The relations of the regular police to crime, however, and the general subject of police graft have little place in a chapter of this character.
The first question that usually arises is whether a detective shall or shall not be employed at all in any particular case.

Usually the most important thing is to find out what the real character, past, and associations of some particular individual may be.

Well-established detective agencies with offices throughout the country are naturally in a better position to acquire such information quickly than the private individual or lawyer, since they are on the spot and have an organized staff containing the right sort of men for the work.

If the information lies in your own city you can probably hire some one to get it or ferret it out yourself quite as well, and much more cheaply, than by employing their services.

The leads are few and generally simple.