Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1919-08-28
SILENT WORKERS
UNCLE SANS sLEUTHs ARE NOT
OF THE STAGE SORT.

Secret Service Simply Selects Man
Who Naturally Looks the Part
He is to Assume.
Washington-"Head work and leg
work are more important than green
goggles and false whiskers," for the
modern sleuth, according to William ].
Flynn, chief Of the United States Sc.
cret Service, better known as Uncle
Sans BLACK Cabinet"
AS Iule oisguises are not used by
those in the service. II the matter in
hand, for instance, requires the collec-
tion of information from workmen, q
man Is chosen who looks the part
without disguise. He simply wears
such clothes as workmen wear and ef.
fects the manners and speech Of the
men with whom he mingles. On the
other hand, II the work requires con.
tact with people In better-dressed
walk Of life, or with foreigners or ne
groes, an operative Of the same class
is chosen.
The United States Secret Service Is
under the direct supervision OF the
Secretary Of the Treasury. The only
thing that can land man in It's en-
ploy is passing the preliminary eNsmi.
nation. submitting to personal inter.
view with Chief Flynn and showing
ones nerve and ability during a month
of testing work for Uncle Sam. II a
man makes good after the preliminary
test he goes on the roll permanently.
The men are gathered from greatly
different sources. There are college
graduates, mostly sons Of criminal law
yers. musicians, stenographers, lin.
gusts, bank clerks, Identification ex.
perts, telegraph operators, commits.
stoned and non-commissioned officers
of the army or navy, newspaper men,
a couple Of sheriffs, one or two war
dens and an ex-mayor.
Some Of the best work of secret SER
vice operatives in recent years has
been accomplished by men formerly in
the claims department Of railroad or
life insurance companies.
The secret service headquarters in
Washington occupies a very unpreten-
tions suite of Offices on the first floor
of the treasury department. Here are
the private Offices of Chief Flynn.
whose salary is $4,000 year, and the
assistant chief, William Moran, regard
ed as the greatest expert in the detec.
tion of counterfeits and counterfeit.
ers.
There is a clerical division employ.
ing not more than dozen persons: an
identification bureau. where are
kept on file the records Of all known
counterfeiters and other undesirable
citizens, and a large storeroom where
connscatedscounterfeiting outfits seiz
ed in raids are allowed to accumulate
| pending their destruction according to
law. There is saying in the service
that "once a counterfeiter always q
| counterfeiter."
The secret service was created pri.
marily to catch counterfeiters and pro
tect the person Of the president. In
1861 there was carried in one of the
appropriation acts 100000 for sup
| pressing the counterfeiting of coin
Annually thereafter provision was
made for the same purpose. and em
bracing the counterfeitlng of paper cur
rency.
| The United States is divided into Sc
cret service districts, each district
having headquarters conveniently 10
Gated in charge of skilled operative
who has under his direction from time
70 time as, many assistants as the
criminal activities In his locality de
mand.
Perhaps the most picturesque worl
of the secret service is performed BY
its flying squadron"-the freelance
field workers, who may be sent to any
place at any time. Most Of these mer
are not, much above 80 years of age
the average age Of all secret service
men is under 35. They are alert. en-
ergetic, resourceful and capable of as
suming almost any part of sleutI
demanded.
A new recruit in the service start.
In as an assistant operative at SO ,
day-if he proves worthy he is promot
Ell to the rank Of operative at SIS day
AS an operative his pay may Increase
to ST T. day. but before he can obtai:
the top notch salary he must hav,
made good and have acquired cor
siderable fund of practical experienc,
valuable to the service.
| One Of the most mysterious phases
of the secret service work concerns
the maintenance Of communication be
tween the central Office In Washing
ton and it's field operatives. A mes
sage, even in cipher, is never dispatch
ed openly to his chief. but to some prl
vate individual, previously agreed III
on, who in turn places the messag
in the hands of Chief Flynn.
Secret service men are at work al
the time. When there is no particula