The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-03-08

back with the greatest satisfac-
 yS3yyygl ton was that of the Miles will H&HfU There is a common impression that the private detective is not an over scrupulous person. In this case I had the pleasure of cooperating with one of my operatives who had been offered what was. to him, a small fortune to commit a dishonest act, and who. instead. re- jected the bribe and was the means of confounding the conspirators.
 In the latter part of the nineties Steph- en B. Miles, a wealthy resident or Ne brasBi, died, leaving an estate consisting of lands in Nebraska and Kansas, bank stock and bonds and other property, the whole valued at several millions of dol- lars He was survived by wife. from whom he had been divorced; two sons. Joseph H. Miles and Samuel, and daugh- ter, as well as a number of nephews and nieces and several grandchildren.
 One of the sons, Joseph, was a promi- nent banker and business man of Falls City, Neb, and also had large interests in other towns in that state. He had been telegraph operator in his younger days, and had amassed his money by honesty and industry, and was highly es- teemed by all who knew him as a clean. wide-awake business man and good cit- izen.
 
 years of age, and resided with his family on a ranch belonging to his father in Kansas just over the Nebraska line. He had been wild in his younger days, and had caused his father 8 good deal of trouble on account of his absolute habits.
 Shortly after the death of stephen M. Miles a will was found in an old suit case, the provisions of which made the son Joseph executor and trustee of the estate and chief beneficiary, Samuel being left, in addition to a sum of money, life interest in the ranch on which he and his family were living. After his death and that of his wife the property was to pass to their children. The will also provided that Samuel conld neither entail nor dispose of the land.
 These provisions were, of course highly unsatisfactory to the son Sam uel, and he put the matter in the hands of a lawyer, al whose suggos ton he began court proceedings, to prevent the probating of the will. Not succeeding in this, he afterward brought suit to have the vii set aside.
 About this time l had in my service a man named D. r. Harbaugh, of whom l have made mention in previous cases. This man, who was trusted em- ploye of mine, had become well known and had gained considerable notorlety in and about Kansas City on account of cases on which he had worked under my instructions one day Ilarbough was approached in Kansas City by the law yers who had been engaged by Samuel Miles to break the will The proposi- ton which they made To him was that he should find man whose former reputation had been good, and who would be willing to go on the witness stand and testify to having drawn up and witnessed will made by the elder Miles while he was on one of the ire quent visits to St. Louis that he had been accustomed to make. During the course of the conversation the lawyer told Harbaugh all about the conspiracy that had been formed to break the will by finding later one and gave the names of all who were connected with the scheme. One of these men was a prominent lawyer In Falls City, Neb. Another was a man of considerable prominence in Omaha, having big