Mountain Home Republican. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1915-1946, 1922-02-18
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 fatal blunder In con-
nection with some apparently unlm-
T,ortant 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 thousand to one that William
Brockway, counterfeiter, being DESTROYS
of securing a proof Of a plate on
which he was working, would select
d printer who was not personal
friend of a prominent detective. But
: chance, which so often plays leading
role even in true detective stories
directed him to man who knew A.
L. Drummond, of the United States
Secret Service, we'll enough 10 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.
saw what It wasrthe figure 81 900,
surrounded by a lot of sctoll work,
"If he, returns today directed
Drummond, pull bis 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 viii follow
your customer" ~ , '5.'" e~&
The plan 6 worked according to
schedule and, shortly after receiving
a proof Of the mysterious plate, Drum
rnond got word from his operatives
! that they. had trailed the suspect to
a house on Greenwich street. In ad-
adition, one Of the government agents
had recognized him as William +.
Brockway known to be the most ex-
pert counterfeiter I'D the country and
the man who had achieved fame by
manufacturing $10G000 worth OF bonds
which the Treasury department, had
accepted as genuine---only to reverse
Its opinion some. weeks later. a's5& n
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 ofsmoney or govern,
ment bonds, Drummond could not bo
permitted to handle the case. PIE !,
Accordingly, all the data, was tur:eed
sver to the. New York police, ;.and
Brockway dropped out of sight for
nearly a year, until rumor was
passed along from Washington that
the master eounterfeiter was working
on some coup which would be the big.
gest Of his career.
Drummond ., knew where to- find
Brockway, hut, 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. ~ ~ "" " I:
AS last resort Drhmmond enlisted
the services ofshis son, d boy of ten,
| whom he sent to the elevated station
at Twenty-eighth and Sixth avenue,
with instruction to play around shere
F.! until he received signal from two Of
the operatives. Brockway, not dream
Ing that the secret service had be-
| gun to use children as detectives, was
unsuspicfous and the boy followed him
until he entered the st. James, hotel,
at the corner Of Twenty-sixth and
Broadway. With that much of the
trail already blazed, 1t was easy. ia
pick up the rest. and within, a few
days Drummond was notified that the
counterfeiter divided his time between
the st. james and a house on Eexfng-
ton avenue. His associates were two
men Of about his own age, men whom
Drumnond 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. e,ts..s.
| 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
II was only when Inspector Hyrnes
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 "s1,0Ot
scroll' as q, foundation. Drummont
searched through all the prominen
bond issues listed on Wall street, unit
he found Its counterpart-the certra
portion of the bonds Of the Contra
Pacific railroad Armed with this Iii
formation, which was essential to thu
securing, Of a definite and specif,
warrant Drummond ralded the hous,
on Lexington avenue, and Martini
room at the St., James hotel, There