LITERATURE.

Globe, Volume XX, Issue 1598, 3 April 1879, Page 3

LITERATURE.

A PEIVATE DETECTIVE’S STORY.

[“Chambers’ Journal.”] ( Concluded .) You’d think a detective would refuse to take anything at a suspected person’s expense. Not he; that’s his opportunity. * Well, thank you,’ my_ employer replied. ‘ There’s me and my friend here ; su ’pose we have two drops of brandy, eh ? Three penn’orths ’ ‘ Better say sixpenny- worth,’answered the youth. ‘Here Miss; two sixpenn’orths of brandy ’ It is drawn We drink and talk. Drawing information out of the silly youth as easily as one draws beer from a tap, my employer presently says: ‘ Lo”e me, what time was it when you left the olheo th'S afternoon ? ’

‘ I haven’t been there since eleven o’clock in the morning ; not at Bishopsgate street at least ’ Here was something important got out of the youth; and the detective following up the iilea and taking a bold shot says : ‘ But yon were expected at the other place ?’ ‘ Well, yes.’ ‘ Let’s see, where is your other place ? ’ 4 Oh ! in Wallbrook-’ 1 You ought to have been there, you know.’ Upon this the youth turned pale, but did not answer, ‘ What’s the number of your place in Bishopsgate! ’ The youth gave in, Then came the more pertinent questions : 4 How much money have you got about you ? Where did you get it from ?! &o. The boy gave such fencing answers, that at length my employer took him quietly outside, saying: ‘ You must know I am a detective officer, and I am not going to part with you fill I have communicated with your employer and your friends.’ T hen came the lest stroke of conviction ; ‘ Oh, it will all be put right; my father will satisfy Mr

We took that poor young man under our charge (he was only seventeen) ; he was placed in a room in my employer’s house under my care ; and having found who were his parents as well as his employers, the detective officer first went to the parents. Never shall I forget the deep affliction of the mother, who, in the absence of his father abroad, came down immediately on receipt of the news. 1 0 my boy,’ she cried, ‘what have you done? Tell me all. 0 dear, 0 dear I And your father away, and your sister ill! What is it ? What is it P ’

‘0 mother, mother!’ replied the youth, weeping, 4 1 never did such a thing before. But the governor sent me to pay nine pounds all in sovereigns, and I lost one, and then I was afraid to go back.’ 4 And so you get into bad company, and spent the rest. 0 you naughty wicked boy 1 ’ I don’t know what to do. By geod rights,' said the detective, 4 1 should take him off to the police station, instead of keeping him here; but I must see what Mr says.’ 4 Yes. Oh, let me go with you to Bhhopsgate street sir; and lam sure Mr will not be hard upon the boy,’ replied the mother.

To this my employer assented ; and in the end the youth was allowed to return home ; and the detective was rewarded for saving the youth. • * # # # *

One morning we receeived a telegram to watch a certain train arriving at Euston square from Birmingham. A lady described, had left that town by train for the purpose it was said, of eloping with a man who was to meet her at the London terminus; and the disconsolate husband, too late to stop her, wanted her actions watched by the detectives. I was sent. I saw the lady and gentleman meet; she threw herself into his arms and sobbed I heard him say: ‘lt will be all right Millie.’ A cab was called. [ beard the address they were to be driven to, and followed the vehicle, to assure rayself this was their destination. I watched until midnight, and they never left the house ; and then I knocked up my employer and told him the address,

‘ Leave the rest to me,’ he said. And the next morning ho discovered the lady and gentleman were then nnder different names, and had s -parate rooms, ‘This won’t do,’ he said. ‘We must wait for further evidence before we can make a case.’ But he telegraphed to the husband that the address was known. My duty was to watch the fugitives ; and I found they went to a lawyer’s in Lincoln’s Inn Fields, and remained there two hours, and then returned, and so passed the first day ; hut I had to watch all night. The second day the irate husband came to town and went to the house where his truant wife was domiciled, in company with the detective, thinking he coul 1 find out more than had been recorded to him. They were met by an indignant gentleman, who, in reply to the question. ‘ Where is my wife ?’ said : * She is with me, under my pretention, until she gets rid of a horrible and brutal husband.’

