New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-09-03
Possibility of Great Wealth
Leads Them TO Destruction
BY JOHN ELBERT WILFIE
of the nited States Servio

hood of similar operations elsewhere At that
time race meetings in progress at Buff
falo, Covington, Chicago and ST. Louis, and
the Secret Service agents in all of these cities
instructed to keep in touch with the
bookmakers and to look out for any of the
counterfets.
Two days later a telegram from the St.
Louis district of the service announced the
arrest of Marcus Crehan of Providence, Rhode
Island, proprietor of the Crehan Engraving
Company, with thrty-one of the new hundred
dollar counterfeit bills in his possession. The
message added that about four thousand dollars
in genuine money had been found in a suitcase
in his room at the Planters Hotel Agents
at Providence were instructed to search the
premises there and Telegram phi the result. The
search developed little beyond the fact that
printing-inks similar in color to those used on
the notes were found in Crehan's private ROOM
His reputation was excellent, and friends
and business associates were astounded that
such a charge should have been preferred
against him. There must be a ghastly mis-
take they insisted and one of his intimate
friends left at once for St. Louis, with letters
of Endorsement from local banks and authority
from his friends to furnish bail in any amount.
Reports from the agents at St. Louis threw
little additional light the subject. Crehan
stoutlv asserted his innocence, claimed to
have found the spurious notes, and could not
be shaken in his statements His story was
a simple one He had called at the Union
Station to have his ticket authenticated. The
electric lights were turned on while he was there,
and this led to the discovery of envelop
wing on the floor. Upon inspecting the contents
nd finding them valuable he went to one of he
lorning newspaper offices and advertised the
nd This statement was true. Thursday morn
1g's paper had in the Lost and Found" column
his notice:
Found, near Union Station sum of money Owner may
Da-,,f
The advertisers claim ticket for the replies was
1und among Crehan's effects, and gave some
upport to his story, until it was ascertained that
he electric lights were turned on that particular
light at ten minutes before seven o'clock, while
ne records of the business office of the newspaper
bowed that the Found" advertisement had been
assed over the counter not later than five o'clock
he original in Crehans handwriting was sur
endered the officers.
This first serious discrepancy in his story
digestive; but no intimaton of the discovery
as permitted to reach him. Among the odds
nd ends in his suit case were admission tickets to
ne Gravesend track for May 25 and 20 and a pro-
ram of one of the days entries. Certain penc1ed
Memoranda indicated that a number of bets of
fly dollars each had been made, some on horses
nat won, others not SO fortunate. On the theory
nat if Crehan had passed the notes at the New
-orl5 race track he might have utilized the same
roteCtive expedient of advertising found
lonev search of the files of the Manhattan papers
as instituted covering the suspected period, and
/ one of the issues of May IS this was dis
overed:
Found, near Grand Central Station, sum OF money
wner can have same by addressing A B. c. Blank Office
The original obtained and a comparison
18th Crehans writing made it instantly apparent
hat they were the work of the same hand Then
his connecting link, which seemed to leave no
oubt of the guilt of the suspect, was forwarded
D St Louis and Crehan was taken from the jail
0 the office of the Secret Service in the Federal
uilding still protesting his innocence still quietly
ut firmly insisting that great mistake had been