Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-03-22

nence In the public eye as geniuses who
penetrate the most obscured mystery.
These men promote themselves by telling
It that way to writer's after the facts are
all In, and thus glnlet their way into the
llmelght
Alone. the celebrated detective is quite
impotent. and II wholly honest he will
frankly admit It. At best he is only
rallylng point for facts. Those who con-
tribute the most to tho solution of a mys-
terry are the unknown and unadvcrtised
persons Of each interested business or
family group holding the post-mortem on
the particular crime through which they
have suffered.
Sleuths possessing sure-fire regulations
generally stalk the land in stolen raj
ment. garments of fame belonging to
others In private life, who obviously
never protest.
Knowing these things, Craig Andrews
did not wire for headliner private de-
tective to solve in twinklins the baf-
fling situation over the origin and i'm
pulse OF the west mill explosion. He and
Summers, the superintendent, waited pa
tlently for the arrival in Crispen of or
dinary secret-servicc men. Reporters from
the large metropolitan dailes were de-
MED admission to the steel works after
being told that the disaster was under
investigation.
Late In the afternoon two of the Gov
ernments best men dropped into the iron
town. They were Agent X. and Agent W.,
two capable, conscientious, qulck-witted
men. AS they are now ferretlng out
other grave mysteries of federal con-
Germ we must withhold their names. or
their talents we can Judge. AS special
agents OF the Attorney General their lat
itude was wide.
Agent KS personality suggested cav
airy, the sort of man who filings himself
headlong against obstacles, and by sheer
weight comes out vlctorious with frank.
blue eyes. sandy hair and n broad. clean
shaven, smiling countenance, unmistak-
ably Irish. Agent w. typed the grim ma
chine-gun squad, loose-framed, with a
long nose In a cold. determined, dark
face, capped by thick hair in the pepper
and-salt stage.
The only secret in the secret service
is for its agents to act like ordinary
human beings. X. and w. baffled classI-
fication. To those who met and talked
with them on duty they might be sales
men or they might be merchants. Their
art was to be agreeable. well-informed
and tactful, for important information
always polishes bright under a chamois
cloth, never under a currycomb.
In short, the business OF K. and w. in
Crispen was to gain the Lvsolute conf
dence of those they interrogated, per-
form teamwork with the managers OF the
iron works and reserve their reports for
trained lawyers in the Department of
Justice at washington. assigned to pros
ecute persons who had interfered with
lawful trade and commerce.
III we get the goods on the rascals re-
sponsIble, the evidence will eventually go
to the District Attorney of this county,
and he will indict them for murder"
Agent X. was saying when Monte Crispen
entered the superlntendent's private Of
nee tHe HedTl OIL the steel noThSi loCdteu
in a low. one-story brick building just
inside the iron gate entrance.
Needless TO vouch for Mr.. Taller; he
is associated with me-" explained An
drews. and the initial conference proceed
ed behind closed doors and drawn win
dow shades. Further widening OF the
circle of inquiry for the present was
daOIdadtNy IF,nFt,dant
CONTINUED TOMORROW