The Washington times., 1929-07-22

criminal investigation departm
at the end of this month, anC
undoubtedly unite in special
Not that the British criminals
dislike Wensley. On the contrary.
they respect him and reckon him
good fellow" But they do not
understand him. To them he IL
some mystical and uncanny power
that wrecks the best laid schemes
and always seems to come out on
top.
has invariably outbid them and won.
Remained Secluded
Wensiey has never made himself
a public figure. At Scotland YARD
one has gained access TO him with
the utmost difficulty. But the
meeting has always been worth
the trouble involved.
The visitor ls always received
with the courtliness Of an amhass'
ador. He IL conducted to q Spacious
armchair. Wensley sits on q hard
seat behind a huge desk. Very Few
papers are seen on this desk; lts
main fixtures are vases filled WIFI
flowers grown by Wensley.
1t looks like the desk OF the neao
of q big business department. ana
a It is-- It belongs to the heao o.
the biggest business OF us ksnd IN
Fred Wensley himself Is power
fully built man with graying hair
and that slow.speaking drawI that
heIonRa exclusively to the western
counties OF England. On the rev
occa sions when pride enters into his
voice he says: II come from Taun'
ton, In Somerset"
Talks seldom
BUT Il Is seldom he talks. His
,,ttera noes are more monosyllabic
than those OF ex-President Coolidge.
II IL the caller who does the talk:
ing, and before he has been talking
two minutes he finds that he can
not take his eyes off Fred Wensleys
face.
The reason II quickly apparent.
Ht n Fred Wensley's eyes pair
IL the most remarkable eyes one
could ever encounter. They remind
one az an ocuIist's instrument. They
are deeply but lrreguiariy set and
intensely blue. They are more tn0n
Diercing; they just thrill, just crslui-
Me nD any prearranged yarn. They
IynnerVe man and compel haan 10
divUlge. -.
third degree attributes about him.
He never threatens. he never
catoles. He just asks questions
quietly, one after another, and never
raises his voice. And he never
moves those eyes from the face OF
the men he is questioning.
'rnis is what one OF Eugland's 3
greatest" criminals said OF Wens-
ley only a week ago:
Faces Man
"I had to wait for WensIey In &
small, barely furnished room after
my arrest. Wensley came in.
passed the time Of day, and then
sat down facing me. He folded his
arms. bent forward and put his
| first question: And then he turned
those eyes on me.
Question and answer I do not
| remember, but knew ] was in for
| q long stretch tterml"
This man stole the great Gains.
borough pictures-the Portrait Of
Lady" and the Portrait of q
GentIeman"--from Henry Sutton'g
house in 1898, and carried out other
big jobs He II now running
dead straight" after q prison term.
Served AZ Years
wensley has been AZ years in
the police service. He began as an
ordinary uniformed man, and after
/ six years, was transferred into the
detective department. Since that
| time he has been engaged in every
crime of note in Britain.
1t was he who brought Nilsson
and F'owler---two OF the most brutal
murderers ever known--to justice.
His sole clew was the wick OF the
| lantern they carried
None Knew Motive
He solved the Clapham Common
or Stinie Morrison murder, one Of
the most mysterious of modern
times. The victim. Beron. was
found dead in a lonely spot with
the letter "S' roughly cut on his
cheek. None could discover whether
the motive OF the murder was rob.
berry or the work of some secret
society seeking vengeance. Morri
son was sentenced TO death. but
later was reprieved and died in Al
asylum for the criminal insane.
Almost simultaneously WensIey
| was in charge Of the Sidney
Street SIEGE" A group of desper.
ate foreign criminals had committed
big iewelry theft In the East
End and afterwards shot dead three
policemen who attempted to arrest
them. Then they harricaded them
selves in a house where they had
a huge store of guns and munitions
and opened fire on every one in
sight.
Sought Reef
wensley was directing operations
from house opposite In the narrow
street. The shots OF the outlaws set
fire to this house and Wensley had
to take refuge on the roof Of the
next house. Here the desperadoes
spotted him and opened fire every
time he moved.
And here he had to remain until
Winston Churchill. who was then
home secretary, called out soldiers
and machine guns and blew the cita-
del to pieces--and from afar Wens-
ley listened for hours to newsboys
calling out the news Of his death.
After that Wensley was set t0clean
up the East End, which, on account
OF unlimited immigration then al
lowed. was largely made up OF the
scum of the earth--criminals Of
alaru naffona Iffy. This he did very