PRACTICAL INSTRUCTION
FOR DETECTIVES
A Complete Course
in Secret Service Study
BY
EMMERSON W. MANNING
Manning National Detective Institute
CHICAGO
FREDERICK J. DRAKE & CO.
PUBLISHERS
Copyright 1921
FREDERICK J. DRAKE & CO.
Copyright 1916
By
EMMERSON W. MANNING
Printed in the United States of America
PREFACE
Having been connected for many years with two of the largest and most successful private detective agencies in this country, both as an operator and as an official, and having been requested to outline briefly and concisely the most modern and up-to-date methods employed by leading detectives and private detective agencies of today, I shall confine myself in these pages to facts and a few personal experiences. I will endeavor to show that any person possessed of average intelligence, and who will use good common sense, can become a successful detective, regardless of his present or previous occupation.
This country today stands in need of more and better detectives than ever before in its history, and if one be inclined to doubt this statement he need only pick up the morning newspaper of any city of any size and be convinced that this is true. Hundreds of crimes of all descriptions are committed daily and statistics show that more than fifty per cent of persons committing crimes go unmolested and unpunished. Besides, there are the thousands of employees on our various transportation systems, in banks, stores, and in mercantile establishments, who are daily committing thefts of various kinds from their employers and whose[8] nefarious operations are rarely uncovered, when one considers the actual number of thefts committed.
One may wonder why such conditions exist, or why so many criminals can operate without detection. It is because of the lack of sufficient trained detectives to hunt down the criminals and to ferret out the crimes.
It has been said that every criminal, no matter how careful he may be in his operations and regardless of the nature of his crime, will leave some trail or clue by which he may be detected. All good detectives will vouch for the truth of this statement. For the real detective no case is too complicated nor too difficult. More trained detectives are needed, and until we have them, undetected crimes and unpunished criminals will continue on the increase.
Every large city, every corporation, transportation company, mercantile establishment and manufacturing concern is constantly in need of detective service. There are thousands of concerns, also individuals, who are ever on the alert for the opportunity to employ good detectives. To the young man who may wish to connect himself with some reliable detective agency it will be well to keep in mind the following:
That when making application for such position he very likely will encounter such inquiries as: “What can you do?” or “What do you know about detective work?” In order to secure a position in any line it is essential that one have not only a talking knowledge, but also a working knowledge of the line. Careful study of what I shall set forth should enable any ambitious young man not only to secure a position as a private detective, but to “make good” as well; and if he so desires, to start and successfully conduct a