A WOMAN DETECTIVE

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 94, 14 January 1918, Page 7

A WOMAN DETECTIVE

■MSS. FARLING OF WASHINGTON

VALUED SERVANT OF AMERICA

: xne most valued detective on the (Washington- Force is a woman. She is enveloped in something of an atmosphere of mystery, for neither President Wilson, Bruce Bielaski, of tho Secret Service, nor the Chief of Police Pullman will allow Her to ,be photographed..without a mask! Her work is- proving so necessary in dealing with ,suspecteof German spies,, suffragists, !or the ordinary disorderly, element of the Capital that the Government considers it" essential that she. remain unknown. -She is stronger and more ■agile than the ordinary man, and in her innocent-looking reticuie she carries a revolver—.and she is a dead shot! 'AJbert. Whiting Fox,. writing in. tho New York:' ."Sun," says of her:— -. ■• Officially >he is known.as Sarah V. Parling, active member of Major Pullman's Police Force. She' impressos one as ah attractive woman in', too full W00.m,.0f robust, health. There is' a Hots of seriousness and sympathy about her - countenance" which, invites confidence, but one can readily see how she might be a success in a dancehall, for you w,ould take her to be • whatever she says she is. ' She might say she is a mother— which she is, although making her v.ay in the world'in this .unusual, manner— and no one would doubt'. Or she she might say that "she lived in .anticipation of night-life excitement, or was seeking employment as a typist, and she would still seem to fit the pirt. •No one, however,, would, guess that she could drag two men at. once off_ a crowded .street-car. by'pure .physical strength,- or that she carried a revolver concealed in her little.black satchel with which she had made a.record as a dead shot. .

Secret-service, nien, at.'the, 'White House who regard even the most remarkable investigation work_ cs. Toutino believe that Mrs. Farling's pbyBical qualifications are morp rc-mark-able : than those of any other woman in 'the'country'. "She.can. knock a man .down as easily with her right arm as a -.policeman can with his nightstick, and therefqro she carries no stick. She was assigned to di'ty at the White House'-because it took two or. three policemen, to handle excited suffragettes.' with, banners, while i-'rs. Farling simply takes a kindly grip on any one of the disturbers, and the banners fall.

On the Trail. This interesting Government sleuth was recently called upon by tho Department ' of Justice to investigate wnat- looked like a delicate piece of spy work. Its denouement .vus both iiuusuai and amusing: Tho secret Government agents had reported that a woman had come to iNVasliingtoii after a series of visits u> places-where military posts were located. She had been seen; taking notes and had been overheard making statements about secret information she had gathered. Bielaski's men believed she was a man disguised as a woman and possibly in the pay of Germany. They had been around the hotel, but were uuable to make headway. Incidentally the suspect kept most of the time in her room, where she had her meals sent. The hotel people thought her eccentric, but suspected nothing .wrong. . About this time a woman with con~ spicuous baggage alighted from a taxi and took a room on the same floor. "An lour later there was a knock on the door of the.suspect. Outside stood a ■woman taken suddenly ill. .; "Have you anything in the way of a bromid or a little morphin?" she pleaded. "My supply lias run out, and they say you can't get it here, and I'm nearly crazy." "Come in," said tho other woman, with that knowing look which one addicted to drugs gives a fellow victim. Soon. a very confidential . relationship bad been established, after Mrs. Farling—for it was she—had carefully taken her drug supply for future use. She had the whole case cleared upthat afternoon. It was not a man disguised as a woman, or a German-paid spy, but simply a woman who, through her drug excesses and distorted mind, had constituted herself a "secret agent" and was "gathering'information about military secrets for the use of the United States Government." Helping Her Own Sex. Mrs. Farling's energies are not directed solely to the undoing of suffragists and German spies. Frequently she works entirely .on her .own initial tive, when she is actuated by a womanly desire to protect the weak of .her own sex who have fallen into unscrupulous hands. One Saturday night- she started in the evening and worked

until eight o'clock on Sunday morning. She mingled with the revellers in dance halls and Chinese restaurants, and scoured brightlighted sections or secluded automobile routes in a machine of hei oivn. She took twelve young girls from their escorts and escorted them to their homes. In no single case had the girls' parents any idea where their daughters were. A typical case involved a very attractive young girl, daughter of a wellknown business man, who was joy-rid-ing on tho Speedway/ with two young men. Mrs. Fading's machine broke the speed limit following the automobile around until it finally/ came to a stop before ono of. the fashionable cafes.

"Just a. moment, 'my dear!" Mrs. Fading ' said to the girl, asking her escorts" to excuse net- for a minute. There followed a conversation, after which tho girl.called her escorts over and said: "This is Miss Brooks, nn awfully good friend of mine. I'll have to call it off for to-Jiight." After admitting later that she had never seen either of the young, men before, the girl was escorted by Mrs. ';Farliiig to ner home, where she thanked her, and bade her good-night. But Mrs. Fading said she first wanted to have a. taik with the girl's mother.

'.."Oh, mother will be furious if you wake nor .up at this time of night," the girl saiu, and her prediction was vcriiied, for the woman came down in her dressing-gown, very indignant at having her rest interrupted. :."ii you can sleep soundly at this time. ,or night without knowing where your daughter. is you had better cultivate insomnia," Mrs. Farliug said. It turned but that the mother thought her daughter had gone to visit a friend,, but didn't particularly care wiicra Rlio had gone, as she believed her wrili.able to'judge as to her own conduct. But after she had talked with

■]..ivß. Furling a little while her ideas cnahjid. It was a penitent and thnnkiiii mother who bade Mrs. Farling goodbye in the early hours of Sunday morning. ■■■-