KEEN DETECTIVES.

Evening Star, Issue 10339, 12 June 1897, Page 1 (Supplement)

KEEN DETECTIVES.

A Frenchman naturally thinks that the Parisian detectives are the best in the world; the Englishman swears by the shrewdness of Scotland Yard men ; and the Americans, of course, by the New York detectives. "After three years' residence in China," writes a recent traveller through the Mongolian Empire, "I do not think either of these three bodies are entitled to the credit given them. The Chinese beat them all. They are at one time the most expert thieves and at another the most skilled detectives in the world. A Chinaman can steal your watch while you are lookiag at it, and he can catch the man who stole it, if it happened to be some other than himself, when a French detective would not. I have teen eviderejs of detective ability among the Chinese that would 6tartle even Lccxq. It is impossible for an evil-doer to long elude the Chinese detectives. They scent a crime and follow it to the end before civilised detectives would know of it. In a country of so many people, who look all alike, this is remarkable. I heard of one case which will serve to illustrate their shrewdness. A family in Tonquin was murdered, and there was no apparent clue to the murderer. The entire detective corps of three provinces were placed upon the case, and in three weeks the murderer —none other than the chief of the secret police, who handled the case for the mnrderer—was arrested and beheaded. Think of that! The Chinese detective force is a secret body, and the best organised in the world. They have an eye upon every man, woman, and child, foreign or native, in China, and, in addition, watch over each other. Informers are encouraged, and collusion is impossible. The head of the Chinese police is not known, but there is one, and' a very active one, too. I have heard that the present head was once Ambassador to a European country, but really do not believe that anyone knows who he is. There are said to be over 600,000 men under him and hie assistants, who control the various districts."