The Cooperstown courier. (Cooperstown, Griggs Co., N.D.) 1902-1913, 1906-01-04

copyright. 1905, by Marion G. Scheitlin.]
Bridges said that soon after he first
became acquainted with Biebush he
met him on Sunday while the latter
was on his way to Sunday school, the
old fellow always maintaining an atti-
tude of much apparent responsibility in
these matters. Biebush said to him:
up to this time have taken you
at your word; have you any refer
ences?"
PLENTY of them" answered Bill"
do you know Joe Butts and John
O'Brien?" asked Biebush. Both of these
were notorious criminal characters.
Sure" said Bridges, and then pros
coded to convince Biebush that he had
such wide and close acquaintance
with noted criminals as to render him
fit for initiation into the Biebush ring.
Biebush thereupon turned him over
to Sullivan, showing the great conf
dence he had in the colored man. From
Sullivan "Hoosier Bill' got several
packages of half dollars, 40 in a pack
age, and three rolls of bills of 500
representative money each. These he
showed" turning over the proper pro-
portion of the good money received to
Sullivan. Thielen, Sullivan and Har-
gate, however, were not the only men,
bers Of the Biebush ring about whom
"Hoosier Bill" gave me information.
There were William Whalen and Harry
Wood, showers, and John Evans and
Mrs. Annie WEIGH, also showers, but on
smaller scale. ...,
Bridges was willing to so to st. Louis
to serve as a witness against Biebush
if the latter were tried; but in this we
seemed to be cut off squarely by the
Missouri statute previously referred to
as one of Biebush's chief sources of
security, prohibiting convicts or ex-
tconvicts from testifying.
= .
"Hoosier Bills" information concern
ing Whalen and Woods merely con-
firmed what we knew. This pair made
headquarters at Bosses saloon, as did
Thielen and Sullivan. Gallagher, Ken
noch and had placed ourselves on
more or less friendly terms with Wha-
len and Woods while we were trying
to buy "coney" from 9iebush. They
had told Gallagher in SO many words
that "Old Fred" was dealing extensive
ly in counterfeit money and seemed
anxious to initiate Gallagher into the
secret ring, plan which had been
checked by Blebush himself.
While the information l received
from Bridges was of great value as in
dicating the personnel of the band and
the respective functions of each men,
Der, it had not given us any positive
proof, and legal proof was all We want
ed. It still remained for us to find q
way to prove what we knew. In the
face Of our failure to rope" Biebush
up to that time it seemed like we
would have to start farther back and
get some of his subordinates in such a
tight place that they would allow them
selves to be used as witnesses against
their chief in order to save themselves.
Informers in criminal cases are of two
kinds-voluntary and involuntary.
Voluntary informers are usually
prompted by motives of revenge or pc
cuniary gain-more often the former.
Involuntary informers are usually ethe
smaller fry in criminal band who are
willing to furnish evidence against the
leading criminals under promise they
will be leniently dealt with as a re-
ward, but they must first be caught in
the tolls themselves. Because such
principals in big criminal conspiracies
at Fred Biebush, for their own safety,
turn over to subordinates the perform
ance of the tangible acts, the subordi-
mates in an extensive plot like coun-
terfeiting job may be caught and con-
victed and their places always filled,
the execution of the plot not being ma
terially interfered with. When 1t is
recalled that the paramount function
of the United States secret service is
to protect the currency and bonds of
the government, it will be seen how
eminently proper it is to compromise
with petty crime by a subordinate, If
by 80 doing the authorities can catch
the big fellows and stop the perpetra.
ton of the one big crime. Therefore
an informer who was close enough to
Biebush to be able to furnish convict