The Washington times., 1923-06-07
A Thrilling Story of the Running Down
Of a Band of Master COunterfeiters
By the Secret. Service

talk with Burke the gun-runner'
his three million in counterfeit
aboard the Laminian and in three
days off for South America.
He remembered Burke's suggeR
ton as to Whitley ,McKensic. the
waterfront junkie and river.pi-
rate ready for anything from
milking .coffee-bags in transit
on their lighters to stealing coal
from the Canarsie barges. This
same White was to pick up two or
three of his wharf-rat friends. He
was given money to hire boat
and also to- purchase an augur Of
the best tempered steel. Then
when the tide was right Whitev
was to slip in under the Saltls
Pier, with his motor muf-
fled and his lights quenched.
Then he was to take his
augur and with that compare
lively noiseless tool he was to cut
out square Of the flooring big
enough to admit a mans body.
Through that hole they were to
carry off Lambert and his Illicit
paper, leaving him aboard the
Laminian before daylight crept
over the lower bay.
But Romano and his three Fed
eral confederates had been tipped
off as to Whitey's intentions.
They were to shadow that gang
OF wharf-rats and at the right
moment intercept them and hold
them, awaiting Kestner's instruc-
tions. And Romano could be de-
pended on.
Romano had to be depended on.
for just before the ponderous
doors of the Saltus wharf-shed
had swung shut for the night a
''gay-cat" acting for Lambert had
appeared with the forged order
from the Saltus offices In Bowl
ing Green. There had been dis
pute between this gay-cat and the
thick-headed Waterman, ending In
an angry visit TO the telephone III
the little pier4office. The watch
man had triumphed and the gay
cat had promptly taken his de-
parture. Yet the maneuvre had
proved successful. for in the
Lambert himself had
slipped quietly into the wharf.
shed and secreted himself in its
shadowy recesses. 81. II
Three minutes later a trucking
team had Numbered in over the
worn planking. From the truck
itself a piano-crate-duly labeled
and consigned for foreign parts
had been promptly dumped be-
side a pile of lemon-crates from
Sicily: There had been some
words between the watchman and
the truckdriyer, the former an
nouncing his intention Of not
waiting all night before locking
UP. So the team had turned
about and thundered out again,
and the great doors had swung
shut.
But during that tumult Of
sound strange thing had taken
place. In the darkness Of the
wharf-shed the cover of that
piano-crate had apparently taken
on life, had quietly and silently
opened as though 1t were a huge
bivalve. And from that mouth
like orifice, inch by inch and with
infinite precaution, human figure
had sided out. Then, having eau
tiousIy replaced the cover, this
figure had slipped back into the
deeper shadows between the pun
gent tiers of Grated lemons.
1t had had it's discomforts, that
hurried journey in a cramped
piano-crate, for all its eighteen
inches Of excelsior padding. But
Kestner had not given that fea-
ture Of the plan much thought.
For he had been satisfied with
the knowledge that he and Lam.
bert were to be locked together
in that silent warehouse, and
could remain there without inter-
ruption.
ITO Be Continued TOYn0pT-OvvN