The New York herald., 1867-10-24
An Old Gamo Revived.

An Old Gamo Revived.
A very curious case is on trial before the
United States Commissioners Court in this
city, in which an ex-deputy marshal is charged
with having conspired, with other parties,
while in the government service, to obtain the
release OF o prisoner accused Of counterfeiting
in the State Of Maine. The plan by which 1t
is alleged that the liberation Of the counter
feiter was to be secured was ingenious. if 1t
has not The credit Of novelty. The deputy
marshal, it Is asserted was to receive seven
hundred dollars from the prisoner for his ser
vices, and the mode Of operations was sug-
gested by him. The friends Of the prisoner,
under the officers direction, hired rooms on
Bleecker street. fitted them up with counter
feiting press, plates and other machinery, at
small outlay, and placed in the apartments
few sheets Of spurious twenty-five cent stamps,
furnished for the purpose by the friendly
marshal. When all was ready the vigilant
officer, having secured the assistance Of others
not in the secret, made . descent upon the
headquarters of dangerous gang Of counter
feiters," and burst into the Bleecker street
rooms, the doors having been previously fixed
so as to make the operation an easy one. OF
course none Of the 'gang" were TO be found
but their implements were seized, their work
stopped, the public protected and an important
service rendered to the government The
marshal was then to make known to the
authorities the fact that the Maine prisoner
had impaired to him the valuable informa-
ton on which he had acted, and which
had secured this gratifying result, and the
effect was to be the release of the repentant
counterfeiter by grateful government There
appears, however, to have been some hitch in
the latter part of the arrangement The seven
the deputy marshal; but the release Of the
prisoner was not forthcoming. The disclosure
Of the conspiracy was the consequence Of this
failure to fulfil the most important part Of the
contract
From the days when Homer. Merritt and
thiefcatching business In this city down to the
present time, the police, whether amateurs or
professionals, have always been more or less
in league with the thieves, and have resorted
to Just such tricks as that attributed to the
marshal now on trial. to help their friends, to
put money in their own pockets, or to catch
their birds, as the case might be. The stool
pigeon" game Is as old as the hills. It lies at
the very foundation OF the detective system.
An officer who desires to shine or to accumu-
late riches in the detective business, as . pre-
liminary requisite gets perfectly familiar with
all the thieves in the city. Their rank in the
profession, the peculiar line to which they
devote themselves, their location, habits and
associations are oil at his fingers ends. He
knows whom he can call upon to assist him to
any desired information, and, upon ascertain
ing how robbery was committed, recognizes
the operator at once from his work, and could
pounce down upon him in an instant But he
does not do so by any means If sufficient
reward is offered then he can discover the cul-
prit but II II promises to pay him better be
lets the thief know that he could "haup him
If he chose. and draws upon him, If not for
cash, for services ut some future time, in re-
payment for conniving at his escape.
"Setting up" jobs is an old and profitable
amusement Of detectives. They use their
" stool pigeons" to entice green hands or
thieves against whom they hold q grudge into
some big burglary, counterfeiting scheme or
other criminal operation, and then at the pro-
per moment make swoop upon the gang,
take in all they desire and suffer the others
to escape. Bristol Bill and One-syed
Thompson, some years ago, were extensive
operators with the detectives in this line. In
one case they involved well known character,
Arlington Bennett in an awkward affair, and
nearly convicted him of felony. Bennett was
man Of means, built fine house on Long
Island and had spiral staircase erected lead
ing up . high tree, in the branches Of which he
was accustomed to sit and read books to which
he pfofessed much devotion. One-eyed Thomp-
son and others hired or took possession ofsome
outhouses on his premises, finding the spot to
be quiet and retired, and secreted in them lot
of burglars tools and quantity OF stolen
property. The detectives came down upon
the retreat discovered the suspicious articles,
and arrested Bennett, the proprietor, who had
hard job to prove himself innocent OF any
connection with the real thieves. One-eyed
Thompson became eventually 30 mixed up and
complicated between the thieves, the stool
pigeons and the officers, that he coulA notrccon-
cile il with his consciencs 70 1.-Two any longer,
and so took poison and died.
This game Of operating With thieves to catch
thieves, and Of procuring the release Of some
and the conviction Of otherssor consideration.