Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1922-01-26
True
Detective Stories
THE FINAL DETAIL

surprisingly large percentage of
cases in which the criminal, hav-
ing spent months or even years in
building up the superstructure of his
scheme, makes a fatal blunder in con-
nectiOn with some apparently unim-
portant detail-a blunder which
wrecks his entire plan and brings his
operations to the attention of the
authorities.
For example, the chances were more
than a thousand to one that William
Brockway. cOunterfeiter, being DESTROYS
of securing a proof Of a plate on
which he was working, would select
printer who was not a personal
friend of a prominent detective. But
chance, which so often plays a leading
role even in true detective stories,
directed him to q man who knew A.
l.. DrummOnd, of the United States
Secret Service, well enough to call
him by his first name.
"This man came into my place yes
terday afternoon" reported the prin-
ter, "and 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, but he didn't have to.
l saw what it WaS-the figure 81 900,
surrounded by lot of scroll work,
"If he returns today" directed
Dlummond, pull his proofs for him
ard 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
a proof of the mysterious plate, Drum
mond got word from his operatives
that they had trailed the suspect to
house on Greenwich street. In adj
dition, one of the government agents
! had recognized him as William f.
| BrockWay known to be tlie 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
It's opinion some weeks later.
Drummond accordingly made re-
port of the entire matter to Wash
ington, and forwarded a 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
a part of any government currency or
| bond issue and that, as federal funds
could not be used except in the search
for Counterfeiters of money or govern
mont bonds, Drummond could not be
permitted to handle the case.
Accordingly, all the data was tur tad
over to the New York police, and
Brockway dropped out of sight for
nearly a year, until a rumor was
passed along from Washington that
the master cOunterfeiter was working
on some coup which would be the big
gest of his career.
Drummond knew where to find
BrOckway, but the secret service men
had to work under a handicap, be-
cause the eX-Convict appeared to have
an uncanny way Of knowing just when
he was being followed. Then he would
slip and twist and turn and lose him
self, no matter how many men were
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 there
, until he received a signal from two of
the operatives. ,Brockway not dream
ing that the secret service had be-
gun to use children as detectives, was
unsuspicious and the boy followed him
at the corner of Twenty-sixth and
Broadway. With that much of the
trail already .blazed, it was easy to
pick up the rest, and within a few
days Drummond was notified that the
counterfeiter divided his time between
the st. James and house on LeXing-
ton avenue. His associates were two
men Of about his own age men whom
Drummond recognized as Lewis Mar
tin and Nathan Foster both of them
proficient in all branches of the work
connected with the manufacture and
passing of counterfeit money.
But even then Chief BrOokes of the
secret service, declined to allow Drum
mond to handle the case officially, be-
cause all the indications pointed to a
plot to counterfeit railroad bonds,
rather than United States currency.
1t was only when Inspector Byrnes
of the New York police force, asked
permission to use DrummOnd as q
private agent that Washington per-
mitted him to continue with the case,
Using the proof Of the "S1 900
scroll" as foundation, Drummond
searched through all the prominent
bond issues listed on Wall street, until
he found Its counterpart-the central
portion of the bonds Of the Central
Pacific railroad. Armed with this in
formation, which was essential to the
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