The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1916-09-07

MANY ptOple AaNN '"'''N' 80
which lies there inactive. There is
not one man in FIVE having such an ac-
count. who can tell the amount of it,
This statement was launched our
Ing the evening meal at Mrs. Hud-
sons very respectable boarding house
In the prosperous little town Of New
Beaufort, which slumbers in one OF the
valleys Of central New York.
Il must take issue with you there,
gentured the elderly rector Of the Epls-
ropal church who, being a widower,
boarded with Mrs. Hudson. Il, for in
stance, have managed to save little
money for old age and | can tell the
amount of it to a penny"
And | know just how much have
on deposit" insisted Miss Dolan, the
school teacher.
And am quite sure Of NINE" as.
serted a buxom widow who had collect.
ed life insurance
AS a test OF my contention said
Gard, 81 am willing to pledge a box OF
candy to each of the ladies' and cigars
to the gentlemen who will set down
the exact amounts Of their inactive &C.
counts in the First National bank and
then prove their figures correct by APP
plication to the cashier"
This proposal appealed to those who
had been drawn into the incipient con
troversy. Next day they asked for the
figures, and each had won his reward
Gard seemed Chagrined that his theory
should have thus gone to the winds,
but he cheerfully stood treat.
For he had established fact very
important to him The inactive ac-
counts Of the First National bank OF
New Beaufort we're intact.
This was one of the first steps In an
investigation OF financial institution
which, while seemingly in the best OF
condition, was suspected OF having
been looted for hundreds Of thousands
OF dollars Special agents Of the de
partment Of justice knew that an of.
f1cial Of the bank had been trading
heavily in Wall street and that he had
lost Gard, a member of this new de
iectiye force Of the federal govern.
ment, had been sent to investigate
Representing himself as bookkeeper
he had secured a position with the
leading grocer and had come to board
With MRS Hudson.
He stayed three weeks. At the end
of that time he reported the shortage,
fixed the blame upon the man re
sponsIble for It, showed the methods
used cited the accounts from which
the money had been stolen, told what
accounts were still intact. Yet he had
never been inside the bank. had seen
none Of its books, had consulted with
nobody familiar with them, had re
relyed no confessions The manner In
which he accomplished these seeming
}y impossible ends illustrates most eX-
ceIlcntly the methods used by this new
detective agency of the government.
1t was a strange conspiracy of cir
cumstauccs that brought to New Beau.
EOrt detectives from three different
eeryiccs on the night, two months
latcr, that Conrad Compton, the enter.
prising citizen aud banker, was giving
ls big party.
There was McCord, pIan-clothes
man from New York. McCord would
not have been in New Beaufort but
for the ramihcations Of the New York
police department In keeping track Of
these middle class criminals who live
through the trade OF burglary-a call
ing that ia sometimes refined into art
Aud the police department would not
have come into possession Of certain
tip # 5peck" Thompson had not done
his bit up the river and returned to
his old hauuts 30 broken that he chose
TO become a stool pigeon because he
was no longer w to second story
work
Speck had found that Dutch" Shro.
der had arranged 10 crack a safe and
New Beaufort He had tipped the
matter of TO the police. and hence Me.
Cords presence In community that
was IA" from metropolitan. Iie repre-.
scented the first Of the detective scrv.
tees
The second such service was repre-
scented by Ogram Newton, a bank cx
nmIner in the service OF the treasury
department His district was central
New York For three years he bad
been taking an occasional look into the
books Of the various national banks
Of his district, checking up assets and
liabilities, iuquirug into the value OF
the paper held by the banks Two
weeks before Conrad Compton gave
bis party newton had been In New
Beaufort and had gone thoroughly int,
the affairs " the bank It's books were
models Of efficiency and there was nc
flaw to be found IN any Of its sccurI
ties Or loans Newton had given n,
institution bis O. IS aud had passe,
on 10 other towns.
But there vas "a feeling Of unres
that haunted the young examiner ]
seemed that bis subcousciuus min,
was aware d an oversight that ha,
been made By his working faculties
lie was not able 20 sleep well Of nights
and IN bis sleep the various accounts
81 tie Kew Beaufort bank insisted o.
visualiziug themselves. Finally the r.
curing accounts eliminated themselye
with tie exception Of one which pei
sisted The loans and discounts ac
count kept thrusting Itself into his cor
seriousness
BY Joye!" he exclaimed SUDDEN
10 himself. The entries in that az
rouuf the amounts of money tina