A FEW WORDS AS TO THE REAL IDENTITY OF DUDIE
DUNNE--THE DETECTIVE STARTS OUT ON A FRESH "LAY,"
AND AS A CHAPPIE SWEET CLOSES IN ON COMRADE NUMBER
TWO.
There was nothing noteworthy in the career of Dudie or rather Oscar
Dunne up to the time he entered upon the police force beyond the fact
that he was of a very remarkable physical make-up. He was a young man
possessed of very delicate features, girlish blue eyes and a clear red
and white complexion. He was what is called a very effeminate-looking
young man. We have seen others like him. We have previously alluded in
this connection to two very striking examples similar to the case of
Dudie Dunne, many years ago in New York. There were two men, both famous
as athletes; one of them was noted as one of the most desperate
rough-and-ready fighters in the city. He was a colonel in the late war,
afterward a member of congress, and noted for his physical strength and
daring, while he looked like a woman in the face, so delicate were his
features, and so soft and fair his complexion. The other man was a
notorious ring fighter, and he too possessed the same delicacy of
feature and complexion, and yet was a man of wonderful physical
strength. So with Oscar Dunne. He was pretty when a child and when a
youth, and the boys nicknamed him Girlie Dunne, and yet he outstripped
all his boy companions in feats of strength and athletic performances.
He was educated in the public schools of New York, and when quite young
received an appointment as clerk to one of the city departments, and it
was while acting in that capacity that he was led upon one occasion to
attempt the running down of a notorious criminal. He tracked his man,
had a desperate encounter with him, and captured him. This feat
attracted attention toward him and one day a well-known detective
remarked:
"Oscar, if I had your face and strength and nerve I'd become the
greatest detective on earth."
Oscar brooded over the remark and later on secured a position on the
regular police with a view to being promoted to the detective force, and
his powers soon won him his promotion, and his services as a detective
became so valuable, and his advantages as a detective became so marked,
he was soon raised to the position of a secret special. It was just
following his last promotion that he made the great capture we have
recorded.
It was about a month following the incidents detailed when one day the
chief sent for him and said:
"Oscar, I've a peculiar case for you. A great robbery was committed in
Rome, Italy. Some very valuable heirlooms were stolen, besides a large
collection of gems of great value. A large reward is offered for the
thief, and it is believed by the Roman officers that the man is in New
York."
"Did they send over a description?"
"No, they do not suspect any one man. All they suspect is that the thief
fled from Rome and is in New York."
Oscar Dunne smiled as he remarked:
"A man must start on nothing in this case."
"That is about the size of it."
"They don't know whether the man is an Italian or not?"
"No, but they do know that he is a desperate fellow. He killed one of
the servants in the house at the time he committed the robbery. They
believe he is an Italian."
"Have you a photograph of any members of the family that was robbed?"
"No."
"Nor a photograph of the servant who was murdered."
"No."
Oscar was thoughtful a moment and then said:
"Chief, a man who is blindfolded in a dark room can't see a crack in the
wall."
"Hardly."
"There are thousands upon thousands of Italians in New York."
"Yes."
"And many of them are hard characters--desperate fellows."
"You are right. But there are a great many excellent Italians in New
York--men of the highest character and integrity."
"I know that."
"They will aid you."
"How can they aid me? Italy is a very big country. I'd look foolish
merely to tell them that a robbery had been committed in Rome and that I
wanted to find out something about it."
"What do you want?"
"I want something to start on."
"The Roman police have given us all they can."
"They haven't given us anything."
"Then you think it's no use to start in?"
"I didn't say so. If the man is in New York I'll find him, but I must
have something to work on."
"I don't know what I can give you."
"I want a photograph of every member of the family that was robbed. I
want a photograph of the servant that was killed, and then I want
certain questions answered direct from the family."
"We will have to send to Italy."
"Good enough. I will prepare my questions at once. You can send to Rome
for what I want, and in the meantime I will be looking around. It will
take about three weeks or a month for us to get a return from Rome. By
that time I may have something to start out on, at least a subject for
the working of the plan I may form after I hear from Rome."
"I see your point, Oscar; it's well taken."
Dudie Dunne prepared the questions he wished answered and started out
for a little tour of observation. He was gotten up as the dude, but he
had half a dozen different types of the dude with which he alternated in
getting up his disguise. He also was able when occasion required to work
the female racket as a cover beyond any other man who had ever attempted
the role.
There was one feature of Dudie Dunne's disguises. He acted the
character he assumed. He never lost his head or forgot himself, and
going around as he did under the guise of one of the most harmless of
mortals, he had excellent chances for getting information. Under the
fleece of the lamb was the hide of the lion, and there was just where he
came in when the crisis was presented. Oscar was standing on the corner
of a street waiting for a car to pass when he saw a man suddenly leap
off the car, and immediately afterward an old lady ran out to the
platform screaming, "Stop thief! stop thief!"
