True Detective Stories from the Archives of the PinkertonsMoffett, Cleveland
History
True Detective Stories from the Archives of the Pinkertons
Moffett, Cleveland
Crime -- United States; Criminals -- United States; Detective and mystery stories, American
his friend, the young man about town, who invited him to live in his
own home on Thirty-eighth Street, whereby not only was he saved the
ordinary outlay for lodgings, but many comforts and luxuries were
afforded him that would otherwise have been beyond his reach.
Thus three months went by with no result; then four, five, six months;
and, finally, all but a year. Then, suddenly, in April, 1889, Crawford
took his departure for Central America, giving out to his friends that
he was going there to assume the management of a banana plantation of
sixty thousand acres, owned by his wealthy friend and benefactor.
Before Crawford sailed, however, the "shadows" had informed Mr.
Pinkerton of Crawford's intention, and asked instructions. Should they
arrest the man before he took flight, or should they let him go? Mr.
Pinkerton realized that he was dealing with a man who, if guilty, was
a criminal of unusual cleverness and cunning. His arrest would
probably accomplish nothing, and might spoil everything. There was
little likelihood that the stolen money would be found on Crawford's
person; he would probably arrange some safer way for its transmission.
Perhaps it had gone ahead of him to Central America weeks before.
"We'll let him go," said Mr. Pinkerton, with a grim smile; "only we'll
have some one go with him."
The Pinkerton representative employed to shadow Crawford on the voyage
sent word, by the first mail after their arrival in Central America,
that the young man had rarely left his state-room, and that whenever
forced to do so had employed a colored servant to stand on guard so
that no one could go inside.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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