The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1912-05-20
New York Evening Post

tNeW York Evening Post
one day last week "A boy was sent
from a down town brokerage house
I" tn" Empire Trust with
$500 in currency to purchase a supply
of New York state stock transfer
stamps Returning with the stamps
he passed them in to the cashiers
cage. and was sent on another GRAND.
There was no suspicion of anything
wrong. but the cashier. %glancing at
tho Empire Trusts receipt for his
$500. noticed a mistake in the man
ner in which ii had been made out.
He called the Empire Trust on the
telephone. and learned tina his mes.
senger had not been there that day. to
purchase stamps.
The Wall street investigator was
thrreupon called upon TO learn where
the stamps which the boy had deliv-
cred were obtained. Within twenty
-four hours he had cleared the matter,
and returned the $500 to the broker
age house. Without interrogating the
boy he looked UP an alleged stamp
collector down town. of whom he had
for some time been suspicious: by a
little shreWd detective work of a kline
not unusually resorted TO by the ordin-
airy sleuth. he had uncovered the
method by which the collector" had
lnvciSled the boy into purchasing the
transfer stamps from him instead OF
the Empire Trust. and had placed in
the hands of the police evidence which
rid the financial district of Il thief
who. if permitted to continue his OPP
crations. might have mulcted more
than one broker before he was finally
found OUT.
or itself. this incident may not have
been important: it was probably one
OF the most simple and colorlcss cases
which have been taken to the Wall
street Investigator to unravel. Never
thelcss, it served to emphasize the
scope of the work that is being done
ny the man who. in the fulfllment of
his vocation. has proved one of the
O valuable unofficial assets of Wall
street for the past twenty years.
There is no n within the radius of
half n mile of the stock exchange
whom the investigator does MOI know
or canno, learn about at short notice;
for detection of men or boys who
make it their business to defraud down
town brokers through such petty
schemes as the sale of ill-gotten stock
transfer stamps. or for foiling inter-
national plots involving millions If
dollars. the investigator is always
called upon to take a. important part.
The investigator Is know person.
ally to the head of over financial in
stitution in the city. but Few of the
thousands of clerks and underlings
know even of his existence. He has
an office in a building on Broad
street, midway between the New York
stock exchange. and within hailing
distance of a dozen of the largest
banks in the financial district. Armies
of people pass his place every week
day. and scores enter. but there are
few who suspect the Investigator OF
being what he is. or who know that
within his two moderate-sized rooms
have been unfolded more secrets than
could possibly be told about. He does
not mind talking about his work-up
10 a certain point. Beyond that he
will not go.
One room OF the Investigators office
contains his desk and two long steel
filing cabinets: there are $4,000 names
represented in these cabinets, every
single file item in the place being
c%atalogued and numbered. and each
single reference having a history. The
investigator knows which of the his
tories he may tell about and which
he may not: both he and the cabinets
have about them a distinct atmos.
phere of secrets we'll kept.
About some of his cases the investi-
gator will talk. but he uses no names.
He tells of mining deals by the hun.
dred In which promoters were foiled
In securing funds from banks solely
on h information which he had fur
nished. and were finally compelled to
abandon their swindling plans because
he was on their trail. He will tell,
when in a talkative mood. with reser-
walton of certain particulars, Of the
time not long ago when he put a
spoke in one of the most audacious
undertakings upon which financial
schemers have been known to ven
ture.
The authors of this particular I'm.
dertaking We're not OF the ordinary
type. anxious to tur a trick and come
away with enough "swag'' to finance
q life Of idleness for a few months.
They were the kind which move in
what is termed high society. and their
plans ere laid far in advance. A pro-
noting company was Incorporated,
with an authorized capitalization that
written with Eve ciphers and
with prospects that were truly dag
sling. The groundwork finished. one