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Show I I USE YOUR EYES, . I NOT MIR GUN ; )! Some flints on Hold-Up jv Few Points of Identification ! 1 i II' May Work Wonders in ii!;: ' Landing Criminal. ; : - l Detective of Wide Experience Tells How to Act When Confronted 'Ijjiij by Highwayman. t ' I' m uir- What to do when you are held up v I ias cxj)Ialned yestcrdny afternoon for ij!', publication in The Tribune by a wcll- ' I ' j known Western detective "who happened I; to bp passing through Salt Lake City., ; j The officer in question belongs to one ' ' j 1 I of the largest detective organizations l i t in the world and has had wide expe- 1 ;! ilcnce In dealing with criminals, not 'if only in his present capacity, but in 1 JlljE days of old when he served as a plain-j plain-j ;L clothes man In Chicago's police dc- j partment. He was in the city en route ' ( J East on business, and, for reasons best . I known to himself, did not want Ilia ' j name used. He was asked to give an ! ' . Interview on the subject designated, I t because few men in America know I more of criminals and their ways than i I ft does he. I' ! n Obedience the First Thing-. '!.' I "In the first place," said he. "when !;'! j a highwayman confronts you with a j revolver obey him. That is the only thing to do In ninety-nine cases out of j.,J 1 one hundred This talk of shooting highwaymen is all right, but It doesn't apply to the average citizen. Some men ; 1 , can use revolvers and know when they 'l can 'beat a man to it with a gun: but ' such Individuals aren't to be found on 'j' every street corner, even In this sec- jj ; lion of the West, and they don't need ': any advice from me or any one else . ns to when and how to act. But. the ' average citizen, for whom I am talk- l 'i lng, knows as much of a revolver as I 'j do about theology. And for this aver- H j , age citizen to try to draw a gun when ! i one is already cocked and levelled on ! Mm, means that he Is going to add J murder to the highwayman's crime. Of ) l course, he doesn't want to do that. So ! , he had best throw up his hands, ' jit' "Now, that sounds like advice in bc- 1 1 half of the highwayman. But it is not. r I Salt Lake City has a police department. ; i '( Of course, I suppose It is being cursed ' T gome JusL now, as I understand there 1 1 have been a number of highway rob- I 1 ' berles. Police departments always get 1 I, that treatment at such times. In fact, I ! j the taxpayers are too busy swearing ;'' , at the police to do anything to help 1 .1 ' them. ' "When you are held up, remember If' I;. that you can do a great deal to send 11 me nignwayman to the penitentiary j I : by first holding up your hands quietly , ,i and without trouble. If you are wise. J, you have little money on you; that Is . '; ' to say, if you are walking on the street ' nt night. If you are In your place of 'I' business, you should try to arrange l i1' matters so that you will have as Ilt- ' j 1 tie cash as possible on hand after nlght- ' j 1 fall, Bank It in the afternoon, and. If you handle much money, bank it again,- 1 i j ' somewhere, early In the evening, j "Say that all this has been done and Y j you are either accosted on a dark I ' street or in your store, while alone, bv ! ,1 . -I man who suddenly confronts you, a J; black handkerchief over his lower face ;,l and a revolver in his hand.' First, ,t l throw up your hands as directed. I ! have repeated that three or four times '); ' because I want to drive any idea of j, I shooting away from the minds of any ,',! f who may have formed It. Forget the Gun. ! j : "As you throw up your hands vour (j ; flr instinct will be to stare Into the jf muzzle of the revolver. Don't do It. 111 '. It Isn't going to do you any good af- II, terward. All pistol muzzles are round ' i ' and black. Forget about the revolver, j ' t first, anyway, and look at the man I '' behind It. Don't stare so that you are .1 j going to attract his attention to that 1 I'l fact. Just try to look at him coolly J ;i 'J and to take in every detail you can. ' Probably he wears a handkerchief over ; his lower face for a mask. Study his ' . , head. Note his head; then, if possible, j . I his hair. If you can, determine the ; ., ! color and shape of his eyes. Fix them : 1 Y 1" your memory. Many men have been ''"I positively identified by their eyes. 1 Probably you can't tell much of the hj; j!i man's nose. Should his mask slip down ,i' get all the rent of Ills face that you ir l, can. And If the mask Is one of "the 'Jj .. ld style, with eye-holes, get the month , 'Jip and chin and lower nose so tlrmly 'W- placed In your memory that you could I'jUj;, tell them in Africa, 'lijpi "Then notlc the general appearance 'I; J of the man his build, tall or short. ; j.l 1' thin or stocky the slope or squareness ' V, fj of his Bhoulders. And alwava look for marks of any kind a tattoo mark on iifl , the back of the hand, a sear or' mole n.jj on the face any peculiarities. Get ' ijjl'JI them and note them carefully. Catch mm .' the" color oC the clthcs, their kind; and , jlHM'l