Harold MacGrath

“ Haggerty was not brilliant; he was only slow and sure. And because of this ability to wait he had now been a detective of the first class for six years. As the character of his investigations somewhat removed him from the graft zone, his promise to his wife was rather a negligible one. The low cut-purse, the polished swindler, the dishonest bank-official, all were fish to his net. Being a man of great physical strength, courageous as all Irishmen are who have had to fight their way to a decent pay-roll, and fond of his work besides, he was formidable. ”

“ He had keen blue eyes, too, with room enough between to satisfy the most critical of phrenologists and physiognomists (for whom the detective had the heartiest contempt) . To see things, to observe and retain impressions, it is not necessary to hold a university degree. Theory and logical deduction, as written, interested Haggerty just about as much as a missionary's lecture on the uplift of the sinful Hottentot would have done. Crime to him was merely a picture-puzzle; there were so many pieces and only one way to put them together. When he found a piece he laid it aside ”

“ Thumb-print, 's large as life. You could have knocked me over with a feather. Say, girl, you wouldn't think it, but there's three thousand bugs in this little ol' New York who don't do nothing but collect things, furniture, rugs, china, weapons, foreign things an' mummies. ”