Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-12-22

ernmcnt secret service that he engaged in the
adventure which Is related in this article.
Prior TO his struggle with the ''moonshiners'
he in the police department of Phila-
delphia. and for time served as chief
OF detectives in the Quaker city. After
leaving the government service he became the
''bank detective for the financial district Of
Philadelphia. and there he can be seen every
day. rain shine. guarding the institutions
which shelter assets conservativeiy valued at
over 500. 900. coo.
~N the Sth day of April. 1874,
Francis r. Kelly was granted
leave of absence from tne Phila-
delphia police force and directed
to report to James ]. Brooks,
at the time prominent as detective In
The United States secret service. The
purpose of his assignment was kept
profound secret. BY appointment, he met
Detective Brooks at the Pennsylvania
railroad station in Philadelphia, and when
he started not even the members of his
family knew his destination or the pur-
pose of his journey. When Kelly met
Brooks at the gate leading to the train,
he handed him a ticket to New Orleans
by way of the great jackson route.
word of preface may help to ex-
plain how Kelly came to receive this
assignment. which was to prove one Of
the most dangerous and important In his
whole professional career. While he was
a police officer in the twenty-second police
district of Philadelphia. lie was going
to his home early one morning in Janu-
airy, 1874, and passing a big distillery on
10Th street above Berks. he was accosted
by voice which whispered huskily:
rs that you. Joe?''
1t was so dark and foggy that person
could hardly see his face before him:
but on the impulse of the moment Kelly
replied Yes" and then halted to await
developments. Presently a two-horse
team, filled with Illicit liquor which had
been distilled in the factory, started out
of the place. Kelly jumped into the
wagon and pulled pistol on the driver
and directed him to go to a certain point
in the city. which happened to be the po-
lice station. There he was placed I'M
der arrest. The seizure of this dfstillery
and the arrest of the government store
keeper and his conviction which followed,
were the means of bringing : rank Kelly
before the notice of his superior officers
both in Philadelphia and Washington.
The sequel was this mysterious assign
ment which began at the Broad street
station in Philadelphia. After they had
fairly started on their journey, Mr..
Brooks joined Kelly in the car and intro
duced him to the other two men, one be-
ing Alfred Brooks, his son. and the other
John Mitchell, another secret 8ervice
operative. Mr. Brooks explained the mis-
sion to the party in a few words.
81
A short time before, President Grant.
Simon Cameron and Alexander P. hutton,
who was then supervisor of internal reve-
nue. for Pennsylvania, had a conference
at the White House concerning the opera
tions of the whisky ring. which had be-
come a national scandal and was so pow
erful that the government was being rob-
bed of millions of dollars. Gen. Grant.
who was deeply interested in probing the
matter to the bottom, leaned er his
desk, and with the inevitable stump of
cigar between his set teeth, announced
mis- purpose of transferring all supervisors
If internal revenue in every section OF the
country.
Mr.. Tuition at this \point expressed
doubt concerning the wisdom of such ac-
ion He said 1t would be the means of
furnishing many good officers and would
1ot be just.
Gen. Grant took a fresh grip on his
cigar and said: