The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1911-12-14
BURNS WORKED HERE
Famous Detective Hunted Counter
feitine Gang who We're Operat-
ina Down at PleasantOn.


week has the following interesting
liam j. Burns on case prosecuted
twenty years ago:
perhaps the most widely spoken
name in America to-day is that OF
William j. Burns, the noted govern
ment detective, whose work in gath
ering convincing testimony has just
compelled the Los Angeles dynaluit-
ers to confess their crimes.
Two residents of Princeton, At
torney Ira B. Hyde and former Sher-
if Levi S. Lowry, are we'll acquaint-
ed with Burns. Both assert the
famed secret service agent spent
three weeks in Mercer county some
twenty years ago and rendered val
liable assistance in rounding up and
securing the conviction in the U. S.
court of a dangerous band of coun-
terfeiters which had been organized
at Pleasanton and included in their
membership many citizens OF our
county.
..Green Goods Plot Pointed Way?
Perhaps the first intimation that
"crooked money" might be located
in this section came in July, 1891,
when DR.. J. w. Crawford, of Pleas
anton, Iowa, and Thos. P. Stratton,
an Oklahoman visiting in Lindley
township, we're arrested at Kansas
City and hauled before United States
Commissioner L. E. Wynne, suspect
ed of having formed counterfeit
ing conspiracy. Their alleged plot
was exposed to the officers by ne
gro who claimed to have overheard
a conversation between them and
another man with whom they we're
making an appointment to buy some
"green goods" Stratton was the
first arrested and in his pocket was
found this mysterious document:
June 20, 1891.
We, the undersigned, hereby agree
that our honorable body will not
divulge any secrets that our body
may present to each other, we will
not divulge & if any one disobeys
any of such rules someone of our or
ganization will attend to him i'm
mediately & his hearts blood shall
pay the debt & our pass word is
Niagara Falls. .. ..y....
- T. P. Stratton, Pres. " IL.
d ~
minutes later and. a search&>of his
pockets brought to light q similar
CORY agreement. Crawford was
physician who conducted - drug
store at PleasantOn and had four
hundred dollars in good money in
his pocket. This sum, he explained,
he intended to spend for whiskey.
Each document was indorsed on the
back as follows:
DAY set to meet at Princeton to
start for Kansas City, Monday, 29th
of June, 1891"
- The men made unsatisfactory
statements as to how the oathbound
documents came into their possess
sion and claimed to have met by
chance in Princeton despite the fact
they were known to have left this
city on the same day and the in
dorsement above quoted. However,
they were released by the Kansas
City Commissioner and returned to
their home.
Scorned Wife Starts Investigation.
Shortly afterwards DR.. Crawford
became enamored of the charms of
Miss Stella Trembly, Pleasanton
young lady with whom he fed the
country, deserting his wife and
home. Statutory charges alleging
immoral conduct we're made by the
scorned wife and in April, 1892,
Sheriff Levi S. Lowry located Craw-
ford and the Trembly girl at Kansas
City, arrested them and brought
them to Princeton where they were
lodged in jail. 1t was while sub
poenaing witnesses in this case that
Sheriff Lowry discovered the first
evidences of the counterfeiters and
to him, more than any one else,
should be given the credit for their
apprehension and subsequent con-
viction. When the sheriff, bearing
subpoenas for witnesses against DR..
Crawford and, his mistress, reached
North Lindley township he found
warnings of his approach had been
sounded and all witnesses abiding
temporarily on the north side of
tho Iowa-Missouri state lines, far
beyond the jurisdiction of Judge
Burgess or Circuit Clerk H. c. Miller
then officers of our courts. A talk
with Royal Richardson, a respected
farmer of that section, developed the
fact that the farmer suspicioned
&Ou6 Oh u}8 Ac16AUOIS Ol' COuALVA-
feiting. Lowry journeyed on into
Pleasanton where he spent the night
ut the home of Mrs. Crawford, who,
since her husbands desertion, had
earned living by conducting a
boarding house. In the room assign
ed to the officer was large bureau
which. the sheriff investigated, find
ing in one of the drawers quite q
quantity of counterfeit money. When
he. came down to breakfast the next
morning the officer said nothing OF
his find but began to talk of the
complaints about counterfeiters.
throwing in along this line of con-
versation q few remarks concerning
the. actions of DR.. Crawford and the
Trembly woman. !
The first thing I knew" said
Lowry, in telling the story to
Telegraph representative Monday,
mrs. Crawford went up stairs and
brought down small bucketful of
the counterfeit money. This I
brought with me back. to Princeton