Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-06-18
STORIES OF THE
SECRET SERVICE
The Lincoln Tomb Robbers.
BY CAPTAIN PATRICK D. TYRRELL

. >>>~~>~e~~~~~ ~~~~>A>>>s>~~~
| Mccartney, known to the secret service as
| Pete" Mccartney a particularly cunning
and dangerous counterfeter, was at large
Mccartney was born in 1924 IN sneioy
| county, Ill., and adopted the career OF a
| counterfeiter early in life. In 1854 he had
| settled in Nauvoo. ILL.,, and while there en-
. graved the plates from which were printed
the counterfeit of the $40 United States
treasury note of the greenback variety. is
sue of March TO- 1862, which notes had had
wide circulation. thanks to the energy of
the men with whom Mccartney was In
| league.
| But this is another depression except as
| to the settlement of Mccartney In Nauvoo,
this act having resulted in the establish
| ment In Nauvoo of headquarters for pro-
life gang of "coney men and women.
Pete Mccartney in 1864 had married Mar
tina Ann Alderman, whom he had first
met in Cincinnati several years before
She was the daughter of an cd German
counterfeiter whose widow with her two
daughters had lived in Cincinnati for sew
! eral years. Martha pretty and ex-
J tremely skilfu in the printing of counter
feits, her father having employed her IN
| that work when she was as young as eleven
years of age.
| The Mccartney band at Nauvoo had
gained gradually in numbers and the ex-
4 tent Ol Their OpeTdllOIS SiiieS CIV AA'"0
settled there, and among his confederates
| was DR.. Milton Parker. who. at the time
| was detailed to the Boyd-Drtggs case,
| was in an eastern penitentiary for counter
| feiting But Mrs Parker continued to live
| in Nauvoo and was handsome and intel
| ligent woman. There also lived at Nauy0o
| a counterfeiter named Louis Sleight and
! his partner, John Frisbie, known to the
| secret service as the leaders of the .Slelght
and Frisbie" gang. Knowing full well that
mo- ri a yUa
| note at one time or another visited NauVoo,
! I determined. in the absence of better or
| more definite clews, to go to Nauvoo and
look around. 1t did not take long to dis
| cover that briggs had been making visits
| to Nauvoo. but, so far could be learned.
! the magnet that had drawn him thitner
| was the beauty and charm of Mrs Parker
| rather than any business plans he might
| have been working out In connection with
| Sleight or the other members Of the coun-
] terfeiting band that flourished in the his
| toric Mormon settlement.
This was the first tangible clue that had
been uncovered in weeks of search through
| three states. and l determined that 1t was
| from the residence of Mrs. Parker In Maui
VOC that briggs should be followed.
From further cautious inquiry at Nauvoo
| 1 found that briggs had recently made
visit to Mrs. Parker and on leaving nao
| gone ostensibly to Clinton. Iowa. Familiar
| as l was with the manner in which such
! criminals as briggs bought tickets for I'M
| intended destinations, doubled on their
| tracks and went to great pains otherwise
| to throw the secret service men Off their
| TRAIL decided to go to Clinton.
| x
| In the latter part of June, 1875 an elderly
| man and his wife. a good-looking woman
| many years younger than her husband,
| made their appearance in Clinton ana
| rented two houses. The man gave the
| name of j. K. Watson and told the men
with whom he negotiated for the houses
| that he was retired cattle raiser; he was
| Scotchman. dark-skinned, of rather heavy
nhysical mold and wore full beard. he
dressed as well as or slightly better than r
man in his alleged vocation would be eX-
nected TO dress His general demeanor
| tended toward the sanctimonious. lie o1ter
| attended church and was fluent at prayer
| and in religious discourse. Funds he had
| in plenty, and he gave substantial evidenc nee
of his business soldity by deposltins SSa,oo
| in the Clinton bank. Mrs. Watson was
| appareled stylishly and was agreeable in
| manner Those who came into contact IN
| them decided that Clinton had made val
| the watson family settled there The
| newcomer and his good wife chose the bet
| ter and more centrally located of the two
| houses rented for their residence into the
other house which was about mile ana
a Quarter back from the river and the last
| house on the street, there moved about the
| time of the advent of the 'Watsons
family of four Germans, the father, mother
| and grown son and daughter, giving the
name of Schafer This new family, accord
| ing to the gossip of the town; was in the
| employ or under the care of watson, the
exact relations being il-dehned Both
| families were unobtrusive, especially the
| German family, and there was nothing IN
| the known affairs Of either family to arouse
| uncommon interest. e.. .
| II was shortly before this-a few days In
| fact-that I had had my first look at the
| man l believed from the meager description
| to be Nelson briggs. After the trip TO
Nauvoo had come UP the river and stop
! ped at Fort Hamilton. small town across
| the river from Keokuk. where, one day. on
| the porch OF the town hotel, saw man
| answering the description of the notorious
| a man whom did not know, and did not
| allow myself to be noticed by the pair. The
| man l believed to be briggs was about
| fifty-five years old, heavy, with fuli peard
| and the air of a well-to-do retired farmer.
| I did not allow him to get out OF my sight
| and when he went to Clinton l became
| convinced that had not only found Driggs
| but that my information from Nauvoo was
| correct Therefore Immediately after the
| suspect had been followed to Clinton man
registered at the Revere House In that city
| under the name of &c. A. Demarest' an
| uneommunicative and unoberusive chap,
| who attracted no attention. Soon after
| ward another stranger made his appear
| ance and rented a room in a house directly
| ~. K Watson and his wife. The follow
| in; day still another stranger appeared in
| Clinton.
| Between .Demarest' and the last two
| arrivals there was apparently no acquaint-
| ance nor communication; but under cover
| of the darkness at night and in the most
| cautious manner possible "Demarest' did
communicate with the strangers, one at
| time In fact every item in the domestic
| routine in both the Watson and ''Scha-
| fer residences found its way daily to
| .'Demarest" One day while this play was
| going on watson made an excursion to
La Clare Iowa. distance of seven miles.
! He had taken his departure without pre-
| caution against being followed for there
| is no reason 10 believe that he suspected
| there were in Clinton three men to whom
his every move was of vital interest.
| At La Clare Watson made his way TO
! an old stone house the river bank and
| spent some time in the company Of mid
dle-aged man. who occupied the house with
| his wife Leaving the piping of the
Watson" and .'Schafer" homes to my as
| sistants and in my role of ''Demarest
J had taken up the chase of watson" on his
| excursion 20 La Clare and of the man whom
| he had gone to meet. This was on August
| IL 1878 and during the months had been