The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1898-10-29
HUNTING SPANISH SPIES
HOW OUR SECRET SERVICE FOILED
THE ENEMY'S EMlSSARlES.

The Thrilling Capture Of Downing There
Principal Reliance-He Saw His Finish
and Relieved the Government by Com
hitting Suicide-Chief wilkes Exploits
The secret service of the govern
ment during the war has been en-
ployed mostly in discovering and
thwarting the efforts of Spain to get
information and gain certain ends in
this country by means of secret agents.
That the secret service has been sue
cessful has been attested by Lieuten-
ant Carranza, formerly of the Spanish
legation in Washington and the head
of the Spanish spy system in this
country. In his published letter set
ting forth his hopes, plans and expert
ences he referred to the work of the
,ecret service thus
"The Americans are showing the
most extraordinary vigilance. They
have captured my two best men.
And he might have added "In mo-
ment one of their men will come into
this room, take this letter, send it to
John Wilkie, chief of the secret SER
vice of America, who will thereby be
informed officially, as if I were to
confess to him myself, all that have
done and all that 1 hope to do"
An illustration of how the secret
service does its work was given by
Chief Wilkie during conversation
in his private Office
''The Downing case was taken up
by us and we disposed of him." Chief
Wilkie began, sin less than one week.
was warned that George Downing,
former sailor on the cruiser Brook
lyn, had entered the Spanish spy SER
vice. 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 be-
tween them. He heard all of the in
structions Downing received, and
when Downing left the room my man
met him as if by chance and asked for
a match to light his cigar. He walked
with him to the hotel Office, got a
good look at him. followed him to his
hotel, learned his assumed name, got
q tracing of his handwriting from the
register and later Swallowed him to
the train.
'sThen he telegraphed me that
Downing had left for Washington on
the o'clock train, sent me full de-
scription of him, and when the train
arrived here three of my boys spotted
him. They followed him to board
ing house, where he left his grip. Then
they followed him about town and back
to his house. After on hour or 80 he
came out and walked to the postofice.
When he dropped letter to his Span
ish employer in Toronto through the
postofice receiver, the letter 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. I opened
the letter and, upon reading it, COM
municated with the war department,
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 there,
and we waited till the extinguished
lights told us he had gone to bed.
"Then we knocked at the front door.
The mistress of the house thrust her
head through the window and declined
to let us in till l threatened to break
down her door. Then, very much
frightened, she admitted us. Leaving
the soldiers below, took two of my
men, and bidding the landlady go be-
fore, went up, to his door. Ibade the
landlady knock and tell Downing that
some friends from Chicago wanted to
see him. She could leave the rest to
me. She did so. Downing bit at
once and we could hear him dressing.
The hall was dark, and we stood on
either side of the door. When he
opened the door he was in the best pos
sible situation for capture had he been
disposed to put up fight, for he was
in the act of putting on his coat and
had one arm through his sleeve and
the other only half through, SO that
he couldn't have used either to advan-
tage. Igrabbed him by the collar and
explained our errand briefly. Instead
of fight, he wilted like an icicle on the
Washington pavement in July.
Entering his room, we found his
effects, the cipher he was to use in
telegraphing to his Spanish employer,
some destroyed correspondence; in
fact, everything necessary to make out
q perfect case. He never recovered
from his collapse. He had brains
enough to see that it was all up with
him. We turned him over to the
soldiers, who took him to the mill.
tary prison, and there, after severe
attack of melancholia, he committed
suicide by hanging"
Chief Wilkie is under 40. For years
he was city editor of the Chicago Trib
une. He left journalism to go to Lon
don and went from there to the sec
ret service.
Not long ago Secretary Gage asked
Wilkie to do bit of special work fol
him. The work required much shrewd
ness. Wilkie performed the task Sc
quickly and satisfactorily that Gag
offered him the place he now holds.