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
The old Romans (as well as other peoples) had their secret police
service; and how interesting it would be to us, in these far off
centuries, to read of their deeds in the empire, or during the kingdom
of Rome. History, for the most part, is made up of the deeds of great
conquerors, etc. We know too little of the domestic and "hidden life"
of the past. But the future historian of these times will have all the
_materiel_ his ambition can desire for weaving the thread of his story.
And what a _resumé_ of crimes and outrages of all kinds will that of
the 19th century be for the historian of the 40th century to make!
The letter to which we refer above, regarding the organ-grinders, will
be found appended hereto, together with some other matters of interest
regarding Officer McWatters, which we have collected in our examination
of the public journals. We place them in connection with these
biographical notes, as in some respects presenting our subject in a
more graphic manner than we are able in this hurried writing, to make
him known to the great reading public of his adopted country.
The concluding paragraph of the letter referred to regarding the
organ-grinders, as will be seen by reference to it, is, "Until the
country has reached out her helping hand to all to whom she owes
assistance as a right, it is in bad taste to find fault with the mode
in which the disabled soldier tries to earn a living for his family."
In these words, so just and wise, is embraced more than the casual
reader will be apt to perceive. They are, in our opinion, very
remarkable, and involve a great principle, one which Officer McWatters,
as a student of social science, as we have remarked him, must clearly
understand.
"To all to whom she owes assistance as a right," are words eloquent
with the great truth of social statesmanship which they suggest; which
is, that a country, a government, should recognize the right of its
subjects (or component parts, to speak more decently, for there is a
hateful sound in that word "subjects") to life; and the great moral
duty of all these parts to assist each other; a duty which is clear and
imperative in the nature of things (but we cannot here go into the
subtleties of the matter, and show why); a duty, however, which can
never be fitly performed till some nation or people are so organized,
politically and socially, that each shall receive all he merits
therein; till the labor forces, the creators, the only really worthy,
are honored and protected; and not, as now, when the chief villains and
the worthless tyrants live upon the fat of the land, enjoy all the
honors, and are shielded by the laws in robbing from and exploiting
upon the poor, the laboring classes.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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