Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1922-04-14
CASE x.
BY WILLIAM J. FLYNN,

ny "tLLhFtit -. - NNS
Former Chief of the Secret Service.
TIME United States Government never
managed to arrest Johnny Hender-
son-never quite caught up with
him. John was sinister soul, who used
to leave notes for us Secret Service oper.
ators to ponder over in our spare moments.
Now and then he would send word In
circultous fashion, half hooking and half
threatening.
We came across one of his fellow coun-
terfeiters out in Oil City, Pa, one night,
and, having slammed the cell door in his
face, asked him to tell US something about
Johnny
81 amt seen Johnny for two months"
he replied. Think he was bound for Ore
gon or somewhere, but he left word for
you"
well, what did he say?"
"He said you'd better forget him If you
love life He amt goin' to JAIL he says,
and the first cop to lay hands on him is
going with Johnny to wherever 1t is cops
and oil shooters go when they die
You see, Johnny was an oil we'll shooter
or dynamiter before he took to counter
feiting. 1t was his job to drop nitro
glvcerine or dynamite or other compelling
explosive into the hole drilled by the ma
chimes Just before the hole became an oil
r.. s,bl
touch to the tapping of the oil spring-the
blowing of the cork out of the bottle, so
to speak.
In this manner Johnny became more or
less familiar with high explosives and,
in due Difference to the old saw conse
quently contemptuous 1t was said OF
Johnny that he slept with bottle Of nitro
glycerine beneath his pillow. Probably
that is exaggeration. At all events Johnny
Henderson was thoroughly hard-boiled and,
possibly, quite serious in his many threats.
II amt going to be arrested" was
Johnny's word to us on several occasions.
I'm keeping out of your way and you
keep out of mine. I'm carrying nitro with
me all the time. Just lay your nand on
me and we all go up. And we amt com
ing back
Secret Service Men Unafraid
OF Johnny and His Nitro
The situation was one warranted to i'm.
press. / often thought of Johnny during
the war, when | read Of the British trawl
ers or mine sweepers faring forth Of
cold morning to pick up or otherwise dis
pose of German mines that might be
marauding the North Sea or the Eng.
lsh Channel We used to josh each other
great deal about coming across the
highly desired and high explosive John
Henderson, and 1t was our pleasantly to
hope each other caught Johnny well
charged with nitro-glycerine
II you have followed even in desultory
way the activities of the Secret Service
you must realize that there were opera
tives working with me who would have
arrested battalion of Hendersons and
thought nothing of 1t. These men weren't
afraid of Henderson or his nitro-glycer-
inc. They would have fought him for the
bottle.
had command of the Pittsburgh office
when Henderson appeared upon the Secret
Service horizon. 1t was back in 1901. From
the northwestern counties Of Pennsylvania
we had been receiving word of occasional
counterfeit silver dollars-palpable coun-
terfeits that might be passed in the for
eign colonies, but hardly elsewhere. We
sent man up to look over the situation
and his presencs had the effect of stopping
the trickle. believe an Italian was ar
rested, but proof was lacking and he was
turned adrift.
Our operative had not retired for more
than a month when hundreds of much bet.
ter looking, but still obviously fraudulent,
dollars were dumped upon Western Penn
sylvania. 1t was clear that these unofficial
minters were growing in technic. Some
of the coins were quite creditable pieces
of work. Others looked as though they had
been made in too much Of hurry. How
ever, the counterfeiters were getting on.
A squad Of us took to the hills of that
part Of the State concentrating presently
upon Warren county. Have you ever made
an exhaustive study Of the terrain of War
rem county, Pa? Unless you have you may
find 1t difficult to understand the work we
did. Warren county Is or at least was
trihe wild. Disposing of an enemy in War
rem county in those days was relatively
simple matter. There would be no one to
hear the shot or cry or other incidental
noise. The hills and woodlands were al.
most virgin. Rushing among and between
them are countless creeks and small rivers.
To add to our enjoyment of Warren county
it was winter when We trooped ia cold
winter.
in due time our research led us to a
particularly wild section along the Big
Brokenstraw Creek. and by holding to the