Evening star., 1915-02-28

So this secret service agent knew the
counterfeit was made by a certain man
who was an old
Knew It Was Made offender and
by Old Offender. membered % n wa $
serving a term at Leavenworth. He
called up the warden of that peniten-
tiary and found that the suspect had
recently been discharged. He COM
municated with the central Office at
Washington and was told that the
whereabouts of the old offender were
known, for it is the policy Of the serv-
ice to keep track of such men. His
arrest and conviction soon followed.
This is the simplest sort of case. A
bit different in the working out was
that of a frank and attractive young
man who appeared at the race track of
a western city and bet hundred-dollar
bills on various horses. Some one sus-
pected that the bills were counterfeit
and secret service man was called
into the case. The man was arrested.
He acknowledged betting the bills in
question. He produced twenty-nine
more of them from an inner pocket. He
stated that he had found an envelope
full of them in the railway station the
day before. He said that he had want
ed to return them to the owner and
had placed an advertisement in the pa
pers to that effect. He showed the ad-
yertisement. He had bet this money
from indifference. as he had plenty of
other money to make 1t up in case the
owner was found.
So plausible was his story that his
accusers were almost convinced. But
he made single mistake, as every man
who is lying will do If he Is required to
furnish sufficient detail. He had left
the advertisement at one of the news
claimed to have found the money. He
was held for thorough investigation.
-
The men of the secret service try
hard for confessions. They are masters
of psychology.
Seek Confession They know
by Usual Methods. terfeiter teri, ter ha $
his secret always with him. He may
not relax for a moment for fear of be-
traying himself 1t Is great weight
on his mind. The effect of 1t may be
heightened by solitary confinement. So
the suspect in this case was left alone
for week. In the meantime his past
was investigated. 1t was found that
he had a printing shop in New Eng
land town.
He was a skilled engraver. He had
once worked in Washington, where he
a associated with the men who make the
dies from which the money of the gov
ernment is printed. With these facts
in hand. the secret service man visited
the accused. 1t was easy to construct
the whole story Of the downfall of the
enprayer, of the suggestion of note
making received in Washington. of his
of the work done on the |
of his experimental making |
of one, of his passing 1t as a proof of
his skill, of his drifting into the busi- |
ness through his ownership of a shop |
where the work might be completed. |
The secret service man appeared to
know more than he really did. The |
thought there was no use |
in denials The effect of solitary con-
fnement of the secret locked up in his |
breast. weighed heavily upon him. He
wanted to talk. He told the whole |
story.
whiskered man down In the Atlanta |
penitentiary who has probably counter
fefted more of the note issues of the |
world than any other man who ever |
lived His name is John Schmidt, and /
william J. Flynn, now head of the ]