The conductor did not even stop the car, but Dudie was at hand. He made
a leap forward, only a leap, for the thief ran close to him, and he
seized the rascal, when immediately a second man who had jumped off the
car ran up while Oscar was struggling with the thief. The second man
proved a confederate of the first, and he grabbed hold of Oscar. There
was no policeman near, but a crowd had gathered and the people merely
looked on, not understanding the cause of the struggle. They thought it
was great fun, and one of the crowd created a laugh by yelling:
"Hang on to him, chappie; hang on to him."
Well, he did not hang on to him--he did better. Thief number two had
hauled off to deal Oscar a tremendous blow. He was a large man and
appeared to possess great strength, but to the surprise of everybody,
chappie, as the crowd had dubbed our hero, let go the man he had been
holding just in time to dodge a blow aimed at his head, and he countered
with a stinger which sent his assailant staggering to the street. He
then as quick as a wink, to the amazement of the crowd, dealt the man he
had first seized a sockdologer and down he went, and at the same instant
the old lady arrived on the scene. She had beheld the capture and saw
the thief knocked out. The crowd cheered at the powers of chappie when
the truth went flying around that the two men whom the chappie downed
were pickpockets, and that the old lady was their victim. Our hero
followed his man and took from him quick as lightning the purse which
the thief had slid to his bosom. This he handed to the old lady, who
quickly disappeared, and at the same instant a policeman arrived. The
thief was a quickwitted fellow and he said:
"Arrest that man. He just robbed an old lady of her pocketbook."
Oscar did appear most like a thief and the policeman seized him.
"Hold on, officer, there's your man," said Oscar, pointing to the
retreating thief.
"Oh, you can't play that on me," said the officer, and he commenced
without further inquiry to cuff his prisoner over the head in a very
rough manner, when suddenly the dude wrested himself clear and let the
officer have one on the ear, and then the crowd laughed and jeered as
the cop went reeling. Another officer arrived on the field. He also
happened to be a fresh Alec. He didn't stop to ask a question but drew
his club and made a rush at the supposed thief; the latter had no time
to make an explanation. It was take a knock on the head or fight. He
decided to fight and explain afterward, so he let "copper" number two
have one, and it did appear marvelous, the ease with which he dropped
the knights of the brass buttons. Cop number one had regained his feet,
and drawing his club was about to make a rush, when Oscar threw back the
lapel of his coat, and the officer's eyes rested on a little silver
badge that caused him to recoil as though he had been confronted by a
ghost.
Both policemen fell to their blunder and the detective said:
"Go and hunt up your right men now and don't be so fast next time."
Assuming his chappie walk our hero ambled away. On the following morning
there appeared an account in the papers, telling how a detective, very
smartly dressed, had knocked out and captured two pickpockets when a
policeman came along and mistaking the detective for the thief permitted
the real thief to depart.
A day or two passed when our hero, who made a daily practice to look
over the personals in all the journals, saw a little advertisement which
read as follows:
"If the detective who recovered an old lady's pocketbook will send
his address to Mrs. I. F., Station B, he will hear of something to
his advantage."
"Well," ejaculated the officer, "that means me. Now let us see--what
shall we do?"
It did not take the detective very long to decide upon his course. He
wrote the letter, and proceeding to Station B, mailed it, then he lay
around for several hours until he saw a very nice-looking young lady
call and ask for a letter addressed to "I. F." The letter was delivered
and the girl started off with the detective on her track. He trailed her
to an old-fashioned house in a very excellent neighborhood.
The girl meantime entered the house and delivered the letter to an old
lady--the same old lady who had been robbed. The latter said, as the
girl entered the room to the left of the hall:
"What! you have an answer already?"
"Yes, aunty."
The old woman took the letter, opened it and read:
"MADAM: I saw your advertisement. I will call upon you. When a card
is presented with the name of the undersigned you will know it is
the detective.
"Yours,
"OSCAR DUNNE."
"Well, I declare," exclaimed the old lady; "he will call on us."
"But how will he know where to call, aunty; you did not give your
address in the advertisement."
"That is so. I had forgotten that. Why, how will he know where to call.
I fear I have made a mistake. A man who is as big a dunce as that can be
of no service to us."
"But wait, aunty, these men sometimes have dark and mysterious ways of
their own for finding out facts. Let's wait and see if he does call."
Even as the girl spoke there came a ring at the door bell, and a few
minutes later a servant presented a card on which was the name, "Oscar
Dunne."
"Why, Alice, he is here; it's wonderful."
"Will you see him?"
"Yes."
"Alone?"
"Yes, retire, my child."
The niece retired and a few moments later Oscar was ushered into the old
lady's presence.