26 
experience. Only by hard work and hard thinking, 
concentration of every energy on the one issue in hand, 
and whole-hearted devotion can anyone carry this work 
to success in spite of discouragements, apparently un¬ 
sol vable problems, and unfavorable jury decisions when 
it seemed that the case would not go wrong. 
Preliminary information .—Success demands thorough 
preparation. This includes not only a knowledge of the 
laws and procedure governing the work, but of the details 
of all lawless regions, such as topography, trails, and other 
get-away avenues; of the persons, existing in every com¬ 
munity, who know all about the rest of the community, 
and the cultivation of their good will so that one may turn 
to them for information when necessary; of the habits, 
rendezvous, and associates of general community suspects 
and of their family, business, and other relationships, so 
that in seeking information from others you may not 
unwittingly kill your own case by approaching one of their 
close sympathizers; and even of the interior arrangements 
of their houses and residence premises, against the possible 
necessity of serving search warrants there. 
Starting out .—Investigative work, especially in fire 
cases, demands even greater speed in get-away than does 
suppression. If footprints lie for days, or even until after 
the suppression crew has tramped over the ground, before 
they are investigated, not only may they be obliterated 
by others but the defense will not be slow to take advan¬ 
tage, in a trial, of the possibility that tracks proved to be 
those of the defendant could have been made after the 
offense was committed. The latter danger applies to 
other trespasses as well as fire. The only safety lies in 
starting investigation on the ground with all possible 
speed. 
How many men .—Never rush in a mob. Unless some¬ 
thing is wrong with the protection organization, even fire 
suppression should not require sending many men at first. 
For investigative purposes two will be best, providing for 
witness and assistance, while reducing the chance of con¬ 
fusion and obliteration of clues. The matter of assistance 
is specially important in case of arrest, in order to give the 
