Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-12-22
GREAT CASES OF THE WORLDS GREATEST DETECTIVES.
2--cH1EF DESERTED HOUSE

shot. The distillery which Rad caused
so much trouble was promptly seized and
placed in the custody of platoon OF
soldiers When another great dlstiliery
plant at Algiers was seized, uniformed
soldiers with fixed bayonets were put on
duty TO guard the property. After tnat
was over the detectives had TO rccroSS
the river before daylight: and then be-
fore the people of the Crescent city wero
at their breakfast tables, HammoEds dis
tllery and Henderson's rectifyinE house
on the New Orleans side OF the river
were placed in government custody lE
was tremendous bit of enterprise,
nights work that was never before
equaled in the world.
When the facts came out during tho
course of the following day the people
were NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. more than the
government officials who were located in
New Orleans Neither people nor officials
knew that Brooks and Kelly and their
men We're in New Orleans, and the cap
ture proved 10 be one of the great SEN ,
sations of the time.
Indictments were promptly found and
convictions followed in every case. The
government confscated over half MIL \
lion dollars in property and contraband
whisky. The trials were not officially con-
cluded until almost two years after the
capture. and in the spring of 1876 Kelly /
returned to New Orleans in the capacity
OF witness, being granted a leave OF alb
sence from the position he then neld-
that of lieutenant of police In Thiladel-
phia.
There is one phase of this story to
which particular attention is directed &C
was freely said at that time that Presi-
dent Grant was a man Who took care OF
his friends. and it was insinuated that his
friends were sometimes not the kind OF
persons who deserved the cncourag cement
of high minded official.
Well. Gen. Grant did take care of his
friends.
But his friends. as Francis Kelly hap
pened to know in this instance. were i.4o
friends of good government; they wc:oi
the men who under his inspiration andi
the supervision of James ]. Brooks wero
instrumental in breaking up the notorious
whisky ring: they We're the men who
sent offenders to the penitentiary. and
they were the men who helped to restore
hundreds of thousands III dollars to TO
Treasury of the United States. In other
words, Gen. Grant was determined that
justice should be done, 10 matter where
the chips might fall.
In 1874 after the return from New Or
leans. Gen. Grant sent for Mr.. Brooks.
He called at the White House and found
the President in his office smoking big
black cigar. He looked up quietly as Mr..
Brooks entered, and said with character
| istic terseneSs:
Brooks. you and Kelly did good work
at New Orleans"
| Mr. Brooks bowed at this and MUIR
INJURED his thanks at receiving the COM
mendation of the chief magistrate of the
nation
Brooks" continued the President, II
| am going to appoint you chief of the
government secret service"
| And SO he did. Within few days this
| deserving, intelligent and competent de-
| tective was placed at the head of the
most important service in the world.
Kelly was promoted to the position OF
| lieutenant of police in his nome city, and
| of course the fact that he mad figured in
| the government exploit chiefly re-
sponsble for It's promotion. Supervisor
Tuition was appointed collector of the port
of Philadelphia. Alfred Brooks was
named as a special revenue agent. John
| Mitchell had his salary raised and was
placed in a position of Importance in tho
| service. After the trial and conviction OF
the distilleries in New Orleans in 1S7D.
President Grant reappointed --.r. Beck
| with United States attorney for the dis
| trict of New Orleans; United States Mar
shall Packard. who figured N the seizure
and arrests. was appointed United States
consul at Liverpool Judge Woods, who
was the district jurist before whom the
distillers were tried was appointed to a
seat on the Supreme Court bench at
Washington.
Next Week: Pinkerton and the Great
Safe Robbery