The National tribune., 1899-08-10

with this sort of work was unsrspected
| until in moment of bravado he exhibited
Il quantity of new bogus coins in small
mountain town. An operative of the secret
service division, after some weeks of pa
flent work, succeeded in approaching Ware
and Funk with a proposition to purchase Il
quantity of their product. 1t was not an
easy matter to bring them to the point OF
actually making the trade. Suspicious al
ways of possible pitfalls. they INDUCED in
series OF tests to establish to their salts
faction the character of the man with
whom they We're to deal. Appointments
were made apparently in good faith for
the exchange OF the bogus metal. packages
ostenslbly containing the coins were
brought to the place of meeting for the de
ilberate purpose of drawing the fire, II
may SO express it, of Government officers,
should this really be a trap. Arrests on
any of these occasions would have been
fIuitless, for the packages contained moth
ing but blocks of wood. Patience and good
Judgment on the part of the officers pre-
vented precipitate action, and succeeded in
iHlliHg the suspicious of the coiners. Final
ty an appointment was made at a small
hotel at Tyrone, Pa. To Operative Abbott
had fallen the dangerous task of meeting
the men and carrying on the deal. Opera
1--we Perkins, with an assistant, secured a
room at the hotel on the opposite side OF
the hall from that occupied by the coiners
and Abbott.
1t was arranged that Abbott should, by
some rise, get one of the men to leave the
room after the coin was actually in sight.
and the arrests were to be made as soon as
this was accomplished. SLIPPERY jim
and Abbott We're first in their room, and Il
little later We're joined by .Bish", who car
red aT ordinary leather travelling sachel
This, which weighed something over 100
pounds, was handed over to slippery jim,
and he and Abbott took seats at opposite
sides of a small table, each with his re-
yolver under his right leg on the chair
ready for any emergency, while "Bish,"
with his gun in his hand, stood guard at
the door. 1T was trying moment for the
officer when Funk opened the grip and took
from itsraH after roll of coin, neatly made
up in packages of SO. The time had nearly
come to act, and he read death in the faces
of the two criminals. One of the men must
be gotten rid of temporarily, but how? His
mind worked rapidly, and as he took the
rolls from Funk one by one plausible plan
presented itself which was at least worth
a trial. The counting went on slowly until
nearly the whole amount had been trans
ferred.
Look here" said Abbott suddenly, q
can't take chance on this stiff coming
loose and rafting around in my grip. am
taking long chances in this thing and
don't want to slip up. jim" addressing
the man across the table, take this hall
dollar and run across to the dry-goods store
and get me piece of muslin. III feel safer
with these rolls done up in cloth"
Wait until we get through" said Jim.
The count went on, and at its conclusion
"Bs,l" stepped to the table and with an
oath said that he world get the cloth.
ThruSting his revolver into his pocket, he
dashed ont Of the room and down the
stairs. The moment the door closed Alb
bot, declaring his identity rs an officer,
tackled Funk. In less than minute Funk
had the upper hand Of the officer. and the
rnuzzle Of his pistol was pressed against his
forehead. Abbo.t managed to get one of
hisfingers Under the hammer of the weapon
and prevented its use. though Funk was
slowly choking the life ont OF hin, when
Perkins and his assistant broke into the
room and quickly had the desperate over
powered and handcuffed. They stepped
back into the hall just as '.Bish" came
dashing back with the cloth in his hands.
Perkins ordered a surrender, and the an
'T'er was two pistol shots, SO close that the
flash almost blinded him. The fire was re-
turned and Ware, apparently unharmed.
made for the stairs, reached the street, ran
a short distance, turned into an alley, and
there dropped dead, having been shot
through the lung.