The Ordway new era., 1922-06-23
A True Detective Stories
c0,r,,ss,ss by The Wheeler syndis Inc.
Last Stories of Our Series

csSes in which the criminal. nav
ing spent months or even years IN
building up Tie superstrueIure OF h's
scheme makes a fatal blunder in con
nectiun with some apparently unlm-
portsnt detall-a hlunder which
wrecks his entire plan and brings MS
operations 10 the attention oi the
authorities
For example. ne chances were more
than a thousand 10 one that William
Rroekway. cOnnIerfeiter. being desirons
Of securing a proof Of a plate On
which he WAS working would select
a printer who was not personal
friend OF a prominent detective. But
chance. which 80 eften plays leading
role even in true detective stories
directed him to a man who knew A
l. Drummond. cf the United States
Secret Service. well enough to call
aim BY his first name.
This man came into my place yes
terday afternoon. reported the prin-
ter. land wanted some proofs pulled
OF a plate which he had with him.
took one look at the plate and told
him TO come back today-said my ma
chinery was out OF order He didn't
leave the plate. bur he didn't have 10
| saw what II wss-the figure sl,ovo-
surrounded by lot OF scroll work.
III he returns today" directed
Drummond, pull his proofs for him
and hold one of them for me. A couple
Of my men Will be outside your shop,
so signal them and they will follow
your customer"
The plan worked according to
schedule and. shortly after receiving
proof OF the mysterious plate. Drum
mond got word from his operatives
that they had trailed the suspect TO
house on Greenwich street. In ad-
ditiOn. one OF the government agents
had recognized him as William F.
Brockway known to be the most ex-
pert counterfeiter in the country and
the man who had achieved fame by
manufacturing 100000 worth of bonds
which the Treasury department had
accepted as genuine-only to reverse
its opinion some weeks later.
Drulnmond accordingly made re
port of the entire matter to Wash
ington, and forwarded proof Of the
plate which Brockway had in his
possession. To his amazement, the
treasury officials stated that the
figures and the scroll did not form
part of any government currency OF
bond issue and that. as federal funds
could not be used except in the search
for counterfeiters of money or govern
ment bonds, Drummond could not be
permitted 70 handle the case.
Accordingly, all the data was tur SaG
over to the New York police, ant
Brockway dropped out of sight fol
nearly a year. until rumor was
passed along from Washington thai
the master counterfeiter was working
on some coup which would be the big
gest of his career.
Drummond knew where to finC
| BrOckway, hut the secret service mer
had to work under handicap be
cause the ex-conviet appeared to hav,
an uncanny way of knowing just wheI
he was being followed. Then he woulC
| slip and twist and turn and lose him
self. no matter how many men wer,
trailing him.
As last resort -Drummond enlisted
| the services of his son, boy Of ten
| whom he sent to the elevated station
at Twenty-eighth and Sixth avenue
with instruction to play around ther
until he received a signal from two o
the operatives. Brockway, not dream
ing that the secret service had be
gun TO use children as detectives, wa
unsuspicious and the boy followed hin
| until he entered the St James, hotel
| at the corner of Twenty-sixth an
| Broadway With that much of tn
trail already blazed, 1t was easy t
pick up the rest, and within a fey
days Drummond was notified that tn
! counterfeiter divided his time betwee
the st. James and a house ON Lexing
ton avenue. His associates were tw
men of about his own age, men whor
Drumnond recognized as Lewis Mai
tin and Nathan Foster both of ther
proficient in all branches Of the wor
connected with the manufacture an
passing of counterfeit money.
But even then Chief Brookes of tn
secret service, declined to allow Drum
mond to handle the case officially, BIZ
cause all the indications pointed to
plot to counterfeit railroad bond.
rather than United States currenc,
1t was only when Inspector Byrne
Of the New York police force, aske
| permission to use DrummOnd az
private agent that Washington pei
Initted him to continue with the cas-,
Using the proof Of the "$1, 90
SCROLL as foundation, Drummon
searched through all the prominen
bond Issues listed on Wall street, unit
he found its counterpart-the centrs
portion Of the bonds Of the Centrf