Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1918-03-01

Inc story or now this menace was met
yet be told only in part. But not the least in
terestinS part concerns the who have
done the work
Chief of the weapons which were at hand was
the secret service of the department of justice.
Its agents were an unobtrusivey efficient lot, but
woefully small in numbers and for the most
part, inexperienced in international affairs.
white slaves and predatory business had been
their chief game. The smaller force of
the treasury secret service was almost fully oc-
cupied with its routine duties of guarding the
currency and the presidents life. 1t, too, has
rendered amazing service against the spies but
upon The department of justice agents fell the
chief burden
They were called upon to match the craft.
the experience and the ruthlessness of the keen
est OF German spies who were backed by a
renowned secret service organization and unlim-
tied funds.
Their chief. the man who had developed the
government detective force, who had laid the
foundation for an extensive, loosely geared, even
running mechanism, and who promptly assem-
bled it when the need came. is Alexander Bruce
Bielash Cliome Run" Bielaski they called him
IN his high school days.. He entered the depart
ment dozen years ago, when the development
Of a bureau Of investigation to handle secret
work for which no other provision had been made
was started.
This bureau commissioned to wrestle with
al banking laws, with antitrust cases, bucket
shop cases, "white slave" cases; it was to prose-
cute those who impersOnate an officer of the
government to pursue those who flee the coun-
try and seek to evade the long arm of the federal
law.
: There were already several detective agencies
In the government each created for specific pur-
pose and limited by law in its operations. For in
stance, there was the secret service in the treas
,llrv VIC 10
prevent smuggling. land agents to protect the
public domain post office inspectors to make
difficult the misuse of the mails But the special
agents of the department Of justice had field
many times broad as that occupied by any other
detective agency. One phase of its work alone
that of circumventing violations of neutrality
became a herculean task when the war broke
The department of Justice refused to follow
precedent i'm creation of detective agency. 1t
built n staff of operatives that was new thing in
the field of detective work. In doing so it made
brains its first requisite of selection of men and
held that education was developer of brains
The youngsters of this service have succeeded
where veteran police have failed. Every case an
operative undertakes is entirely new problem,
in which his past experience is by means an
infalible guide. 1t needs brains and initiative.
A young agent of the bureau of investigation.
formerly n salesman for q wholesale grocer, went
into the Aleghenies on his first case and cleaned
ND nest of moonshncrS that had deneu local
authorities and United States marshals for years.
Another of these men worked as n laborer on the
docks of New Orleans and found out the meth
DDS employed by the sugar samplers in so grad
ing imported cargoes that the loss to the govern
ment was hundreds of thousands in duties every
year. Still another "roped in" with Mexican
revoutonists in FL Paso.
The importance of the work of these special
agents may be measured by account of the
tl,p Of hn All
Vera Cruz in April, 1914, and the part played in
that event by of those ingenious men. 1t
was some months before that event that huge
bearded Russian attracted the attention of
house detective In New York hotel by the dis
play of n draft for $3OOO.OOO signed by President
IIuprta of Mexico. The house detective tele-
phoned the special agents. who watched the opera
tons Of the Russian.
That individual bought firearms and ammuni-
ton in sufficient quantities TO load ship. 1t
was the business of the government to see to
It that he did not send this 70 Mexico. as there
was nm embargo on firearms To that country. The
shin however cleared for Odessa. Russia. and the
sppcial agents traced il To that point and wit
messed the refusal Of the Russian government to
allow the ammunition TO be landed, because of
n fear that II was To be used by revolutionStS
'Thoy saw the ship again traverse the Meditorra-
mean and unload its cargo at Hamburg. The
spccial agents noted. however, that the Russian
had disappeared and suspected that he WAS more
loyal 10 his own pocket than To the Mexican
government.
The ammunition was rcShipped from Hamburg
70 Vera Cruz As il approached the latter port
The United States under the influence Of the in
formation furnished by its special agents. entered