The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1909-01-08
The lronPot- Still a Mystery
By Former Secret Service Man
ExOperative Tells Of CIeveres Of Counterfeiing Plots


shells, guns and fishing-tackle we're
strewn about the floor, evidencing a
precipitate departure. II was tantaliz-
ing to again allow the criminals to es-
cape. | felt deeply chagrined, and re-
solved never again to put of matter
of this kind. The men had forestalled
me by only few hours, for l had in
tended arresting them that morning.
and there had been nothing in their
conduct during my visit to their cabin
to indicate that they thought of flight.
In one corner OF the cabin beneath
the very bunk on which | had slept,
there was an excavation three feet
square and as many deep The cover
was down and dirt was strewn over it
which gave Il the same appearance as
the dirt floor of the house discoy-
cred it by a hollow hound when
tapped over the spot. 1t was empty
Il noticed the absence OF the pot
which had supplied my supper, but II
was rather a subconscious notice of It,
The fact really made no appreciable
impression on me at the time, nor did
It, in fact, until more than year had
passed. It was then recalled by a
newspaper dispatch under date Of the
small village.
Some Of the boys in the village had
appropriated the cabin as sort of
clubhouse, after the three men had
fed. They would spend Saturdays
there. fishing and swimming and hunt
ing. Immediately in front of the cabin
was a steep bank, and the river WI
dened out into a broad deep pool
which afforded good fishing and swim
ming The boys would throw white
pebbles into this hole and dive for
them from the bank One Of them
had struck his head against something
hard at the bottom Of the river and
had been pulled up a corpse, his skull
baving been fractured by the impact
of the blow
THE others Investigated and found
a large iron pot half buried in the soft
mud. Its cover was sealed down and
its weight had been so great the boys
couldn't lift it from its oozy bed. The
dispatch stated that the pot was to be
raised and its contents examined.
Il was in Little Rock when I read
this dispatch and. without waiting for
instructions from headquarters, l
boarded the first train and set out for
the village. I was in a state of fever
ish excitement, fearing I would arrive
there after the pot had been secured.
| wanted to be the first to view its con-
tents. l felt sure I knew what was
in il.
After a journey that seemed inter-
minable | arrived at the village and
inquired about the pot My fears had
been groundless. With the indifference
so Characteristic in country people the
villagers had forgotten, after the
funeral of the unfortunate young man,
the incident of the pot. While there
had been some talk of raising 1t. no
one had taken the lead, and there the
matter had rested.
Securing a team of mules and some
strong ropes and chains, drove out to
the cabin. BY dint of much diving |
succeeded in fastening the chains
about the pot and had my assistant
drag 1t out upon the bank. It was the
vessel which had hung over the fire
when | had visited the counterfeiters
in their lair. Then I remembered its
absence, when had searched the hut
after their departure. 1t was sealed
with parafin and sealing wax, and not
drop Of water had passed the I'D.
! Il contained a complete set of en-
gravers' tools, several bottles of power
full acids, glass stopped and sealed, a
number OF bars of silver, some three
hundred odd counterfeit silver dollars
and the dies with which they had been
stamped out. The dies were thiekly
coated with wax and were as bright
and fresh as when they beat out the
false coins in the secret cave.
After swearing my assistant tC
/ secrecy, I returned to headquarters
with my booty.
mot many weeks later two of the
men were captured. had given the
department a minute description Of
them, after their unceremonious de
parture, and its vast machinery had
been set In motion for their apprehen
sion. 1t is a maxim of the service
that man once counterfeiter is al
ways counterfeiter. This rule held
good with reference to two of the
men, at least, for they were captured
and convicted of another Job. The in
cidents l have just related were moi
introduced In evidence against them
and consequently escaped the press
! The man with the bulldog Jaw escaped
completely at that time. but met with
him, years after, under circumstances
neither OF us will forget SO long al
we live"
Copyright. 1sos. by W. G. Chapmanl
Il Copyright Great Hritain-l