The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1922-12-10

Winter with now and then stayoyer for Summer
or two. Big Ben was famous money maker. lie
made it with printing press.
For couple of decades BLY, and his several
gangs OF counterfelters had been the bane of Luke
O'Malley's professional existence, Luke was in the
Government Police, Treasury Department, Secret
Service with a rowing assignment. His business it
was to send the who uttered and showed" the
phony currency into safekeeping.
bad dollar, like good one has no home. II
Is likely to spring up anywhere In truth, II springs
most likely where it would be least expected
naturally. Nobody has yet put w a counterfeiting
plant the public square, like a peanut stand,
There is a certain amount of secretiyeness about
the operation which can only in part be ascribed
TO the Characteristic ditf!donce artists like Big
Ben BLY,.
Bly, could have made handsome living as an
engraver. lie one of the most accomplished
free-hand etchers that ever had come to annoy the
Department He could make a bill with pen and
ink that would pass sober teller and he could do
et backward a copper plate that its
father, Frank White, whose autograph appears on
all the Federal Reserve coupons, wouldn't disown It.
Big Bens weakness big currency He had
figured it out that, since it is easy to forge a
crooked fifty It is to turn queer ace" the
ratio of probabilities made it mathematically more
profitable to print up the big boys. That the
higher denominations underwent penetrating
scrutiny was a minor consideration; Bly, took
certain esoteric pride and academic qualification in
going the top of the higher hurdles
The man was irrepressble, and when the agents
throughout the land notified that he was again
at large doubted that he again at it; If,
indeed he had not put in his leisure violating gov
ernment hospitality at the prison by perfectlng
die for future release. Word sent along that
he had taken train for the north tcketed to
Philadelphia. The deduction was therefore quite
t, NTor Varlr
Chicago-or Seatte-or Boston-or Kansas City
or somewhere.
The first scent came from Cincinnati, three
months later when hundred-dollar yeowback.
deposited by leading hotel, came up a couple OF
pleas off In stacking. and went Democratic under
the microscope. The treasury boys whistled and
whispered "Bly"
Luke (OMalley left Washington for Cincinnati
that night. He quizzed the clerk, belhops and
cashier at the hotel. Currency usually. may be
said to have no identity each bill has an indl
vdua running number, but who ever reads it
and no one, not banks, ever records one
except on a grand note" $4,000 blD ten
grand" But a century comes pretty near to
having character
Even in the marts OF the money changers any
,ne Offering hundreddollar baby will get glance
through the grated window the marble
counter. Anything above a ten is respectfully
taken out of the bill" class and may be referred
to a William.
The history of the hundred that had turned sour
was simple and clear from the main dlning-room,
where 1t had bobbed up, to the bank, where It had
been turned down. 1t had been passed by tall,
slender man with dark curly hair, who had paid
dinner check with It. The waiter remembered
him well, for the man had remembered the walter
we'll O'Malley wet his lips bit--from the de-
scription it appeared that Big Ben BLY, had done
the pushing in person. contrary to his usual
system Of having contederates to handle the stuff
while he remained in the background content to
create
There had been young woman with Bly--if II
really had been bly,, himself.
This was an altogether new wrinkle
II there is a blowhole in the most astute the
most alright, the most hermetic scheme to cheat
the law woman is that,
And BLY, had always thereunto ducked that mos'
obvious of pitfalls. II he was sentimental, it had
been manifested only in his love OF art His
only known sweetheart was the Pocahontas on the
back of the 2B series. What was this stuif-Ber
BLY, with peachesandcream blonde, as described
by the waiter?
Luke O'Malley trailed about such hangouts al
he thought might lure Bly,. He had never deal
with the man in that town before, and knew NJ
specific points that he would be likely to make
such as every may be regarded as likely u
make. be he counterfeiter or merchant or preache
or loafer That Is the mortal element that make
everyone trackable a man may be crook or N
may be professor but he must be human AM
humans have the inallenable urge for company
they want to live where others live, eat wher
others eat play and pray and work and lurk an
drink and think and gamble and ramble "he'
there are others of their kind
In Chicago or in New York It would have bee
an hours work for O'Malley to dig UP Ben BLY,
IT might have taken weeks to get at hls hidea"a'
but to find the man himself would have been mao
simple through covering half dozen spots Bu
In Cncy It became Job to tackle by elimination