The Spokane press. [volume] (Spokane, Wash.) 1902-1939, 1909-01-04

ter In hand requires the collection |
of Information from workmen. an
operative is chosen who looks the |
part without a disguise. He simply |
wears such clothes as workmen
wear and affects the manners and
speech of the men with whom he
mingles.
On the other hand, If the work |
requires contact with people in |
better dressed walk of life an oper- |
alive. of that class is chosen, who is
accustomed to wear clothes like !
those of the people he is seeking to
approach. A negro is used, to ap-
proach a negro, an Italian to rope"
a criminal of that nationality, a
German for a German, an engraver
to work on an engraver, and SO on.
Where it was essential to have a
man on guard constantly in a con-
spicuous place crippled shoe
string vender filed the bill without
attracting attention. At another
time a man peddling souvenir post
cards ably kept his eye on certain
operations.
The thinking part" is. however,
the big thing. Never was there
better application of the "deduc-
tive method" employed by Sherlock
Holmes than in Wilkes capture of
the Kendig-Jacobs gang.
The first knowledge of this
counterfeiting conspiracy came to
the government in the form of
500 silver certificate, which had
passed the national bank experts
and the experts of the United
States treasury. The first suspicion
Jeanne when treasury official &C
cidentally moistened the red seal
impression which all such bills
carry. This disclosed something
wrong with the red ink. Then the
bill was subjected to searching
examination. 1t was found to have
been made on engraved steel plates
done with all the skill employed in
engraving plates for the govern
ment Simultaneously $50 silver
certificate of similar workmanship
turned up.
With no clews or inside informa-
ton, with nothing to guide the de-
partment but the counterfeit certi-
fcafes, Chief Wilkie and his ex-
[perfs in two days put their finger
upon the place where the bill had
been made and the men who had
done the work.
s ,The rest of the two years of
|shadowing and investigating was
merely to get legal proof. to land
1.-THE gang in the penitentiary. Which
kwas done.
u sHow would Sherlock Holmes
EhSye handled this case? The way
BIZ was actually handled was the
Eway the famous detective of fiction
would have handled it.
: y observe" Sherlock Holmes
would have declared. that this GER
tificate is not made by any of the
cheap, ordinary methods of counter
feiting. 1t is not result of the
photogravure process. 1t is a steel
plate impression. BY soaking in
water | discover that the paper on
which it is printed is a bleached 81
note. This indicates that the gang
did not have supply of the regular
money paper on which to print.
Either they were more or less anna
teurs, or else were not ready to
spring their big game.
But perceive we shall have no
trouble in putting our hand ON the
men we want. You see, DR.. Watson,
the work on this portrait is the
work Of an expert portrait en-
graver. The man who did the work
is not the same man who did the
scroll work. An engraver who is
an expert portrait engraver is
never likewise an expert scroll
workman
lie NIUE CDilltS III from fUIId-
delphia bank. We will find the two
men who made it in Philadelphia.
That is as it should be. There are
only three cities in the world where
there are expert engravers capable
of engraving this kind of a note.
They are New York, Philadelphia
and Chicago. But the best work is
done in Philadelphia, and as the
note came from there the chances
are our men are there. We will
have one of our operatives familiar
with the engraving trade drop into
Philadelphia and pick out the two
men who dropped out of the en-
craving trade about six weeks ago.
1t may be a little longer than that,
but it is not less than six weeks. 1t
took time to make that plate, and
theAaverage life of a bill added to
that time would bring it here In
about six weeks.
II think, DR., Watson. you will
find that some Philadelphia en-
graver has come into legacy, and
has not been in the regular trade