The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1891-02-11
TWO QUIET MEN.
Chief Drummond and Assistant Chief
Brooks OF the secret Service.


washington ; tar.
Upon the third floor of the treasury
building, in q small room whose windows
form series of frames for three pretty
views of the white house and grounds. sit
two quiet men. They own the brains
that direct the machinery that stands be-
tween crime and the great monetary srs-
TEN OF the government. whose skill and
ingenuity search out the sources OF all the
forms OF iniquity which man is constant
ly using in order TO get money without
honestly earning it. These men know
the habits and haunts of every skillful
operator in crooked methods in the coun-
try, are acquainted with the names and
general working places OF many of the
less artistic ones and have means of in
formation that enable them to locate al
most any OF the others whenever they
want them. These men are veterans in
the art OF dealing with that class OF men
that obtain q livelihood bv initiating the
good and lawful money OF the country,
more briefly known as "counterieiters,"
and today they probably form the strong
est combination that could possibly be
made for the protection OF Uncle Sans
credit.
The elder OF these two men is now the
junior in authority, while the younger
man Is the head Of all the machinery of
the system. The younger man is a pleas
ant-faced, rather comfortably stout indi-
vidual. whose chief feature in the midst
OF his generally intelligent countenance is
well groOmed brown mustache, the care
fully curled ends of which indicate a close
attention to details in his own lie as we'll
as III his conduct of his business. He il
Mr.. \. l.. DrummOnd, the new chief OF
the secret service division Of the treasury,
whose appointment to that position has
given general satisfaction TO everybody
except, probably, the vast army OF wrong
doors. whose life he proposes to make mis-
cradle. Mr.. Drummond has wound up
his private business in New York, where
ne has for four years conducted success
ful detective agency, and is now finally at
the helm Of thesecret service. His advent
to office has been made with little altera-
tl0n in the official structure with which he
is surrounded, the only change so far be-
ing the substitution OF Mr.. McCombe as
chief clerk for Mr.. Cowie, who has held
the office Tor a long time.
Mr.. Drummond was born in Lancaster
county, Pa, in 1915, his father being
farmer. The young man passed through
the usual routine of a farm boy. working
hard during sowing, growing and moving
time aud trsmping to a country school in
the few months of the showing season.
When be WAS thirteen years Old he went
from his home down to Port Deposit, Nd,
where he apprentenced himself to mar
ness-maker. Whe2 he had mastered the
trade he went 10 Baltimore and worked for
q short time. The arrival of the wonder
ful steamship. the Great Eastern. at An
| n6polis, where young Drummond saw her,
fired in his mind the traditionary desire
to be a sailor. and he shipped on board
vessel. Five years later having been true
TO his new life for that period, he became
an officer on the steamer Costa RIGA, of the
Aspinwsll line. From 1865 to 1871 he was
employed in various capacities by the
United States and Brazil steamship COM
pany. and in the latter year he left the sea
fOrever-it is to be supposed-and for a
few months was employed by large in
eurance company.
In the same year he received an ap-
pointment on the force OF the treasury
secret service, whore he remained with
increasing skill and reputation until 1883.
In 1875 Mr. Drummond was made chief of
| the Philadelphia district, working most
successfully as such for four wears, after
which be was sent to take charge of the
| New York district. where his extraordi-
| nary talents in detecting crime made him
famous. Among his achievements was
| the capture of the notorious Rockaway
gang OF forgers.
Mr.. Drummond's integrity has through
all of his dangerous association with
treacherous and tricky men remained as
firm as u rock. The efforts that have
been made to swerve him from the path of
duty have been sufficient to make
weaker man tremble and falter but he
has always remained true TO his trust.
A writer in the New York Metropolis. a
journal that ordinarily pays little enough
respect TO the feelings oil men, saws in a
recent issue: 81 know this man Drum
mond, and have known him nigh onto
twenty wears. As a shrewd, industrious,
enterprising presevering detective he is
without an equal. In addition 10 the rea-
soning powers OF man he has the in
stinct and sagacity of a bloodhound. AS
a planner and plotter to outwit the pir-
ates OF society who live BY crime, likethe
counterfeiter, the smuggler aud the mail
robber, Drummond surpasSes them all. As
a commanding officer his ability to organ
ize men and delegate power TO right in
struments admirably equips him to direct
the secret service of the treasury depart
has his place. A. l.. Drummond has COM
manded in this same position before a
partial error, as Mr.. Drummond only
commanded in New York.. He has been
well tried and thoroughly trusted. His
price is the salary for which he agrees to
work. Beyond that there is not money
enough coined TO tempt him to violate a
trust"
Such praises as these are being sounded
on all sides and, TO judge from the tenor
of the comment upon the appointment, it
is quite certain that Secretary Window
has, in this case chosen wisely and well.
Across the desk from Chief Drummond
sits the other man, the elder in experience
and in skill Mr.. Drummond insists
but the junior now in rank. This man,
Col. James J. Brooks has voluntarily re-
linquished the reins OF the service, and has
refused, again and again, TO be appointed
to be it's chief. He prefers to labor hum
bly, and unseen in the ranks after years OF
magnificent work rather than assume
again the responsibility of planning and
directing the operations that have made
this system of crime-detection famous all
over the world. He is now occupying the
position with reference TO hIr. Drummond
that the latter filled few years ago, and
il is not to be doubted that, with the COM
biuation OF brains, nerve and yigor that
used 10 produce such beneficial results,