The Raymer enterprise. (New Raymer, Weld County, Colo.) 1910-19??, 1910-12-01
A Short Talk with Detective.

A Short Talk with Detective,
"Counterfeiting seems to be the most
fascinating of all forms of crime" said
a United States secret service detective
who paused in his flight across the con-
tlnent to light in the aerie up in the
tower of the postoflice building where
.roost the might owls" of the govern
ment whose unexpected, mysterious
swooplngs, apparently from nowhere,
strike terror to violators of Uncle Sans
statutes. Shrewd as this dective;s and
thoroughly accustomed to the practice
known as "sweated" by which infor-
nation is slowly extorted from those
unwilling to talk, he ddnot realize that
ne himself was being "sweated" until
the inquisition had continued for several
minutes. Nov. look here" he said
with an ingratiating smile, 81 am will
ing to talk to you provided you don't
put my name in the paper. The chief,
you know. doesn't like for his men to
get too much notoriety, and he makes
pretty sarcastic remarks when he sees
the nature of one of US fellows prom
inently mentioned in n newspaper.
BY 1.-THE chief" the detective meant
John Wilkie, chief of the secret service
bureau at Washington, himself one of
the most famous of the country's de-
tectives.
"When speak of the fascination of
counterfeiting, went on the detective,
after he had received assurance that his
Identity should be shrouded in deepest
secrecy, "lmean that once a man enters
into the business of initiating the gov
ernments currency or coin he never
quits it. Once a counterfeiter always
a counterfeiter is one of the maxims of
the secret service detective that has
neverlbeen disproved. Hard times in.
crease crime, and occasionally the law
effects cure, or at least puts it be-
You'd criminals power to indulge in
MS mania for counterfeiting, as in the
case of slick Irishman we caught in
the east, near Baltimore, several wears
ago. That fellow had been arrested
ten different times in various parts of
the country and invariably resumed his
dangerous occupation as soon as he came
from behind the bars. 1.-THE state of
Maryland, however had an 1habitual
criminal law under which a man who
has been convicted of felony twice
could be sentenced for his third offence
to life Imprisonment as an habitual
criminal. We just allowed our man to
come under the operation of the Mary.
land law and don't expect to be bother
ed with him any more. Is there more
counterfeiting at one time than another?
The detective was asked. "Yes there
is, he said. "For instance when times
are prosperous and work is easy to get
we have much less trouble with coun-
terfeiters. But in time of panic, or as
the winter season approaches, we al
ways notice considerable increase in
in this form of criminality."
What causes men to turn to counter.
feiting, then? Is it hard times and ina
bility to get work? Only partly. Of
course, men turn to theft; murder for
gain, counterfeiting and the like be-
cause of financial need, but you must
also take into consideration that the
criminal is lazy.
"He wants to make living, but he
wants to make it with the least exertion
possible. Counterfeiting looks so very
easy to him, and he always feels sure
that ne can be secret enough about his
operations not to be caught. So when
times get bad with him he turns natur-
ally to counterfeiting. Sometimes
think that dope makes counterfeiters.
One thing do know and that is that
the majority of counterfeiters are dope
fiends.' One fellow we caught not long
ago had four different kinds of narcotic
poison in his clothes. He hadmorphine
in tablets for use in his hypodermic
syringe, and: had in it powder form to
swallow. He also had hasheesh and
cocaine crystals to stuff up his nose."