lastly, after you have taken in every- ;k.! thing to shoelaces.' note the revolver. Mnl Even get the walk of the highway- 1 ' fiplF'J WJien your highwayman leaves von, iffln 'Vote the d,r:tlon he goes, if possible, hi ou Proba,)1y ran do this, unices he H hM makes you walk some distance from 'i, i'n' him before he leaves. Then, when you 1 m are safe again, make for. th nearest 'i K 1 telephone. Call up the police and tell 'fill the station man what has happened ' il'l "4V,, you nrc and where the officers' :j I i tan find you. While you wait for theni V (I if possible, write d6wn everything yoii i1 ?K9 noticed, eo that you will forget noln- 1 mM Have Description Down Fine. , jjgjl "The police will send a detective or 1 Efslft patrolman down. Tell him what was 1 . IJI taken, the number of your watch if lt went, and the kind of money, whetlv- , M'TI ov VWci: fc'oW or silver, and the de- il US nominations. And give him the de- j.! iil scrlptlou of your robber in full. Tell rM him the smallest details. Some of ' ; these may be the very things that will ?fl b S.m0Ht iuterial aid in identifying 'l'a tne highwayman. H. ,.' i-l , Ls a Peculiar fact that police rarc- jjllJ J.y fret even vaguc-descriptlons-of-hJeU-. I waymen. The victims never look beyond be-yond the gun muzzles. That Is the reason. rea-son. The best identifications as a rule come from women. They notice men more closely than men do. So, If you are hold up. why, make It a point to note all details, and then the police, when they take hold of the case, will have something to go on. As It ls, they probably are working In the dark to a large extent just now. An Ampt Illustration. "Now, It may be that everything 1 have said will be forgotten before any more robberies take place. It Is possible pos-sible that the man or men who havo been operating In your town have gone elsewhere. Or perhaps they are only resting and looking about for some new place to strike. 'Good' crooks always I want to know what they are going after before they make a move. For that reason, If you have a store or saloon which keeps open late at hlghl, remember re-member what I said .about cash. And If you are In the habit of carrying our money home at night, change your plan and bank it In a safe place. As for a revolver, unless you aro a good man with a gun, don't carry one. You aro only Jeopardizing your own life I know Instances where bravo men have killed highwaymen, but they don't come often. As a rule, It goes the other way. The crook has his gun drawn and levelled on you, while your weapon Is in your pocket, or, at best, down by your side, Of course, I am not saying that If you get an opportunity oppor-tunity to kill or capture a robber, you should pass It up. But be sure of what you are doing. You can help capture your despoller much more easily If you como out of the affair with a whole skin, and with a good idea of the appearance ap-pearance of the man. than you can If the police rush to the place to find you dea1 or unconscious and the ban-, ban-, dlt a mile or so away. "Now, before I wind up I want to toll an Incident which will show what I mean. Some time ago It doesn't matter when, and the place Is of no consequence, either, for that matter the police arrested a man as a vagrant. They knew he was a crook. They had tried to get rid of him before, but had been unable to do so. While lie was In the city jail the Chief of Police got information to the elTect that this man had robbed a citizen, In the citizen's own house, of nearly $1000, at point of a revolver. The tip was absolutely valueless as evidence. The citizen and his wife wore called to headquarters. The robbery was then more than six months old. The victims positively Identified the prisoner, who had been talking the streets sincr? It orriirrort "Tlio case came to trial. Both man and wife told of the highwayman's hair, curly at the ends and rather dark; of hlB large grey or blue eyes; of his soft hands and low. well-modulated voice. They bald of his big stature and broad shoulders. They pointed out each as reasons for being certain thev Identified Identi-fied the prisoner. On that evidence alone lie was convicted. It was absolutely abso-lutely all the evidence there was, and the man offered a strong alibi. But the citizen said on the stand; " 'I know that man. I would know him anywhere. That Is the robber, I am certain.' "Then he enumerated, when crosi-questioned, crosi-questioned, the points named. Now these people between them noticed only ilve things: hair, eyes, handfl, voice and build. Yet those five things sent the crook to prison. And,, what is more, the police, lawyers and all concerned called It a wbnderfully complete identification. iden-tification. You catch my point. They noted only five things between them and yet the Identification was complete, com-plete, and was based on more points probably, than any other that the department de-partment in question had gotten in years. "And so I say again, don't use a gun-use gun-use your eyes on a highwayman. That will send him to prison. Let the police catch him." |