The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1898-07-17
SECRET SERVICE SCOUTS
AF7Ef SPANISH SPIES
Chief Wilkie Tells of the Clever Operations
of His Men in Running Down Downing
and Other hformers in Spanish Employ

posed 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 advantage.
L grabbed him by the collar and ex-
planned our errand briefly Instead of
fight he wilted like an icicle on the
washington pavement in July. Enter
ing his room we found his effects, the
cipher he was to use in telegraphing
to his Spanish employer, some de-
stroyed correspondence fact every
thlng necessary to make out 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 military prison and
there, after a severe attack of melan-
cholia, he committed suicide by hang
ing"
Chief Wilkie is a young man, under
40 years of age. He is the son of
the late distinguished journalist, Franc
Wllkle, whose articles in the Chicago
Times when Wilbur F. Story was
alive were largely instrumental in the
success of that newspaper. John Will
k1e followed in the profession of his
1ather. For a number of years he
was city editor of the Chicago Tribune.
liz 4C1I 10 become
ger of Lows Exchange in London and
went from there to the Secret Service.
Not long ago Secretary Gage asked
Wilkie to do a bit of special work for
him. The work required much Shrewd-
ness and nerve. Wilkie performed the
task so quickly and satisfactorily that
Gage almost took Wilkes breath
away from him by offering him the
high position he now holds. Wilkie
had had no thought of the place and
was skeptical of his ability to fill it.
But Gage was confident; and that the
selection was good has been abundant
ly demonstrated by the short time it
has taken the young Chicagoan to
practically break up the Spanish spy
system here by capturing it's chief OPP
eratives and exposing, SO completely,
| the identity of its chief that the latter.
| according to the present outlook, will
have to leave his snug harbor in Can
ada and quit this hemisphere.
During times of peace the secret ser
vice is engaged in looking after GRIM
inals who take to counterfeiting for
living. That pursuit in itself is spicy
enough in variety. But the demands of
war lend additional bite to the spicy
quality of the service. Shortly after
the Spanish legation left Washington
the War Department received numer-
Gus reports concerning Spanish spies
and asked Chief Wilke to look after
them. President Mckinley placed five
thousand dollars to Wilkes credit and
later fifty thousand dollars more to his
credit to carry on his operations. He
was thus enabled to secure a large and
competent force to cover the country
thoroughly; and with the knowledge
that there is plenty more money where
the last came from.
! A week or so ago BILLY" Pinkerton,
! the famous Chicago detective, was
seen to come from Chief Wilkes room
and straightway the report went forth
that Pinkerton had been engaged to
assist Will1ie in running down Spanish
spies. The report is wholly incorrect.
In the first place the Government is
prohibited by statute passed by Con-
gress just after the Homestead riots
from employing the Pinkertons. In the
second place, instead of going to
help Wilkie with advice, Pinkerton
went to clear his skirts of all suspicion
of being in any way connected with
the Spanish spy system. Prior to the
war Pinkerton was in the employ of
the Spanish legation, and by his detec-
tive ability many filibustering expedi-
lions were foiled. 1t was therefore not
unnatural to think that he might still
be retained by Spain. 1t is but just
to Pinkerton to say that he demon
strated to Wilkes complete satisfac-
ton that he is a loyal citizen and has
now no connection whatever with
SOain