Knots Untied; Or, Ways and By-ways in the Hidden Life of American DetectivesMcWatters, George S.
General
Knots Untied; Or, Ways and By-ways in the Hidden Life of American Detectives
McWatters, George S.
Detectives
Passing over a period in Mr. McWatters' busy life, checkered with
incidents and exploits of a marvellous kind in his career as a private
detective, as well as much that is interesting of his active
participation in many measures of a politico-reformatory and
socialistic nature, we find that Mr. McWatters entered the Metropolitan
Police force in 1858, wherein he distinguished himself, for the period
of twelve years, up to October 17, 1870, when he resigned his
post,--not only as a most effective and reliable officer in routine
duties, but also by many suggestions and plans of enlarging the utility
of the force to the community in general. For instance, we find in the
New York World, of date November 22, 1860, an article under the head
"Information to Railroad and Steamboat Passengers," which dilates, to
some considerable extent, and most complimentarily, upon the beneficent
results to the public of the operations of a detachment of the police
force, "called the Railroad and Steamboat Squad," by which travellers
visiting New York, and passing through, were saved from the impositions
and robberies of ticket swindlers, hotel runners, unprincipled
boarding-house keepers, etc., by encountering the travellers before
they leave the cars and steamboats, and giving them all requisite
information in regard both to the swindlers, and how best, most safely
and economically to conduct their sojourn in the city. The World's
article concludes with stating, that "this plan originated with Officer
McWatters, who, we know, was for a long time an efficient, and one of
the most popular officers attached to this section of the force."
How well Officer McWatters performed his individual duties in
connection with this squad, might be illustrated by the quotation of an
article entitled "Personal," in the Daily Tribune of July 7, 1860,
which is most highly complimentary of Officer McWatters, but is too
long to be incorporated here.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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