Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1905-12-27
been the work of dishonest govern

ment employee.
Since Chief Wilkie has been Mt the
head Of the secret service many noted
cases have come under his observa-
ton, but of these he is loath to speak.
One of the most notable cases in the
record of the department was the cap
ture and conviction of the Jacobs
gang at Lancaster, Pa. Jacobs was
cigar manufacturer, and was first en-
gagged in counterfeiting internal rev.
enue stamps out of which he made
$125,0O0. Then he grew ambitious to
carry out plan of floating $4,000
900 worth of green goods" He and his
assistants We're working on Monroe
$100-bill plates, and procured the stock
by splitting one-dollar bills and bleach
Ing the paper. The young men In the
scheme with Jacobs tried to float S1O.-
coo of the bills on their own hook.
feeling SO positive that their handi-
work was beyond suspicion. The red
ink stamp on the bills was slightly
off-color, and this raised suspicion; it
was salmon tint instead Of the car
mine ink which the government makes
for its exclusive use. The bills were
pronounced genuine by experts at first,
but there was slight shading on the
figures and U that did not tally
when examined by the lynx-eyed chief
and his secret service men. For four
teen months the secret service worked
to get clew, renting rooms opposite
the suspects. The Monroe 500 bills
were soaked in water and fell apart;
then came the real work of obtaining
evidence. The internal revenue stamp
counterfeit was discovered. An inno-
cent papermaker was engaged to make
a water mark for wrappers" ON bot
ties for the Indian Rheumatic Ulman
Syrup" 1. r. U. S., the same color and
texture as revenue stamps, but there
was difference in the space between
the initial letters internal Revenue
United States" that led to detection.
Jacobs was a desperate schemer
who said afterwards: ut was $4,000
600 or ten years. We took the gam
bler's chance and lost" He had asso-
ciated with him young Kendig, a col
lege man and clever promoter, two
expert engravers, papermaker, and
an ex-policeman of Lancaster, who
knew everyone and was to guard the
workers" in the attic of his tobacco
house. Even after the expert engrav-
ers were arrested and held for wit
nesses they made plate in Jail, which
was offered to the government, in
hopes to win release, but without re-
suit. Thirty secret service men work
ed on the case without leak for over
a year.
Chief Wilkie and his men go at their
work with all the intensity of chess
demonstrating every thought
and energy on the case in hand. The
United States secret service is &C.
knowledged to be the best of any gov
eminent and is like great machine;
the old veterans are constantly being
recruited and the public hears but lit
tie Of this department The bravery,
keenness and GOODNESS Of the men is
improved by realization of the i'm
portance of the work entrusted to
them. They are out to win. Every
piece of money can be traced from
Washington until it is returned SUPER
animated and unfit for service.
During his official life Chief Wilkie
and his men have had some very ex-
citing experiences.
They are constantly being brought
into contact with desperate men, many
of whom would not hesitate a moment
to take a life if 1t would be an aid to
them in avoiding capture. Then, too,
the men of the secret service have
class of criminals to deal with who are
totally different from the ordinary
crook. The men who start out to
cheat Uncle Sam are, for the most
part, persons possessed of an unusual
amount of knowledge and shrewdness.
Counterfeiters on the whole are very
brainy men and they match cunning
with cunning and shrewdness with
shrewdness in their efforts to pull the
wool over the eyes of the secret SER
vice men. When the obstacles that
CnleI Wllhle anu Ills men are ODllSeu
to overcome in ferreting out cases is
taken into consideration their success
becomes the more remarkable.
Sizing Him Up.
$50 she is going to marry the count,
Ell? How much is he worth 2"
II don't know, but I'll bet he isn't
worth half what she is paying for
him."-Houston Post.