ON TOP OF THE UNDERWORLD Personal Reminiscences.

Hardback. The author's family had been officers of the "Force" for over 130 years, probably at the time, a record, so he was certainly born "to the blue". He was in fact helping his father, (ex-Superintendent Alfred Leach), at the tender age of 12, when he was required to follow men in whom his father was "interested". When he joined the Police Force, he only served a year in uniform before transferring to plain-clothes duty, following in his father's footsteps to the Convict Supervision Office. This is where he gained a great knowledge of, and insight into, the ways of expert criminals. One of his duties was also to show visitors round the famous Black Museum at Scotland Yard, explaining the stories connected with the various grim exhibits. One of these was a bootlace with which Bennett, the murderer, strangled his wife on the beach at Yarmouth, a case with which the author's father had been connected - he had in fact arrested Bennett. Upon joining the CID the author was also involved in one of the early triumphs of the finger-print system when it was still in its infancy. Contents include : the murderers Sidney Harry Fox, Browne & Kennedy, Bonnot, the "Red bandit", the "Sweeny Todds" (Pierre Jouberthie and Jean Clancier); Forgers (the "Kite Mob"); Receivers; the "Whizz Mob"; Jewel Thieves; Frauds; the Confidence Trickster (Charles Seaton Mansfield aka MacNally or "Old Mac"); the Stock Exchange Swindle; many, many "Con" stories, + much, much more. Illus. including Frontis. portrait of the author. 248pp. 8vo. h/back. With the usual lightly browned pp., small split to head of sp. with approx. 3" section of sl. frayed cloth to sp/fr. cover edge, o/w Vg. Extremely scarce.