The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-09-24
GREHT LIND S(RIR (K|Ell

traced him from his starting point .tC
Indiana solely through the mails. IN
this way l learned the name of every
town at which he intended TO stop, but
my information was obtained by stealth
and not through the comfy existing be-
tween governmental departments. And
having already depressed from my stO-
~, l wish 10 point out a sane and val
liable reform that should be inaugu-
rated by the government, namely, the
establishment of a secret service di-
vision that viii include all the govern
ment agents employed in secret work
without reference to the special depart
ments to which they may be attached
The secret service should be compact
department instead of a fragmentary
affair. 1t should contain specialists in
all government branches, but all should
be under one head. The facilities of all
departments would then be open TO {,
secret service operative and the effec-
ttVeness of the service vastly increased
My friend III the delivery department
of the pOstOftiCe. at my request, made
some Investigations and found a carrier
who had left mail for Burt q Miller al
the st. James hotel. At that hotel the
clerks told me they knew no such firm
nor individuals, and there was no mail
i'm the hotel Office for them. The situa-
ton was becoming just a bit farcical.
Here was a firm doing an extensive
business throughout the west, FeceiV-
ing mail and express matter in st.
Louis, and two days had been consumed
in trying to locate its headquarters
But it is often the task seemingly the
most simple that develops unexpected
difficulties. The firm evidently had {
confidential connection with parties il
Sioux Falls, and the latter unquestion-
ably had wired the st. Louis section
of the conspiracy of the departure for
the latter place of Attorney Winsor.
The order to the express company TO
forward packages for the firm to Da-
kOta indicated that Burt & Miller were
being kept informed of the progress OF
events, and they consequently would re-
main under cover as far as possible
But even IN my own mind that fact die
not lessen my feeling of Chagrin at my
failure to locate Immediately some OF
the parties To the conspiracy. COnclud-
ing to try the mails once more, l pre-
pared letter addressed to the firm OF
Burt & Miller / then registered it and
arranged with the pOstoffice clerk TO
insert a registry notice in box No
243S. which was located so that l could
see the removal of the notice from the
box by the clerk from the position
l took up some distance away. From
this position / could see the delivery
window also. The removal of the no
uce from the box was to be my signal
that the party at the window at that
moment was the one calling for the
registered letter. l had no idea that
am no r.raIar a
this letter, my plan being to spot" the
person sent for it and to follow him
when he left the office. My vigil at
last was rewarded by seeing the regis
try notice suddenly disappear from the
box. At that time there was standing
at the delivery window d short bow
legged young man who, ] afterWard
learned, had represented himself as a
clerk for Burt & Miller and asked for
the registered letter, Offering to sign
for ii in the name of the firm. The
clerk, acting in accordance with my i'll
structiOns, refused TO deliver the letter
TO any person except a member of the
hrm, and the young man left the post
office without it, followed by me. He
went by a ZigZag course to the saloon
in the alley off lower Chestnut street
which Deputy SOest had found while
trying 10 locate the firms Headquarters
In the saloon the bOw-legged young
man met d tall young man, and, after
a minutes conversation, the former dis
appeared toward the second story. He
returned presently with d telegram
which he showed to his companion. and
the two held another short conference.
The connection between the man who
had called at the pOStOffice and Burt
Il Miller seemed distinct enough to
Justify me taking the pair into Gus
tody. A search of the tall man failed
10 show any connection between him
and the mysterious firm. and soon
after our arrival at the federal build
ing l released him. The other gave the
name of Frank w. GTeenslade and said
he had been hired as a clerk by \. +.
Miller of the firm of Burt a. Miller two
weeks before. GreeuSlade was an
and had left London but
six months before. He was much
frightened at being taken into custody
and apparently disposed to answer all
questions freely. His chief employment
since entering the employ of the firm
under investigation had been the copy
ing OF letters.
Where is the office of Burt a. Mil
ler?" / asked.
In an upstairs room at Fifth and
Chestnut streets" he said.
What was the general nature of the
letters ycu copied
They w9Pe mostly letters about the
sale OF surveyors land scrip"
with whom was this correspondence
carried on
with hundreds of people in the
west"
DO YOU know both Burt and Miller"
NO, | know only Miller. who hired
me two weeks ago. l never saw Burt
that ! know Of
Where Is Miller now
Il don't know. He left town a few
days ago, saying he would return i'm
about week. and for me TO hold any
mail that came for the firm"
Where did h say he was going?"
Into the country; he didn't say to
what point"
Has the firm any employees besides
you?"