Criminal Reminiscences and Detective Sketches

This historic book may have numerous typos, missing text or index. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. 1878. Not illustrated. Excerpt: ... PREFACE. T N tuesennng this volume to the public, I have bnt %i w -v ords of preface to offer. Those sketches pertaining to ray own caree as a detective have been taken at random from the thousands of incidents which have occurred during my detective experience, and are simply a sample of the numberles: circumstances daily occurring, that, like swift shuttles, have woven back and forth, over and under, through anc. through, my large business the golden threads of humor and the sable threads of pathos and sorrow. Of the criminal reminiscences gathered together, I claim no particular merit of originality for, o1 of them. They are merely memories of the past, in a criminal sense--of occurrences ripe with thrilling interest in theii time, and still full of fascination and attractiveness , and of men, brilliant, talented men, who have lived their unworthy lives of magnificent crime, occupying great stations and high eminences, as thest are measured, DETECTIVE SKETCHES CHAPTER I. HOW I BECAME A DETECTIVE. ON the romantic Fox River--called the Pish-ta-ka in the original Potawatamie language-- and about thirty-eight miles northwest of the city of Chicago, is located the beautiful village of Dundee. It has probably at this writing a population of three thousand inhabitants, and is one of the brightest and most prosperous towns of Illinois. The town was originally settled by a few sturdy people, the hardy Scotch, as its name would indicate, as also thai of the splendid little city of Elgin, but five miles distant, and who occupied to some extent the outlying farms; so that the place and community, while never accomplishing anything remarkable in a business way, has had a steady, quiet growth, has lived its nte uninterruptedly and peacefully, and possesses the pleasantest ...