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About The North Platte semi-weekly tribune. (North Platte, Neb.) 1895-1922 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 14, 1908)
NEBRASKA POINTERS Go V - STATE NEWS AND NOTES IN CON DENSED FORM. THEPRESS, PULPIT AND PUBLIC What is Going on Here and There That Is of Interest to hte Read ers Throughout Nebraska. Tlio Ootoo County Tteachora' Insti tute hnd an nttendunce of 1G0. Senator Brown has announced a numbor of spenklng dates for August. When n suloon In Nebraska City -was attached for debt It was found tho proprietor had removed most of tho goods. Sophie, the eight-year-old daughter of L. P. Hanson, west of Farwell was shot and Instantly killed by a brother of four years. The shooting was purely Peridental. M. L. Ilichnrdsoti, nn old soldier and resident of Hay Springs, was literally out to pieces by falling In front of a self-binder while harvesting wheat He Is not expected to llvo. C. (J. Haker. appointed as special appraiser for estates from which In heritance tax Is collectable, has filed bis roports on several estates In tho county court of Gnge county. Johnson Teten who tried to kill his wife by shooting her some days ago and since that tlmo has been in tho county Jail of Otoe county, has been balled out by his relatives, llvo ot them giving a $5,000 bond. The lC-ycar-okl son of Charles Lnn droff. a farmer living fifteen miles southwest of Broken How. lost his life by bolng dragged to death by a hors'. As ho fell from tho animal his foot eiuight In tho stirrup. He was dragged half u mile, being horribly mangled. The York Independent Telephono company has purchased all the copper toll lines between Seward md Grand Island and Seward and David City and Is now constructing a toll line from Grand Island to Hnvcnnn. connecting with tho Broken Dow company. Mary Blocking, the 21-yenr-old daughter of Henry Blocking, a wealthy farmer, was driving a team to I.orton, Otoe county, and tried to cross the tracks ahead of a local Missouri Pa cific freight train. Tho vehicle was struck and she was thrown twenty feet. Her neck was broken, the ve hicle destroyed and the horses killed. Frank Hooper, a young man who claimed to have boon employed at the farm homo of J. H. Lohee, near Has tings for several days, succeeded In cashing a check for a little over seven teen dollars at Picken's store, but be fore lie had made his escape ho was taken Into custody. Whiln Campbell Uros. circus was showing In Alliance three lion cubs wore born, ono of which wns a rare curiosity, in tho fact that it was al most pure white. This makes this end of their moric;orlo similar to tho show ltfolf, inasmuch as It is strictly a Ne braska 'production. An Old Sottlers' association has been organized at Ashton and will hold n reunion September 22 and 23. The following olllcers were elected: Presi dent, Theodore OJendyk: secretary, Thomas JaenroJ; vico president. S. Golczinskl and I. Sondburg; treasurer, K. Smelser. Tho old settlors' association of Cherry and Keya Paha counties will hold their sixteenth nnnual reunion at Sparks on August 28 and 2. Tho pro gram of races and sports, Including a big baseball game. Is larger than usual, and tlioro will bo speaking nnd music also, a well as a big bowery dance in tho evening. Sioux Falls (S. D.) dispatch: While traveling through tho country In n cov ered wagon In tho hope that open-air life would restoro his broken health, George Johnson of Yutan. Saunders county, Nob., died in his wngon whilo It was at a point about a mile nnd n quarter from tho town of White Lake, Aurora county, In tho central part of tho state. Ho was a victim of con sumption. Kdward Lundsford was arrested at St. Deroln and tnken to Syracuse, whore ho was arraigned on tho charge of wife desertion. Ho waived exami nation and was bound over to the dis trict court. Tho couple were 10 and IS years of nge, respectively, when they wero married about two years ago. Kingston (N. Y.) dispatch: The mar rlago in this city Monday night of Ocorge Faulkner, 02 years old, and Mrs. Sarah 12. Seymour. 01 years old, both of Schuylor, Nob., was tho cul mination of a romance begun In Ulster county more than forty years ago. Faulkner was n native of Kingston and Mrs. Seymour was a native of Suugertles, twelve miles from here. They becamo engaged in their youth, but a lovers' quarrel separated them nnd each ono married some ono elao. Hoth lost their partners by death and wero of courso privileged to mnrry again. But few people roallzo the enor mous amount of improvements that aro being effected at tho state fair grounds at tho capital city this year in viow of tho annual stato fair to be hold during tho last weok of this month. An Immenso now cattle barn Is being built, located Just west of tho administration building, nnd erected nt n cost of $30,000. Dr. O. T. Irons, chief Inspector of tho Bureau of Animal Industry nt Ne braska City, loaves Monday for Lon don, Rncjnnd, to visit hts old home nnd with his mother. Dr. Knno will bo in charge during his absence CHIEF WILKIE AND GOLD CERTIFICATES Most Canning Counterfeit Coup of History Nipped by Great Secret Service Head. Many Thousands of Dollars' Worth of Spurious Bills Arc "Killed" by Clever Detective Culprit Had Every Track Covered by One Ruse or Another. (John K. Wllkle. chief of tho secret lervlce division of tho United States gov crnmont, tins not only upheld tho high tradition of that very responsible poHt, but has won special laurels by his per- lonal success In several big eases. He was born In Klein. 111.. 