The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-03-01

HOW IS that! I aSktu.
 Because. replied the other, while there is scarcely any doubt that Maxwell caused the death of Preller by chloroform yet he may have done it innocently, and if such is the case he could not be con- victed of the murder. Now, Tom, 1 want you to get the facts in this case for me.
 1 asked for day to think the matter over, to which suggestion they agreed. When my visitors returned I said:
 "Gentlemen, l have been thinking about the case in question, and have become satisfied that there were but two persons who knew the whole facts connected with the case. One of these rersons is now in Jail, and the other is dead. In my opinion Maxwell is the only living person ~Who knows the facts, and therefore he is the only person from whom these facts can be obtained. I believe I can get these facts from him. l shall be glod to do any thing that l can to assist you in un- raveling this case, with the understand ing that 1 am not to receive any com pensation for what I do myself, but l eX- pect you gentlemen to pay the operative that I may use in this work the same amount of salary that we are paying him, and his actual expenses"
 This being agreed, 1 telegraphed to Philadelphia for a man in my employ there named John McCulloch, a truth full, honest man, but little thick-head- ed, just the man who would interpret his instructions to the letter, and carry them out in this way-which was what wanted.
 l began by obtaining possession of a few blank checks from the office of D. $. H. Smith. who was local treasurer of the Missouri Pacific Railroad company in St. Louis My chief clerk was a good penman. and I set him to practice until he could not only initiate Mir Smiths signature. but could initiate it just badly enough to arouse suspicion in the mind of a bank cashier. l next had my clerk fill out a blank check for the amount of. $1,1SS.10. This cneck I gave to Me- Culloch, instructing him to present it to the paying teller of the Mechanics bank, which was then on Fourth street. 1 had received genuine check from Dr. Smith few days before, and had pur- posely held this out, and was waiting across the street from the bank when McCuloch, who is now to be known as Frank Dingfelter, entered to cash the forged check. As soon os Dingfelter en- tered the bank I followed him.
 The paying teller examined the check curiously and then, seeing me, excitedlv motioned to me to come to the window As I approached, the teller, in an eX- cited voice, commanded me to arrest Dingfelter. He has presented large fake check bearing the name of Dr. Smith. for nearly sl20o." ne said. Why, you know Dr. Smiths signature
 "Yes. Here is one of Dr. Smiths S checks, I answered T know this is genuine, for I saw the doctor sign it.
 The two checks were compared by me, and I continued:
 While I am not an expert on hand writing, I do not believe that Dr. Smith wrote that signature"
 Where did you get that check?" de- manded the teller of Dingfelter
 'I got it from Dr. smith, was the reply.
 Will you go with me and see Dr. Smith?'' l asked.
 ''Well, I don't know whether I will or not" Dingfelter answered. ''Are you an officer?'
 "I am the chief special agent for the Missouri Pacific Railroad company" replied.
 ''Oh, we'll, that is different. I will go with you and see Dr. Smith, said Dingfelter
 We started for Dr. Smiths office ac- cordingly. At the corner of Sixth and Pine streets I gave Dingfelter the pre- arranged signal, which was for him to hit me a good, stiff punch in the face. A large, clumsy policeman, wearing a raincoat. was standing under an awning near the corner saloon. Ding felter hit hard, as he had been in- structed, and struck me above the eye, knocking me down and inflicting a se- we're confusion. Dingfelter stumbled and also fell, and the rlumsy police man made a dash for him. In the en- suing fight the policeman lost most of his uniform, and all three of us went down in the mud and were covered with filth before Dingfelter was final