Some detectives have a knack of slyly turning their glass into the cuspidore or on the floor; others make it a rule to call for gin and then fill another glass with an equal amount of water; both the gin and the water being white they drink the latter and pretend to taste the gin.
These tricks may work satisfactorily if your man is under the influence himself, but if he is sober you are pretty sure to get caught at it and have your plans spoiled.
Whisky may have helped some detectives to make captures, and procure information which could never have been obtained without its aid; but on the other hand it has ruined thousands of young men who have set out to follow our business, and sent them to a drunkard’s grave.
CHAPTER II.
CAUGHT BY A HAT.
Very often a little thing will furnish a clew and bring the criminal into the hands of the law, where all the shrewdness and vigilance in the world proves at fault.
The older I grow, the more firmly I believe that circumstances have a great deal to do with the success of some detectives. You may call it Providence, luck or whatever name you like.
You may lay out your plans in the most careful manner, but you seldom follow them as you originally propose.
Indeed, a detective who cannot break one of his rules and change his mind to suit the occasion, can never hope to be a success.