The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-06-18
New York Sun.

New Workers got their first glimpse re-
Gently of the marvellous system under
which the men Of the United States secret
service work, when the local police, help
less In the face of a particularly revolving
and battling murder, were able to solve
the mystery only after the government
men had furnished them with the identity
of the murdered man. the names of the
last man he had associated with before
his death and the probable motive for the
crime.
The popular idea of the secret service
man is that furnished by the stalWart fell
lows who follow the president OF the
United States on his travels. AS a matter
Of fact, these men are not detectives at
all, but in most cases men appointed out
Of private life by political influence, and
useful only because of their vigilance,
their ability to work hard, and their
courage under any and all circumstances.
The real secret service man is the man
that the public never hears OF by name.
The public hears Of his exploits whenever
a gang Of counterfeiters is broken up or
an Illicit still is raided, but it doesn't hear
the names of the men who did the work.
and it hasn't the least idea in the world
| how success was attained. 1t doesn't
know that daily, for months and months
men who work for comparatively small
salaries have taken their very lives in
their hands to get evidence against the
country, and have finally got their men
only because they were quicker with their
! guns than the criminals were, and were
cunning enough to catch them unaware.
In this age, when even the policemen
and firemen have personal press agents,
| a secret service man Is a refreshing nov
/ city. No matter how creditable a piece
of work one Of these men does, he will
| never willingly let his own name be con-
nected with it in the newspapers. He
| will give no information to reporters, al
l tho to do so would be to bring fame to
1 himself, and he will not rest on his
laurels after big piece OF work. but will
start right out again on something else
as soon as he has reported to his chief.
/ The personal modesty of the secret
service man is quite remarkable. The
three men who really rounded up the
gang that perpetrated the recent barrel
\ murder in this city declined to give re-
porters their names, and it wasn't until
Agent Flynn, the head Of the local bureau
had been implored for half an hour that
he finally consented to tell who his men
were.
The work of the secret service men il
confined to a very few classes of Grim.
inals. Chiefly it is among coiners
= counterfeit note makers and Illicit dis
> tillers There are other kinds Of work
DONE but very little of it by the crack
men. New men attend thieving posta
clerks, dishonest government employees
and do the odds and ends Of the work OF
, the department.
, The first principle of the crack men o.
the secret service Is to know every law.
breaker in the two first-named classes
. by sight, anyway; by name If possible
and by number If not by name. This Il
a hard task, but the secret service rner
: accomplish it. The coiners and counter
feiters are chiefly Italians. They arr
l or4 &c Vol for 10y
> to match their cunning against them ant
win out.
Night and day. month in and month out
these Italians are shadowed Their ever
movement is known. When they leav
town the secret service men learn some
how where they are going, and when the
arrive at their destination they are pickle
up by other secret service men. Day b
day their movements are put on record
q IT, for instance, 1t becomes necessary t
know just what man like Morello, tn
alleged leader of the Malta, was doing o
iany certain day, it could be determine
: by just turning back the pages in Nc
Y rello's record to the day in question.
e A new man appears on the scene. He
: seen with the rest Of the gang under SUI
: veillance. In a second he is numbered
t and he stays numbered until his name
h learned. His face is photographed on tn
brains Of the secret service men, a de
scription Of his appearance Is sent
d headquarters, and other secret servic
e men hurry to where he Is to be found
, get a, look at him. The whole thing ]