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TWELFTH EDITION

prior to the American invasion of North Africa. On the previous Tuesday morning, U. S. Attorney-General Biddle stated in Washington, Bedaux’s attorney found him unconscious in his quarters at the immigra- tion bureau. Rushed in an ambulance to Jackson Hospital he remained in a coma till his death, leaving behind a suicide note, the contents of which have not been revealed.

In the light of these events certain old- timers are again wondering if there isn’t more behind this mystery trip of Charles Bedaux’s through the strategic region now traversed by the Alaska Military Highway than has been revealed, and if, as some suspected at the time, he wasn’t actually working for some foreign government.

(Copyright by Philip H. Godsell, 1944)

TIGHT SPOT FOR THE SECRET AGENT

IT’S TOUGH the breaks some people get. Just trying to do the right thing and get along, then zowie! everything goes out of gear.

Take an instance in a certain Peace River town early this year. A young fellow trying hard to make a career of police work is studying his head off waiting for the day when he'll blossom out as a full fledged officer of the law—and does he get co-opera- tion from the regularly appointed guardians of law? Not a bit of it! In fact they take a completely opposite view. The whole story of heartbreak and disillusionment was con- tained in a letter received at Headquarters early this year. Here it is:

Dawson Creek, B.C. March 8th, 1944

Commissioner of B.C. Police Victoria, B.C.

Dear Sir:

Just dropping you a line to say that I (name withheld) have been taken a course in Private Detective from Washington, D.C., U.S.A. Any chance of getting sworn in your force down there? It would help me out a lot also them. I can do good here in plain clothes. I was talking to one of your boys here, showed him my credential card of Introduction. Id like to go around with him, I told him I'd find out things and he

could pick them up. Things happened today. I gets a soldier with sixteen bottles of whiskey. I tried to get it up my room and called for one of your boys to pinch him. It all happend different I make a deal to him to take it down to one of the bootleg- gers and sell it there he did take the stuff there. I told this party about him having the liquor, I came back to tell him this so he could do the business and I was going to get one of your boys to catch both. But I didn’t have time to get away when two of your other boys came and caught us. Before I could get away from it all. So I'll have to go to court and soon. I told them the truth at the station what I was going to do. None of the stuff didn’t belong to me and I didn’t make no deal for a cut in. They just took me in cause I started the whole thing. I never got away in time to get one of the boys to pinch both.

I tried to get in your force before last year. I sure would like to get in. I got two more months of course to take yet. I’m taking a good course also finger prints and codes. I’ve been around here for three years, and I know a lot whats going on if I could only pick the guys up myself it would save a lot of running around for me. The boys here know that I'm taking this course also showed my credential card. Could you help me out in any way of get- ting in your force at all. I'd sure like to get in up here. I can do good up here. Do you think I can get out of this court over this guy. I never had time to get away to get

Dy Y KK Srilagyi

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C.

This typical illustration of the Provincial Police officer's work in the Peace River area comes from Const. E. L. Rosberg of Fort St. John, pictured here beside his Indian guide, Dan Apsassin, on the

trail between Nig Creek, 75 miles north of Fort St. John, and Blueberry Creek.

Coroner E. J.

Paling of Fort St. John, who accompanied the party, took the picture. The occasion was the investiga- & . ie g

tion of the alleged mysterious death of an Indian trapper early last March.

Although the matter was

satisfactorily cleared up, it meant a 300-mile round trip for the constable and coroner.

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