A FAMOUS DETECTIVE

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXI, Issue 4467, 21 September 1901, Page 3 (Supplement)

A FAMOUS DETECTIVE

The death is announced of Mr Gerald Van Helden, who, since 1892. has been chief, bf the .Birmingham' detective department. A native ,of Holland,, he came to England thirty-five -years ago. end joined as an ordinary constable the police force of Birmingham.' Being a young man; of good education, and able to speak several/languages, he obtained rapid promotion., Perhaps, the first important case entrusted to his hand-: was one instituted by the Jockey Club respecting a horse which was entered for the Wolverhampton races as a Vwo-year-old under the name 1 of Glance. , Contrary to everybody’s expectation,, the stranger won easily from Howitt’g Chorister, the favourite.’ Suspicion was aroused after. the race, as in the -heavy rain which was falling, the animal was seen to bo altering in appearance. Mr Helden was' called upon to sift ,the matter. and soon i discovered that a fraud had been confmitted, for the , horse, was no other than a three_year-old named Sphinx, which had competed at Sutton races a few days before.; After running at Sutton Sphinx' was brought to Birmingham, and when stabled its; tail was cut' and its name plaited.;and'the white marks on the nose were covered with caustic: , By, this means the distinguishing marks, were removed, and the horse was entered as a 1 two-year-old at Wol vorhampton. , The . owners hacked it heavily, and;.of course, had a substan tial haul. The Jockey Club took up the case, sitha owners were arrested,’ and at Stafford Assizes one was sentenced to nine months’, and the -other to- six months’'imprisonment. . One of his most exciting -experiences was when he was ; called upon .to; investigate 'a; robbery from a" jewellery shop. Goods disappeared mysteriously between and- Monday.; morn ing. Mr' Van Helden decided to lie in wait, v His only hiding place ( was a small cupboard in a room in which, some years before, the proprietor had been shot dead by his cashier. The position was: far from comfortable, nor was it improved by the knowledge that his presence was unknown to the watchmen, who were armed with revolvers. Patience was rewarded on tha seventh Sunday of his watch, when the burglar scrambled through a window, alighting on his hands on a: table. Gathering himself up, he crept stealthily into an adjoining room, returned with a revolverana went to the: place where the jewellery was locked up. Van Helden, when the man’s' back -was turned, darted out of his hiding place, f and rushing upon the intruder, seized him by the right arm before he had-time to turn the revolver upon him, and> slipped a handcuff on his wrist and fastened the other to the letterpress.