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
Officer McWatters had occasion to cross Wall Street, on a hasty errand
of business down into Beaver Street, accompanied by his _attaché_, Mr.
Gray, when they came suddenly into the midst of a great excitement. A
dandily-dressed, rakish-looking young man was just breaking out of a
crowd, and running with hands full of papers and a bag. Officer
McWatters instantly "twigged" the nature of the trouble, and put chase
after the fellow, unceremoniously leaving Mr. Gray in the midst of the
turbulent and excited crowd. The fleeing young scamp, who had just
snatched a package of United States bonds and a money bag from an old
messenger of some house, who was on his way to make a deposit, was a
little too fleet for Officer McWatters, and gained on him a little;
but, turning a corner, was fortunately impeded in his flight by another
policeman, who chanced to have his pistol about him, and brought it to
bear on him. The bold "Bond Operator" (as such villains, who were quite
plenty in those days, were called) thought discretion the better part
of valor, surrendered, and got his dues, we believe, at last.
Mr. Gray was in fearful plight over losing Officer McWatters, and it
was some time before he found him again, meanwhile getting jostled
about among the large and fierce crowd of excited Wall Streeters, whom
the interesting occasion hurriedly brought together. He quite lost
heart for sight-seeing in that adventure, and was, at last, only too
glad to "get out of the infernal city," and went home a wiser man, we
presume, than when he first landed in the city from the Fall River boat.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
A SMART YOUNG MAN.
AN AFTER-DINNER COLLOQUY--AND ITS RESULT.
From one of the public journals we clipped the accompanying spicy
article; we have lost our notes, and have forgotten from which, or we
should duly credit it to the proper source. We discover that we have
"pencilled" it "1862," and presume that it first appeared in that year.
Our readers will pardon its somewhat "swelling" style in sundry places,
but it exemplifies Officer McWatters' quick and acute perceptions, and
his character as a detective, and we therefore give it place.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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