The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-10-25
THOMAS B. CARTER DEAD
GOVERNMENT SECRET-sERVICE Of
FICER WITH A FINE RECORD.
Suddenly Expires Mt LOuisviIIe-His
Work During the War
with Spain.

Thomas b. Carter. chief of the United
States Secret Service for Indiana, Ken
lucky and Tennessee, died suddenly at the
Setback Hotel, at Louisville, Sunday night
of heart failure. He was to have joined his
son in this city yesterday, but when the
porter of the hotel went to call him to take
the train yesterday morning he was found
dead in his bed. The coroners verdict was
that he had died about midnight and with
out pain
The dead man was one of the best known
secret service men in the country, and was
promoted to his present position a few
months ago, 10 succeed the late Capt.
Michael Bauer. He was Kentuckian by
birth, and served as a soldier in the Con-
federate army during the civil war, rising
to the rank Of major from that of pri-
vate. At the close of the war he went to
Louisville and for time engaged in bust
ness, finally entering the secret service,
where ha has steadily advanced to the posi-
ton of chief of this jurisdiction Although
Democrat, he has been retained under
successive Republican administrations since
he first entered the service. There was an
effort made during one of the Cleveland ad-
ministrations to remove him, in order that
some Of the men active in the party could
be appointed to his place, but the clamor for
his retention was too strong to admit of
the change being made, and so his own
party was compelled to keep him in office.
During the course of his experience he
has been the cause of more convictions in
the Federal Court than any other officer
who ever held the position, and his name
inspired terror in the bodest criminals. He
was, however, entirely just in his methods
nd to
to get a suspected man to convict himself
His theory was that a criminal would in
variably "tie the moose around his own neck
if given the opportunity TO do so.' In
tracking a lawbreaker however, he was
thoroughly merciless. and never allowed
friendships. fatigue. difficulties or anything
else to discourage him or turn him from his
purpose. From the beginning of his federal
service he was success.
Through his efforts the infamous Levi
Rittenhouse gang at Osgood and the coun-
terfeiters gang in Orange county were sue
cessvely broken up. The more prominent
of his achievements during his connection
with the secret service were the running
down to a final death in prison of pete
Mccartney, the notorious counterfeiter, who
was arrested at Richmond, in TINS state,
several years ago and offered Major Carter
5000 if he would refuse to identity MN,
as neither were known to the authorities:
Nelson briggs and his wife, who, while op-
Grating a rOadhouse near Dayton, o.. flood
ed the country thereabout with spurious
coins and the Webster Head gang, who
made bills so skillfully that they passed
muster with the country banks and made
the gang famous. He also helped run the
notorious Niles Ogle to earth and secured
a long residence for him in the Columbus
co. penitentiary.
Since the beginning of the Spanish war
he had been doing active work for the War
Department in freeing the country of dam
gerous Spanish sympathizers and gathering
information regarding exorbitant contracts
for the use of transports and the purchaS-
ing of supplies and by his efforts saved the
government many thousands of dollars.
One of his best efforts during the recent
war was the unraveling Of a plot for the
blowing up of several gunpowder mills. The
ment to guard the works nipped the plot
in the bud.
Since the beginning of the war he has
spent much of his time in Louisville but
kept his residence in this city at the Vic
toria, with his wife and grown son. He was
about fifty years of age. The remains will
arrive in this city at IL 80 o'clock this morn
ing and will be taken to the Victoria, from
which place the funeral will be held in all
probability on Wednesday. Although APP
parently enjoying good health up to the
time of his death, Major Carter was great
ly troubled over severe pains he expert
enced in the region of his heart, and re-
marked on several occasions that he feared
that his heart would eventually give him
trouble.