Lady Barber Stops "Sleuth's" Career

1920

Lad's Tale of "Big Catches" Fails to Get By

KANSAS CITY, Mo., Feb. 26. — With a certificate from a correspondent school for detectives and a bright metal badge marked "special officer," Charles H. Stuart, 16 years old, of Jonesboro, Ark., came to Kansas City to chase imaginary bank robbers.

Young Mr. Stuart measures 6 feet 6 inches in height and weighs nearly 200 pounds, but he never had indulged the luxury of a shave, so he decided to experiment. He entered a shop of female barbers and after getting his first shave he thought it a fine idea to take other things tonsorial.

He admitted that he liked the work of the "lady barber" and he took a face massage, a scalp massage, a shampoo and a singe.

Boasts of His Big Catches

Incidentally, Stuart announced that he was a traveling detective, with a huge number of big catches to his credit. He displayed his star and the "lady barber" polished it for him. He said he was here on the trail of bank robbers.

The proprietor of the shop then telephoned to police headquarters.
Paul Weitkam, height 5 feet 4 inches, weight 125 pounds, the smallest detective on the Kansas City force, was sent to investigate. The 16-year-old Stuart appeared as a giant beside the diminutive Weitkam.

"What kind of stuff are you pulling around here?" demanded the city detective.

Stuart's face became pale. He trembled, then he began to cry.

His "Mental Poise" Unbalanced

Weitkam took the young adventurer to headquarters, where he told his story. He said he had paid $5 to the detective school and after he got his certificate he lost his mental poise.

Stuart was released, but showed up at headquarters next morning, having the impression that it was up to him to appear for a hearing. He got one, too.

Leo Mullen, property clerk, acted as judge and Stuart was "sentenced" to six months in the county jail. He was "paroled" on condition that he should never again visit a "lady barber's" shop, and that he should start back to Jonesboro on the first train.