‘ And what right have you, air, to give protection to another man’s wife ?’ ‘ The right of a brother and guardian! She had written to me previously of your brutal conduct, and then telegraphed that she could bear it no longer.—The telegram is here sir —“0 Sam, what am I to do? My life is in jeopardy. I dare not wait my husband’s return ” I had only returned from India a few days, and on receipt of that I telegraphed—“ Come by ten o’clock train ; I will meet you at Euston Square.— Sam,” This telegram I presume you saw, for it was left behind, I am informed; and you thought there was an elopement,” I never know all the ins and outs of this affair, which I verily believe was a sell; at least it never came before the court, to my knowledge. My employer I presume got well paid for it, for he never grumbled about its bring time lost. I got a paltry five shillings for night-watching, over and above my wages. * * * » *

As to watching houses and persons, I have had to take a house and record faithfully every person who went in and out of it during the day for three we ksand a month at a stretch, not knowing why or wherefore. Very monotonous work this had been ; nothing to come of it but poor wages, an uncomfortable, unprofitable sort of exist enoe. I have had to foil >w a person from one end of bond >n to the other, and make a record of every call that he made, and have never been used as witness to prove anything. I began t think that my superiors had all the 1.-aves and fishes, and I only got the crumbs their table. If there was anything to bo done which won!i bring in something handsome, why, rny chief did it himself. A banker’s son making too free with his father’s name is to be taken into custody by the detective, to be well frightened, aud relieved of his ill-gotteu spoil; and then returned to his parents without tho world knowing of hia crime. Yes, sometimes tho

fami'y plate has btwo carried off by some hopeless son aod the detective a aitf 3 called in to recover it, hut to hide the crime. And, indeed if truth were told, nearly one half the canes of robbery of late years have been more or less under the cognisance at least of those closely associated with the family circle. I once thought that I might make a name for myself as an honest detective. I began to see that there was scarcely a tradesman in London, scarcely a merchant, that was not robbed by his underlings, if not by those of a higher grade, I watched carefully, and confided my secret information to employers. In some instances the persons were dismissed ; that was all. ‘We don’t care to prosecute,’ the principals would say, * for trivial matters ; it is too much trouble and expense. We would rathei submit to small losses than be forced to attend the criminal Courts.’ I happened to mention to the manager of a large publishing firm not a hundred miles from Paternoster R ,i w, that I knew his employers wefre robbed and systematically robbed every week. He did not believe mo, I then challenged him tO 1 give me the name of any book he had in the establishment, and I would get it in three days without its passing through the count-ing-house in the ordinary way. He gave me the name of a work of which there were only three in st n ck, and the selling price was two guineas, I had only to go to a certain rendezvous, talk slang, and say what I required and the price I was preptred to give, and I knew I should get the book. And to the astonishment of the manager I presented it to him on the third day with his trade-mark still upon it. ‘ Well,’ he saids ‘ this must be put a stop to. I must see the principals; and you must call to-rnor-ow and give us full information.’ I ca’led as requested, and gave the principal the names of throe who shared in the plunder. ‘ Ay.’ they said ; ‘as to the first, that’s the porter ; we’ll prosecute him. The second is the sou of a person who has considerable interest in the business ; they are a most respectable family ; we cannot prosecute him. The third is a confid ntia.l messenger; and he is so exceedingly useful to us, that wo don’t well see how we could do without him. But the porter, wo will give him into custody if you like.’ I replied that I could not take one without the others ; that it was a great pity, after all my time and trouble expended in sifting the matter, they would not make an example of the whole lot. ho ; they would not do it; but gave me a five-pound note, and asked me to say no more about it, I suppose I expressed annoyance at this, ab hough I received a larger gratuity than I had hitherto done ; and lam afraid that I made no secret of my annoyance, for I wanted this to be my stepping-stone to advancement; but it was not to be, Neither was my conduct admired by my superiors, who told me that I should keep a still tongue, and further, that I had no right to take action in any matter on my own responsibility. And as there was no hope of responsibility. And as there was no hope of advancement, I retired from the service to enter upon more profitable employment