Then he covered his face with his hands and cried like a child.
He brought him back on the man-of-war and the bank recovered $60,000 by the operation; the balance had been used up for expenses, and went to pay me the cost of the detective’s trip, which I personally advanced.
Now this was a shrewd piece of work. I admired my man for it from a business standpoint, but from a moral one I despised him.
I never could have done what he did in the world. It ain’t my nature. It needs a consummate hypocrite to successfully play such a role as that.
But such men are necessary to the detective force, and we must have them. I suppose all my readers are aware that we make use of thieves, gamblers and other hard characters very often to assist us in our work.
We have got to do this. We could not get along at all if we didn’t. Yet we never trust them one inch further than our interests are concerned; if we did we should get fooled every time.
So you see there are shadows and shadows, and the only rule I can lay down is the rule of common sense.
In shadowing use your judgment. Employ such means as circumstances seem to demand. Disguises will help you—are often entirely necessary, but it don’t do to put too much dependence on them. Common sense, quickness of thought, and a glib tongue will do more for the shadow than the best disguise ever made.
I remember a very clever piece of double shadowing accomplished shortly after Sam Kean began to study with me.
As I sent him west soon after it occurred it became necessary for him to write out a deposition of the case to be used by the district attorney in preparing the trial of this criminal. I happened to come across a copy of that document in my desk the other day, and may as well incorporate it here. I will call it