EXPERIENCE OF A NEW YORK DETECTIVE.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 6, Issue 1664, 19 April 1884, Page 4

EXPERIENCE OF A NEW YORK DETECTIVE.

Down iu a street beginning near Broadway and ending at West street thero once stood an establishment that was supposed to turn out vinegar by the hogshead. I had often noticed the place in the course of passing through the street, and had more than once cast a very searching glance upon the repulsivo countenance of the proprietor, a lowbrowed man of middle aga known as Dan Farroll. " A slippery looking customer," was my inward comment, as I gazed upon the man. " I wonder if they don't turn out something else besides vinegar in that place." The more I watched the placo the more did I become convinced that it was what is termed a private still. Such places are objects of special interest to men of my profession, and I became very attentive to the place under the cloud of my suspicions. One night, late, I observed a waggon cominfij out of the yard at the side of the establishment, and my nostrils, very true in the scent lino, caught the odor of spirits. I now became convinced that I was on a true scent. " Aha, Mr Farrell," thought I, as I passed on to my home, " to-morrow I shall be able to bring you up with a short rope, and then half for the Government and half for me." In the morning I called upon the owner of the business.

"■ Good morning, Mr Farreil," " Good morning Mr Howard, he said—for at that time I was a plain "Mr," and not a captain of the metropolitan force. "Whatcan Ido for you f" " Show me through your place from top to bottom," said I, He started. Knowing me to be a detective, he was startled by the request, "Show you through ray place 1" said he. " That's the ticket," said I. "But I'm busy now." "So am I." He looked at mo keenly. " I don't understand you," he said at length, putting a good face on a matter that he must have begun to think very bad. " You don't understand me because you won't," I said. " You know who and what I am, do you not?" " Yes; you are a detective." "Exactly," said Ij "and you are something more than a manufacturer of vinegar, in my opinion." He turned a little pale, and for ut single instant I fancied that there was a ferocious gleam in his eyes. The next second his eyelids concealed whatever may have been oxpressed in his snaky eyes, "I cannot fail to understand what you imply by your word,'," ho said. " However, I am ready to subject my place to a thorough overhauling," "And I am ready to overhaul it," said I. " I sincerely trust that I may not find anything wrong." "Are you ready now The asked.

"At once," said I. « Let us get the affair through as soon as possible," "Follow," he said, and led tho way down stairs, I following at his heels, He conducted me amid a perfect labyrinth of vats and mash tubs; and juat as I was about to give vent to words expressing my conviction of his being engaged in the illicit Motion of liquors, he turned upon me suddenly, armed\vith a large bung-starter. His han't! went up, armed with the heavy weapon, and I tried to spring back in time to evade the blow; but with an awful thud it descended upon the side of my cranium, knocking mo half-senseless upon the floor. However, I was not completely stunned, and was about to spring to my feet, when the floor gave way under me, and I was precipitated headlong into tho sluice to carry off the refuse of the still. Like a meteor I slid along tho slippery sluiceway, and tlion. Eliot downwards for some seconds. Then I camo to a sadden stop, only to find myself enclosed within walls, a light coming down from abovo me, and showing mo that I was fairly imprisoned. "Where am I {".was the thought that arose in my mind, finding myself in about a foot of wator, and then the whole idea of the affair became clear to me, I was in a sewev. I had passed through the sluice and thence to the sewer, and had been in a great decree fortunate that I escaped without broken bones. The light above mo came from the glass and iron covering at one of the corner gutter " dumps," and I knew that to expect aid from that source would bo vain.

I was treading in filth, my nostrils were assailed with a horrible stench; I felt a clammy object touching a bare spot on my leg, from which the cloth had been torn in my rapid transit, I looked down, and a thrill of disgust passed through my whole frame as I beheld a large rat crawling up my limb. With a yell I shook it off, and then to my horror, 1 perceived that I was beset by an army of the ferocious creatures. Thoroughly disgusted, I plunged along the sewer, enveloped in a half darkness that added to the depression of my spirits, for, to tell the truth, I despaired of ever getting out of the sewer alive. I paused upon finding myself opposed by a swarm of rodents. In desperation I drew my revolver from my pocket and fired at random among the nasty creatures, Bang, crash, whirr, boom! and with a mighty roar and a succeeding line after lino of flame, the sewer roared and flashed, for 1 hud set (ire to the gases in the loathsome place, and with a rapidly succeeding combustibility they had burned along as far as the eye could reach, a strange and terrible sight indeed, The rats scattered and I plunged on, only to lind myself in deeper water. I was now afraid that 1 should drown through inability to swim throng!) the miserable thick liquid, but with s despairing courage I dropped

down and struck out boldly, making but slow progress through the illsmelling water. . ' . At length, half dead, exhausted, siok at heart, and feeling miserable all over, I was, fortunate euough to drift Out at one of the exits, and found myself in the North River. ; Too weak to swim, I floated until I was picked up by a boatman and taken on shore in a condition much mora readily imagined than described. I made haste to get a bath and a suit of clothes ; then 1 loaded my revolver, took a policeman with me, and strode straight to Farrell's place. I was furious, raging with the murderous and cowardly treatment I had met with, and when Parrell met me at his door and started, with surprise, I knocked tlio scoundrel down with a blow in which waß condensed all my honest and heartfelt indignation, and stretched him half dead on the floor. ■ ' Then I turned him over to the policeman and seized the place, staying there myself till the officials came and put the brand "R" on everything at my order. The illic't still was sold out by the Government men, and realised the sum of 10,000dol, and half of that sum and the imprisonment of Farrell for ten years paid me in part for the- terror and misery of my adventure in a sewer. *