Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-12-22
What am I to do them"
Mr.. Tuition replied:

Find out the identity Of the crooked
distillers and the government officers who
are shielding them, and punish both.
1t was suggested to the President that
Detective James ]. Brooks was a safe
man to intrust with an important work
of this character. and that he could get
Detective Frank Kelly to assist him.
II The President replied Immediately:
II will do as you advise-we will take
Brooks and Kelly"
This explains why Detective Kelly. De-
tective Brooks, his son and John Mitchell
were bound for New Orleans on the
day of April in 1874.
In his pocket Mr.. Kelly carried a letter
from Secretary of War Belknap to the
leans, directing him to furnish the bearer
Frank Kelly-at a moments notice. such
number of soldiers as he should call
for. This communication was significant.
1t Indicated very clearly that they
were to act alone and without the aid.
assistance or knowledge of any of the
| government officials connected with the
| revenue at New Orleans.
| They began work almost Immediately
| upon their arrival in the Crescent city.
| They separated in order not to create any
| suspicion: but every night they met Mr.,
| Brooks for report and instructions. All
Of the big distilleries in the neighborhood
| of New Orleans were shadowed; their
proprietors closely watched and never
| failing tab kept upon every one of the
government officials connected with the
| revenue. There was fine detective work
to be done both day and night. It lasted
came and the results were accomplished
| in a single night. the entire country was
| startled by the result.
The establishment on which the greatest
amount of suspicion was directed was a
big distillery on the other side Of the
| Dee v~-l,; nfo
morally certain that an illicit business
was being conducted there. they were
without positive evidence upon which they
could proceed, legally. For the purposes
of this article the place shall be known
as the big Ben 1t was guarded day
and night by armed men and any strange
person coming within firing olstance
placed his life in jeopardy.
| The problem was to catch the promoters
of the concern red-handed-to find them
in the very act of distilling and shipping
Illicit liquor. The first move toward this
end was to smuggle several secret service
men into the inside. They secured en-
ployment in TIE establishment and thus
kept tab on all of the queer happenings
| of the place.
| That was only the beginning. The next
most important step was to arrange a
States officers could be guided In making
| their raid. There was a deserted house
| on the side of the rivor where the dis
| tillery was located. and it was decided to
make use of this as signal station. One
of the detectives was supplied With a
large lantern and provided with a Ley to
the house. On the first night that the
conditions were favorable he was to go
into the third story front room Of the
house and piece the lighted lantern n
a position in the window where 1t could
be seen on the other side of the river.
Night after night Detective Kelly waited
on the New Orleans side Of the river for
the signal from the. deserted house. And
night after night he was confronted by
great banks of heavy impenetrable fog.
Finally one night when patience had al
most ceased to be virtue, bright white
spot appeared from Nout Of the gloom.
1t was the lantern in the deserted house.
Kelly pulled out whistle and sum-
moned his men at once. They responded
with alacrity and in a few minutes were
in big fiatboat that had been kept on
hand for the purpose. There had been
heavy foods In that section of the south,
and the Mississippi river was swollen to
an abnormal size. The ecret service men,