The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1910-02-20
Of Uncle Sans Army of Silent
SleuthS the Secret Service
OF Treasury Department
Best Known.
JUSTICE Department
HAS NUMBER OF AGENTS
Even Agricultural Department
Has Its Dark Lantern"
Men. Operating Under the
Pure Food Statute. -
(6y Sidney EspeyJ

Washington. Feb. ls.-Following
the wake of the evil doer who attempts
to undermine the basic principles oe
the federal laws is an army of secret
agents, employed by the various
other branches of the government The
scope of this work not only embraces
what is popularity known as the Secret
Service. which is particularly an ad-
junct of the Treasury Department, but
other branches OF the government. The
operatives aIe variously called dark
lantern men," special agents." I'm
vcstigators.' and field operators"
Their work in general. is to report
violations OF the federal laws to their
respective departments.
The Secret Service of the Treasury
Department. which was established.
coincident with the creation of the de-
partment itself In 1879. leads the list
in effectiveness OF results accomplish
cd by its silent sleuths. Since that time
the Service has been broadened until
each department Of the government
now has its separate and distinct
corps of detectives.
Have Special Agents.
The Department Of Justice has its
special agents: the Department Of Az
riculture, its examiners operating un-
der the recently enacted pure food
law: the Department of the Interior.
its examiners and special field agents
who have saved hundreds OF thous-
ands of acres of land OF the public do
main from the speculation of land
sharks: the Department of Commerce
and Labor. its examiners and inspect
ors who deal with the questions re-
specting immigration. corporations.
steamboat inspection. etc: the Inter-
state Commerce Commission. its dark
Intern men. who keep an eye on vio-
lations by railroad companies. and the
Treasury Department. its Secret Serv-
ice who have reduced the crime of
cOunterfeiting to a minimum: and the
Internal Revenue Agents. who have
practically broken up the business OF
illicit distilleries.
The Secret Service of the Treasury
Department is under the leadership Of
Chief John +. Wilkie. who has been
associated with that office for about
II years. During that time he has
been instrumental in breaking up sew.
eral notorious gangs of counterfeiters
in Philadelphia, New Yos1s, Chicago
New Orleans, San Francisco and other
cities. The "revenuers" have practi.
cally put the illicit distillers Of the
"moonshine" districts of Kentucky
%
In Moonshine Country.
The operatives Who work the
moonshine country carry ON theiI
cases unhampered under detailed in
structions from Washington. For this
reason very little information II Civ
en- out to the public concerning theil
activities. When . case" is made
facts are usually reported to the cen
trail office in the Treasury building
is undertaken. On some o( these cas-
es. operatives spend months q wori
, before an arrest is made. often Twins
in the neighborho0d where Illicit dis
tilling is thought TO thrive. under N
, assumed character.
At different times the Secret Serv
ice is called in to aid other depart
= ments. During the land fraud inves
, tigation by the Department Of Inter
. ior. certain secret service men ver,
temporarily loaned to the department
for the purpose Of working up case.
against alleged land grabbers. in con
: junction with special agents OF tha
: department The result has been tha
: many land sharks" were sent to pris
on. while a number OF criminal prose
, cutions are still pending in the West
5 Through the efforts of former Secre
: Service Agent Burns. who Was iden
; titled with some of the larger fraus
I cases, Senators and Representative,
5 of the federal legislature were impli
1 Gated in the frauds and prosecuted.
: Some Recent Probes.
|, The Department of Justice. with ii,
1 special agents has recently investigat
3 districts and peonage cases In Texal
j. and other Southern states. Interest
g ing reports that have not yet beef
3 made public. have been received b!
n Attorney General WickershAm from
e these men, and will form the nucieu,
q it is said OF number Of prosecution
( to be brought in the federal courts.
e In the Burley tobacco districts
4 where a number Of agents were locat
3 ed. passing themselves off as hor
!. dealers or other characters informa
= ton concerning the activities Of
8 number of alleged Might Riders" va