The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-06-26

w dSltiliStOll, tune ZZ.-Ine war pOWe
of the government is generally under
stood to consist OF the army and navy
only. There is, however, another ele
ment belonging to it, an element com
paratively insignificant in numbers
but of great worth in point of persona
bravery and value to the government
It's members are selected because o.
their rare combination of unmeasurec
! daring, shrewd judgment, GOODNESS anC
untiring energy and alertness. Theil
/ loyalty, of course, is unquestionable. Il
it not unquestioned. however, till it has
! been tried and not found wanting.
Reference is had to the secret SER
vice and its personnel. 1t is most
powerful arm in time of war. Com
paratively little is heard Of it, Men &c
! into ii unknown, are sent upon some
perilous duty which is often more likely
| to result in their death than in its sue
! cessful accomplishment. And when
successful accomplishment is the result
| the name of the hero is seldom biaz-
/ oned forth in the public press. These
men of the secret service go about
1 their work quietly 1t is necessary that
they should. Their lives and the sue
cess of their undertaking depend on 1t.
! There is no crowd of proud companions
looking on to cheer them There is no
martial music to welcome their trium-
plant return. There is no regiment or
ships crew to mourn their death.
Their death, unless they are killed
while their discoveries are hot with
wrath, is generally the igncminious one
OF the rope. For they are spies. And
spies are considered by the law OF ma
lions 10 be the legitimate prey OF the
gibbet. Being spies, many people are
= PIrfi
must be considered that spies in time
of war are absolutely necessary. And
it should be remembered that some OF
the bravest and most honorable men of
the Rebellion were at one time or an
other detailed for and went on spy
duty-many of whom never came back.
These men of the secret service must
be ready at any time to go anywhere
and without regard to the danger in
CURED. If they succeed, well and good.
If they fail, they seldom get blamed,
for they seldom come back.
ATHWARTING SPANS EFFORTS.
The secret service during the present
war has been mostly employed in dis
covering and thwarting the efforts or
Spain to get information and gain GER
tain ends in this country by means Of
secret agents. That the secret service
has been successful has been attested
by Lieutenant Carranza, formerly of
the Spanish legation in Washington,
and the head of the Spanish spy svs-
tenn in this country. In his published
letter setting forth his hopes. plans and
experiences, he refers to the work OF
the secret service thus:
THE Americans are showing the
most extraordinary vigilance. They
have cfotured my two best men, AND
he might have added: In moment
one of their men will come into this
room, take this letter. send it ITO John
Wilkie, chief of the secret service of
America, who will thereby be informed
officially, as if 1 were to confess to him
myself, all that l have done and all
that I hope to do"
An illustration of how neatly the Sc
cret service does its work was given
to me today by Chief Wilkie himself
during a conversation in his private Of
flee. There was no boasting in the tone
of the chief. He spoke in the key of
casual talk.
THE DOWNING CASE.
1.-The Downing case was taken up by
us and we disposed of him." Chief Will
kie began, lin less than one week.
was warned that George Downing, a
former sailor on the cruiser Brooklyn,
ildQ cIl6Itu Spanish spy SCI VIZ
He was located on arriving in Toronto.
When he went to pay his first call to
the attache of the Spanish legation my
man was within earshot and heard
every word that passed between them.
He heard all of the instructions Down
ing received, and when Downing left
the room, my man met him as If by
chance and asked for match to light
his cigar. He walked with him to the
hotel office, got a good look at him, fol-
lowed him to his hotel, learned his as
sumed name. got a tracing Of his hand
writing from the register and later he
Swallowed him to the train. Then he
telegraphed me that Downing had left
for Washington on the O'Clock train.
sent me a full description OF him
and when the train arrived here three
of my boys spotted him. They followed
him to a boarding house, where he left
his grip. Then they followed him about
town and back to his house. After an
hour or so he came out and walked to
the postoffice. When he dropped let
ter to his Spanish employer in Toronto
through the postoffice receiver, the let
ter fell into the hands of one of my
operatives and was brought at once to
me. while the other operatives followed
Downing back to his boarding house. L
opened the letter and, upon reading 1t,
with the war depart
ment, which decided upon a military
arrest Soldiers were sent for and,
taking a few operatives with me, we
went to Downing's house. He was still