The San Francisco call., 1909-01-05
Roosevelt Defends Methods Service

sro,,, Naurrort XIV. was located, cap.
tured and convicted Petty tnleVeIJ -
the Philadelphia mint was derected 49,
the thieves CONVICTED, heA.S ,.Sara inves-
tigated and the guilty persons VII
ished Petty officers in the New A0S-s A0Is
navy yard who were aceepuints onnIi-
cants were convicted and the pra0'iO'
Agents Of the secret service division
located the fuzitfves Green and Gaynof
in Canada secured their arrest anc
transfer to Montreal from Quebec, ane
started the proceedings which resultse
In their subsequent surrender 10 Ine
United States. where they were after
wards convicted
tionai bank at Bridgeport. conn va
rested. returned, convicted ana sen
fenced to 10 years The inveStlgdtlon
of crime under the peonags law We We
commenced in Alabama and MISSISSIPPI
Numerous convictions were secured
and the Objectionable practice va
abandoned in many districts An n IN
vestigatiOn of the land once IN tns
interior department was inauzuraIeo
with Secretary Hitchcock by agents o.
this service, disclosing gigantlc con-
spiracy involving the bribery o. gov.
ernment employees and the frauculent
acquisition of public lands Many prcnl-
inent persons were implicated in these
cases and their indictment and prose
The defaulting fugitive president and
asher Of a national bank OF CleVe-
land, Ohio. were traced, arrested N
British Columbia. returned to Ohio ane
convicted. The land fraud investiga,
tions were continued IN California and
Oregon and numerous indictments IoI-
at West Point Fort Hamilton and the
Presidio were investigated and the
thieves detected and convicted. Ass1s.
tance was rendered the department OF
Justice in the beef trust investigation
at Chicago. prOsecu tions followed and
anes were inflicted in the cases investt-
gated by secret service agents.
Secret service agents investigated
cases of illegal fencing and the fraud.
ulent acquisition of government land
in Nebraska. and Wyoming Hundreds
the government and the violaters were
convicted.
An investigation was started of the
various lottery enterprises being con-
Quoted in the south and west. Wher
brought to a successful conclusion over
100000 in fines were collected from
at hundreds OF thousands OF dollart
was recovered under actions in equity
based on Investigations Of agents OF
the secret service division for the de.
.ceedings are pending in Colorado. Wyo-
ming and Utah. The murder Of
woman by moOnshiners in Virginia wal
investigated, a conspiracy was dis.
prosecuted and convicted.
Violations OF the Internal revenus
laws by prominent distillers in Vir.
ginia were investigated by secret Serv4
ice agents and the Offenders convicted
Extensive frauds IN the construction oj
the Plaquemine lock at P1aquemine
La. were disclosed by an Investigation
conducted by an agent OF the secre
service and the civilian engineer II
charge and a number Of his assistants
together with the contracting firm, are
under indictment.
In addition. to the foregoing there
have been many cases in which secret
service agents have been used TO dis
close the whereabouts of property con
cealed by bankrupts and to secure the
evidence upon which the Offenders have
been convicted. In hundreds OF caset
the department. of Justice has utilized
these men for the purpose OF locating
missing witnesses. fugitives from jus
tice. TO investigate the antecedents and
character of venire men in important
federal cases where it was essential
that the United States attorney should
be familiar with the character OF the
jurors. In many cases where the de
fendant interests have been unscru-
pulous and wealthy attempts at jury
bribing have been frustrated BY secref
service agents. F'ilfbustering expedf.
tions against friendly governments
have been investigated and broken UT
and prosecutions in many cases fol-
lowed