The New era-leader. (Wagner, Charles Mix County, S.D.) 1911-1912, 1911-07-14
RIVAL DETECTIVE AGENCY NOW
SEEKS TO GET HIM INTO
TROUBLE.
ECRETSERYICE INVOLVED
Affair Grows Out Of Breaking Up Of
Gang Accused Of BIackmaiIins
Strong Estate Of
Pittsburg.

Washington, d. C. - Charges that a
conspiracy exists between United
States postofice inspectors and the
W. J.. Burns Detective agency, the
conspiracy being aimed al the destruc-
ton Of their business, was made in
a pel.s.5n filed by the Perkins Detec-
tive agency Of Philadelphia, Pittsburg
and Indianapolis with the select COM
mittee appointed by the senate to in
vestigate the third degree" methods
Of the police.
Counsel for the Perkins agency ask
that it undertake an investigation Of
the circumstances surrounding the
raiding of the Perkins agency Offices
in the three cities and the seizure of
the papers of that concern by post
Office inspectors and operators from
the Burns agency.
G.. B. Perkins, Walter w. Perkins,
and A. Thomas were accused recently
of having written to C. Strong of Erie,
Pa, that unless $4,000 was forthcom-
ing the Strong house and mausoleum
would be blown up. The letters were
all alleged to have been anonymous
and forwarded to MI. Strong with the
idea in view, it was commended, that
the Perkins agency would gain en-.
ployment in ~ferreting out the authors
and preventing the carrying out Of
the threat.
The petition filed with the commit
tee sets forth that raids were made
on the Perkins agency in all three
cities by postofice inspectors and
Burns detectives and that the former,
acting under federal law, seized valu-
able papers and personal records. In
addition, the officers and employees Of
the Perkins agency, the petition fur
Their charges, were subjected to third
degree" methods for the purpose of
extorting evidence or confessions from
them.
investigation Asked.
In asking for an investigation at
the hands of the senate committee, the
petition says that their case is not an
isolated one, but that they are pre-
pared to prove hat like conduct on
the part of postofice inspectors is not
an infrequent occurrence in other
parts OF the country.
your petitioners further believe
and therefore aver" the petition pro.
ceeds, that some, If not all, of the
aforenamed United States postofice
inspectors engaged in the conspiracy
in this petition particularly set forth,
are pe%cuniarily interested in the Burns
Detective agency and are p~rostituting
their Offices and exercising assumed
and unwarranted powers Hereunder
for the purpose Of furthering the in
terests of said agency, to the great
peril of rights and liberties of the citi-
zens and the scandal and debasement
of the public service"
The petition concludes with the re-
quest that the committee inquire fully
into the matter Of the alleged perse-
cution of the Perkins agency and also
as to whether there is any unlawful
cooperation or connection between the
Burns Detective agency and certain
inspectors of the postofice depart
ment.
". j. Burns, head of the Burns
agency, was a former secret service
official in the treasury department. He
achieved considerable reputation for
his work in connection with the anti
graft crusade in San Francisco and
at present is in the limelight as a
result of his work in the dynamiting
plot which caused the destruction of
the Los Angeles Times plant. 1t was
under his direction that the labor
leaders, now being held for that affair,