Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-06-24
BY C. PATRICK THOMPSON.

BY e. PATkiCk IHOMFSON.
~ coTLAND YARD, London's fa-
nous anti-crime organization. is
feeling pleased with itself again.
~ For months it had been under
a cloud. A police constable had
been murdered While attempting to
make an arrest His aSsailants had
sent bullets crashing through the pu-
pills of his eyeS--ano then had sped TO
safety in a stolen sutomohile. All Eng
land was Stirred--and called for the
swift punishment of the murderers.
Scotland Yard set TO work on the
case. but nothing happened. Month
after month went by without an arrest
being made; without even clue being
found, 50 far as the English public
knew.
Many were the criticisms that were
ieveled at the slow, laboriouS methods
OF crime detection. though for years
these methods had held England's an
nual crop of murders to very small
minimum and had reduced the number
OF unsolved murders virtually to the
vanishing point
Many were the entreatieS for the
Yard to abandon its time-worn method
of keeping everlaStingly on certain
track Introduce modern methods"
Get your mani"
And then. just when it looked as If
Scotland Yard had been licked, that
1t had been sticking stubbornly to
wrong Scent-two arrests were mada
and two convictions were obtained
Scotland Yard had indicated itself
and its methods
1t is thrilling story-the story of
this vindication. but before we launch
into that. let's glance at the men who
have brought it about-"the Big Six
OF Scotland Yard
Come with me behind the scenes of
the great red-turreted building on
Thames-side. by the Houses of Parlia-
ment, and meet these six superdetec-
tives, the men who are chiefly respon-
sible for the fact that out OF a years
total of ia murders this in popula-
ton OF SS,oo0,o00) only two remain un-
solved.
FOREMOST among them stands the
vulture headed Chief Constable
wensley. chief OF the criminal investi-
cation department. Normally he is re-
sponsible for the detection and suppress
sion of crime among the 100000 per-
sons in the metropolis, Actually, he
is the chief detective of England, al
ways liable to be called in by the police
chiefs outside his area for the solution
of some major crime.
He directs operations on every major
crime and presides at the daily confer
ence Of the big six. His men make
about 10000 arrests a year, $4,000 OF
these being for indictable offenses
ranging from arson. rape, counterfeit
ing and wounding TO robbery with vio-
lence and murder
He is the master elucidator, probably
the most efficient and experienced de- |
tective functioning today. and one of |
the worlds remarkable men. His face, |
with its great beak OF a nose, trap |
mouth and basilisk eyes, is stony in its |
calm
He used TO be a "footslogger," an |
ordinary patroiman: now he rides with |
his powerful shoulders and big vulture |
head slouched against the cushions Of /
. huge limousine.
In the 20 years intervening between !.
one state and the other he has acquired |
q marvellous knowledge of the under |
world and its ways, and has gone about |
collecting n1urderers, counterfeiters. |
forgers, robbers, gang chiefs and other |
criminal fry as you or I might collect |
stamps expertly, interest /
edly. yet detachedly.
He thinks crime is a disease But |
when he is after a man there is no |
eoftness about him. He is tenacious /
as bulldog. cunning as a ferret, sharp !
rs q hawk. relentless and mercilesS.
He has his human side. He is with /
out vindictiveneSs He is on hand l
shaking terms with hundreds Of GRIM /
inals. lie has helped the destitute /
family Of many q crook
~.
There was q time when the chiefs OF |
the East Side gangs ne was engaged in
breaking up swore that his life was not
worth a moments purchase. But he
went about the crime quarter unarmed
and unescorted-and lives.
He made his name In the service by
gang smashing. and his name with