The Clio messenger. (Clio, Mich.) 1907-current, 1922-03-23
The Indelible
Clue
ID. 1920. by The Wheeler syndieate)

90 1920. by The wheeler syhuleate'l
Landing the counterfeits is all well
and good, but where does it get us II
we don't know who made themT
The speaker, William J. Burns, then
connected with the United States
secret service, glanced up from his
examination of large sofa which MS
associates had stopped just as ii was
on the point of being shipped from
New York TO Costa Rica-a sofa which
was stuffed, not with wool or hair, nut
with $2,0O0,000 worth of counterfeit
Costa Rlcan money, destined to finance
a Lntin-American revolution.
SO far as the men who had been
working on the case had been able TO
discover, there was no way in which
TO trace the shipment. Ii had been
brought TO the dock In an ordinary
dray which, having unloaded its bur
den, had driven off, To be lost among
thousands of others of its kind In the
streets or New York. OF the men who
had shipped the sofa, the men ~
sponsibie for cOunterfeiting the cur
rency of friendly nation, there was
no indication whatever.
But Burns made careful, almost
microscopic, examination of the bur
lap with which the furniture had been
wrapped. Down in one corner, half
oblterated, he discovered Il peculiar
mark-the numerals so XX 6I'-which
the detective rightly presumed re-
ferred In some way to the manufac-
turers of the fabric.
Inquiry through trade channels
brought the information that burlap
of that kind, bearing the INK" mark,
was sold by only one concern in the
East. But even that discovery didn't
bring Burns much closer to his quarry,
for the books of the firm in question
showed that more than 1000 dealers
had purchased "XX" burlap within the
past year. One by one these dealers
were eliminated, until only six re-
NAMED Among these was furniture
house in Long Island City and when
that store opened for business on the
following morning a square jawed,
stockily-built man of medium height
entered and asked to see the manager.
"My name is Burns" he stated, flip
ping back the lapel of his coat in such
way as to afford glimpse of his
secret service badge. II would like
to have the opportunity of looking at
the stock of burlap which you have
on hand mt the present time, in order
to assist the government in running
down case of considerable impor-
lance"
But right there the man who solved
many mysteries ran into snag. None
of the burlap bore the'2 M GA" mark.
The "XX" was there, but the numer
ais were all different.
"When did you get this stock IMP
asked the detective.
about a month ago" was the reply
"I1ave you any of the former mate
rial on hand?"
The manager was inclined to thinl,
not, but careful search of the ware
house brought to light a single piece
of the former supply and there, in tho
corner, was the clue that Burns had
hoped to find--the indelible "2 XX g."
snow" snapped the secret service
man, III you will let me see your
books for the past three or four
months, | won't bother YOU any
longer"
That same afternoon Burns and two
of his associates rang the bell Of a
house in Brooklyn occupied by Mrs.
Loni. who was. according to the clerk
who had made the sale. "a Spanish
woman who insisted upon buying a
sofa Of certain kind, we'll padded
and heavily stuffed" The sofa an
swered the description OF the one
which was being held at the wharf,
and the very fact that the purchaser
had beeh Spanish added the final con.
Meeting link. But, I'm order TO avoid
any possible sllpup, Burns located the
who had taken the furni-
ture from the Loni house to the dock
IA feat which was far from difficult
once he had clue to the location of
the home of the counterfeiters.
AS he had expected, Mrs. Lonl dis
claimed any knowledge of The ship
ment and fell back upon a professed
lack Of understanding Of English TO
bolster up her position. To her amaze
ment, the detective replied in fluent
Spanish, informing her that he had all
the facts in the case-the statement OF
the clerk who had sold the sofa, the
who had carried IL to the
dock and the fact that he had seen
with his own eyes S2,000,0O0 IN coun-
terfet bills taken from the piece Of
furniture.
"This house is surrounded con-
cluded Burns. I've got my band on
my gun and I'm going to stay right
here until land the men who made
that money II it takes me-" but IL
didn't take as long as he had expected,
for, ms he spoke, the woman's son-ln-