The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-08-24
HERBERT r. YOUNG, AN
 DID NEWSPAPER MAN,
 IS HERO OF THE DAY
After Buying Elegant Home Young Asserting Teller Is Discovered In Attempts To Pass Bills
 of Large Denomination.
 May Involve Others.

Chicago. August 23,-The mystery of the theft of s173.OoO from the United States treasury a year and half ago, one of the largest losses the government has ever suffered in this manner, Is believed to have been solved by the arrest at an early hour today of George W. Fitzgerald. Others are believed to have been impli- cated in the crime, which for months completely baffled government secret ser- vice men.
 Fitzgerald was an asserting teller under Assistant United States Treasurer Will liam Boldenweck. Suspicion at the time of the theft, February 20, 1907, rested on him, but so plausible was his story and so intense his apparent interest in discov- ering the real culprit that interest ceased to center on him. Much work was done on the theory that the crime had been perpetrated by colored man. Mean while Fitzgerald was discharged from the government employ for culpable negli- gence in allowing such a theft to be consummated under his very eyes. The money stolen had been used and was tied in packages, some of it having been marked for destruction at Washington. Any of 1t would readily have passed any where except for their large denomina- tions None of the bills were under $50O, and some were of the 5000 and $500O de- nominations, the 5000 ones predominating.
 Creates Sensation.
 The theft created a sensation through out the country and Congress at the last session was asked, and refused. to re- lease Assistant Treasurer Boldenweck from liability, although it was promised that Congress would again consider the matter at it's next session. Meanwhile Herbert F. Young, a former Chicago newspaper reporter, and now head of the Young Secret Service agency, became interested in the case, at first without official connection with the case, but later as the agent of MT. Boldenweck
 MT. Young's attention was redirected to Fitzgerald. The latter, upon his dis charge from the sub-treasury, stated that his whole fortune consisted of $500 in cash and stock certificate for $100O. His wife had a s70O interest in the estate of her mother, which was valued at about s40OO, and was in litigation Fitzgerald, however, according to MT. Young, em- parked in speculation on a scale not con- sistent with the size of his reputed means.
 Bought Eggs.
 Fitzgerald bought eggs for speculation and stored them. In July, 1907, he inau- gurated an egg deal which ultimately 1t is stated, involved an expenditure of t7O0O, and the following March similar deal involved him, according to Mr. Young, to the extent of S15,000- Incident ally the former teller had become the possessor, in his wife's name, of resi- dence in Rogers park. a suburb of Chi cago. and valued at $S5OO. MT. Young declared today that this purchase was made in a roundabout way, passing through several hands and finally into those of Mrs Fitzgerald, for a considera- ton of $l
 Last July the scent is said to have become hot when Col. Harry c. Gano, business man of prominence, and public spirit. reported to MT. Boldenweck, 1t is said, that Fitzgerald had approached him with a proposition to pass several 5000 bills.
 with your big business connections"
  you can easily pass them. Tn eres $500 in 1t for you.'
 Gano is reported to have declared that he had a roll of similar bills that would "choke a horse"
 After conferring with MT. Bolen- week, Col Gano continued negotiations with Fitzgerald with the result that by pre-arrangement Detective Young says several witnesses were secretly vxyla "a a posed to pass two 5000 bills to Col. Gano
 1T will bring two" Fitzgerald is al- legged to have said, flor you can get rid of two just as well as one" So far as known Fitzgerald was not seen to pass any of the large bills-
 Fitzgerald shadowed.
 From the moment of Col. Ganos first Interview with the assistant United States treasurer, it is said. MT. Young or some of his men shadowed Fitz- gerald. The trail, it Is intimated broadly involved others. not only in helping Fitzgerald to dispose of the money alleged to have been stolen. but in the very act of his having extracted it from the treasury vaults. and in the later covering of tracks. Who these persons were those working on the case state they are not yet prepared to divulge. It had not been inter led to arrest Fitzgerald at this u e, as further evidence was not only wanted against him, but developments were expected which would conclusively in volve others.
 However 1t is stated that those un- der suspicion had obtained an inkling that untoward developments were go- ing forward and it was deemed best to lose no time in securing the man charged with being the principal,