The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1911-02-26
THE DETECTIVES
OF UNCLE sam
Something About the Secret servic.
Of the United States Over Which
Chief Wilkie Has
Supervision.
PROTECT GOVERNMENT
Members Of the Force Have Varied
Duties Some of Which Are
Dangerous and 9th
ers Are Not.
PROTECT GOVERNMENT

WASHINGTON, Feb. 25.-In a.
small scantily furnished and out-of-
the-way room on the third floor of
the Treasury Department here, there
sits, from until 4:30 o'clock daily,
man whose frequent orders are flash
ed over the telegraph wires to cities,
small towns and hamlets in all parts
Of the country. in code so compli-
Gated that, to the laymen, it is utter
ly battling.
More frequently than otherwise
these orders, which are obeycd to the
letter, mean prison sentence to
some onne, for the man is Chief Will
kie and his messages go to the mem
bers of that silent, deadly efficient
force known as the Secret Service.
To the law abiding citizen the Sc
cret Service is perhaps only name.
The government intends that this
shall be so, for should it become gen.
orally known that certain person
was connected with what is probably
the most efficient organization of
.ssleuths" in the world, his usefulness
as catcher of criminals would be
gone
These agents are forever and con-
tinually travelling about the country.
They are suave, magnetic, we'll edu-
Gated and we'll bred men, with no APP
parent business save to enjoy them
selves, yet they are ready and able to
assume any role at a moments no.
tice. Such an agent, following the re-
ception of cryptic message, may
seem to disappear from the
face of the earth, his place
being taken by ragged, IL
literate hobo, who will steal out of
town ON the clinkers of a freight
train. He has been sent on a mission
which will throw him with tramps.
from whom he knows he can best Sc
cure results by being one of them
The duties of the men Of the Secret
Service are almost as many as they
are varied. They participate in raids
on houses where opium is stored.
When there is a great public function
attended by statesmen and foreign
diplomats, they mingle with the
crowds, seemingly listeless, but in
reality on the lookout for would
be assassin. All this and more they
do, but their chief duty lies in pro
tecting the government and it's citi-
zens against counterfeiters.
The average American has little or
no idea as to the magnitude of coun-
terfeiting operations which are being
carried on in all arts of the country,
perhaps within stones throw OF his
own residence. Hardly is one plant
broken up and its operators sent TO
Jail before the discovery of a new
spurious bill proves that another one
has been started.
Then comes intricate planning and
tracking, so arranged as not 10 fright
en- the quarry, and to insure the gath
ering of enough evidence to make con-
yiction certain. Rarely indeed do the
plans of the Secret Service miscarry.
Few persons arrested by Wilkes men
are acquitted.
There is no set rule which the SER
i &c follows when it goes after gang,
It the preliminary steps are usually
kntieal in every case When the
l sunterfeit is first received at the
reasury. il is carefully compared. de-
tall by detail, with the hundreds OF
other spurious bills which have been
confiscated and the makers of whom
are known. If the work on the new
bill resembles that of some former
rweengraver of the queer" that person
interviewed with thoroughness
hich rarely fails to convince the