from her mind
*
At half past eight a boy who
acted as a general fac otum 10
the Farrows was dismaycd to find
that he could not get in, nor obtain
any answer to his knocks. He sought
assistance and an entrance was made. |
Old Farrow was lying face downward
on the floor of the little shop parlor in
a pool of blood He was quite dead |
Upstairs on her bed was Mrs. Farrow. |
cruelty wounded about her head but |
still breathing. The police were called |
in and she was carried to a hospital. |
She died without recovering conscious |
ness.
telephone message brought the |
heads of the Criminal Investigation to |
the spot within an hour. There was |
tall lanky Sir Melville Macnaghten. |
the assistant commissioner. medical /
experts, and the serene Fred Fox. |
Already the divisional detectives were
there Fox now assumed control and
with unhurried precision began the
investiga ton.
In some sense ii was a clumsy
crime which was easy of reconstruc-
ton, which is not the same as say.
ing that it was easy of detection. |