The Washington times., 1910-09-18
SECURE INDICTMENT
IN SECRET SESSION
Move Taken to Prevent ES-
cape Through Statute of
Limitation.
Continued from First Page)

Continued from First Page)
This Government could not afford 70 for
get the thief
But One Under Suspicion
During all these years one man. above
all others, has been under suspicion
The search for bills Of such staggering
figures might lead TO Scotland. and
England, and across this wealthy COun-
try OF ours. but The keenest eve OF the
Secret Service has been upon the move
mnts Of Fitzgerald. who STAYED close by
the scene Of the robbery
Three DAYS before February % 1910,
when the statute Of limitation would
have placed him forever beyond the pale
of the law. secret indictment was re
turned against George w Fitzgerald
Wednesday last. when the outlying
meshes in the net of evidence had been
drawn in by tireless detectives. Fitz-
gerald. protesting his innocence. as he
has from the beginning, was placed I'M
der arrest at his Chicago Office
II meant the eliminating stand in the
Iong-drawn game between the hunters
and the hunted. Upon the move tSe
Government stakes its case II Fltz-
feraId proves his innocence, the S172.000
robbery at the Chicago subtreaSury,
February %, 1907, VIII probably remain
inSoluble- If fitzgerald IS adIC0SeQ
guilty, the transgressOr VIII have been
taught once more that the arm OF the
law is long and that the flight Of time
does not deter those whose duty It IS
TO guard the money and the property OF
xhe United States.
The manner in which a secret indict-
ment was obtained against Fitzgerald
upon the eve Of immunity is indicative
Of the way in which the mysterious
forces OF the Governments detective
force have worked
Under Constant Surveillance
Fitzgerald has been under constant
surveillance He has complained bitter
" that he has been bounded, harassed,
Inundated by private detectives and
agents Of the Government Whatever
may have been the methods employed
in keeping track or his movements
since & fortune was found missing from
his telIer's cage II the subtreasury, they
have not lacked in thouOughneSS-
When Fitzgerald boarded q street car,
a Secret Service man ascended the rear
platform. When he left Chicago on
short business trip a shadow was
there IF he held a conference in a res
taurant. a table nearby was occupied by
some one who said nothing and heard
much Even the walters were converted
Into Secret Service aids
If Fitzgerald invested IN property,
Chief John Wilzie- Of the Secret Service,
knew IL IN Washington within Il few
hourS. II Fitzgerald Won or lost IN
speculation II went into a memorandum
book When he purchased q suit OF
clothes It's price was known When his
wife bought new gown that fact was
recorded and its elegance compared with.
the size Of what the Secret Service be
lieved should be the Fitzgerald bank
account
II new servant entered the Fitz-
gerald employ one Of the innumerable
sleUths engaged in the case made his
=-~@-n -Mamrn
Fitzgerald home underwent the scru-
tiny Of trained eyes The flowers he
may have purchased, the theatcr tickets
he bought. the carriages and the taxi
reckoning and were the little things"
Of the four years vigil
Fitzgerald Made investments
Fitzgerald invested in eggs and pro-
duce after he left the Government en-
ploy, which was shortly after suspicion
was directed toward him. He invest
ed in a couple Of stock companies and
he bought a home The ink was not
dry upon the transfer papers before
the detectives knew II and the waiting
ones was doubled
States authorities private detectives.
hired by newspapers and Subtreasurer
William B0idenweck. special agents,
Secret Service men, all have had their
turn since George W Fitzgerald as
sUmed the UnenviabIe position OF a sus-
pect
Fitzgerald was arrested at the inStiEa-
ton Of the States authorities and the
private detectives who had been en-
SaEed upon the case In the State
courts the charge against the former
asserting teller was dismissed because
SubtTeasuTsT BOldenweck had instruc-
tons from washington TO decline to
produce the books Of the institution
The Government was aVeTSe TO showing
its hand at this early stage in the in
vestiEatiOn- Judge Cheltham, therefore,
refused to hold Fitzgerald upon a State
charge
Meanwhile, agents Of the United
states t5oyefnment continued their in
vestigatiOns- Nothing was said Fitz-
gerald evidently had begun recently to
regard the SUDtTeaSury Incident aS
closed and his troubles at an end
Thought He Was Watched.
He suspiciored from time 70 time that
he was being watched Once he ac-
costed Secret Service man upon a
street car and demanded that this
''hcUnding" cease Earlier in the game.
when Fitzgerald was first accused and
was Of more beIliEer temper. he
knocked an inqUisitive reporter down
He is a big. Observation-Disclosures man
and a fine specimen physically He put
I'D an excellent exhibition Of rs phys
ical prcweSS when MaTshaIs wainwright
ana EuckEeE attempted search MN
last Wednesday. he was finally search
ed and papers said Il bear upon the
ease, which were found n his pockets.
were turned over 10 District Attorney
Sims and Attorneys Barbour and Eber-
stein of the Department OF Justice
scores OF special men Of the Secret
Service have been engaged in gathering
the evidence against Fitzgerald. Chief
Nllkie assumed personal charge Of the
investigation when the robbery was
nrSt reported, more than three years
age In February last the Csc was
given directly 10 District Attorney Sims.
WEo mas mainly employed special agents
OF the Department Of Justice since that
tiua
Five persons are said TO have lad ac-
cess 10 the cage Of Asserting Teller
FlIZSeTaid on the DAY that the rob
DeTy occurred After the preliminary
INVESTIGATION however, the detectives
dIrected their energies toward shadow
Ing r1tzE@ra'd- Suspicion never has
been particularly directed toward 4rv
oth5r q The forty-three other en1ploves
Of the SuOtrca SJ1rv