47 years ago, nnd before accepting the headship of tho lecret servlcn had made an enviable rep- uatlnn ns a working Journalist. Wlillo connected with tho Chicago newspnpors he made, a specialty of criminal Investi gation which probably accounts In part for hlo unusual success as a detective. During tho Snnnlsh-Amt-rlcun war ho or ganized a special emergency force of men to checkmate Spanish spies In this conn- try. Ah a consequence ho succeeded In turestlnjc their best spies and driving most of tlio others on" the soil of the United States,) 0N1C Monday morning, not many years ago, a smartly dressed man strolled down lower Broad way and entered one, of tho Trust compnny buildings in tho heart of tho financial district of Now York. Ho was what Is known to the patrons of tho turf ns a bookmaker, and be had called at tho bank for tho purpose of securing n roll of bank notes that he had left thero on the previous Saturday night for enfe-keeping. It waB promptly handed to him, a roll as big ns both of his fists. Ho counted it over rapidly to boo that tho amount was correct, and when ho got near tho end of tho roll ho paused long and looked earnestly at a $100 gold corttflcato that lay thero conspicuously among tho bills of smaller denominations. Ho continued bis study of tho "yellow back" for a considerable porlod, and finally thrust ins the balance of tho bills In his pantaloons pocket, walked over to the cashier and handed him the bill. "What's the matter with this note? ho asked. Tho bank ofllclal looked at It cas ually and handed it back with a smile "Nothlny," he answered, "oxcept thnt it's counterfeit." Tho bookmator gasped with astonish inont. Ho went over hlo roll and found threo or four moro notes of tho samo kind. That morning ho unti tled his follow bookmakers, and before 24 hours hnd passed 30 or 40 of tho counterfeit notes hnd been located In Now York city. Samples wero Imme diately secured by tho authorities and forwarded to John W. Wllkle, the chief of tho secret service division of tho United States treasury depart ment. Tho chief dropped tho business In hand nnd immediately turned his at tention to tho new developments In the hundrod-dollnr counterfeits. Tele grams wero sent to tho agents of tho secret service instructing them to visit the raco tracks in their vicinity and look out for bogus bills. These In structions applied particularly to Cin cinnati, Louisville, Memphis, New Or leans and St. Louis. At St. Louis Capt. John Murphy, tho secret service agent in charge of that district, went to tho Delaware raco track and posted tlio bookmakers to look out for any $100 bills that might bo offered them. Agents of tho serv ico wero posted in various parts of tho track, and It was agreed that If any of thoso certificates were offered by any of tho patrons tho bookmakers chould at onco give the secret serv Ico a pre arranged signal. In less than two hours ono of tho agonts recelred a signal and hurried to tho booth occu pied by tho bookmaker. He made a careful examination of tho bill thnt had been given to tho "bookie" and found that It wus ono of tho counter feits. Thy agonts wore thon posted at spots where they could boo the patrons of tho track In the act of "cashing in" their winnings. Tlio man who had put up tho $100 bill hot on tho favor ite, and ho caino out a winner. Tho man "cashed In," nnd as ho did co wns taken into custody. Ho wns marched over to tho club Iioubo and searched. A white en velope was found In his pocket, con taining 28 of tho $100 counterfeit bills. Ho Bald his name wns Marcus Cra han, tho proprietor of an extensive photoengraving establishment nt Provldenco, H. I. Ho was perfectly candid in his explanations. He snld that Lo had been visiting tho fair and was a guest at tho Southern hotel, and that he would be very glad to refer By Jl i lask lit mi iinrj m 1 i i in lAmu -"i rsKni1 iiriiTA.V;Vi' ii i iii i i i u i "c&AmN;"S4f pwinz; to ' LUJVKC70V IS 5 C&ZlP' uQ5 77&qr P&Wd&l tho olllcers to any bank In tho city of Providence for tho purposo of estab lishing his moral and financial stand ing. Nothing, apparently, could bo more straightforward. Ho was placed under arrest, however, and thon tho secret Borvlco men mndo an examina tion of his room nt tho Southom hotel. There thoy found a suit case con taining $1,700 in genuine money. He was linked thon to explain how he enmo to bo possessed of tho counter felt money. Ho said that on the pre vious afternoon he had gono to tho Union stntlon for tho purposo of bnv Ing tho return half of his railroad tlckot valldatod. As ho came out of tho tlckot agent's olllce, tho electric lights wero suddenly turned on In tlio waiting room, and ho saw in tho cornor on the door a long white en velope. Ho picked It up nnd found thnt It contained $3,000 In $101) hills. Ho immediately went to tho ofllce of ono of tho local nowspapers and In serted an advertisement telling of his discovery, and ottering lo rostoro the money to Its lawful owner. This part of his story was verified by the little Identification check which Is given to classllled "ud" patrons by tlio big dally nowspapers. In nddltlon to this there wns a clipping from the paper contain ing a copy of tho advertisement which rend us follows: "Found: In tho Union station late yesterday afternoon a sum of monoy In bnnk notes which owner may iiave after proving property, by applying to X-13, this office." Thon John H. Wllkle, who had been directing tho movements of his sub ordinates by wlro. determined to take hold of the case In person. Ho immediately took a train for S. Louis, and after n number of Inter views with his associates In that city, bogan to consider how to reach the weakest link In the strong chain of probability with which Mr. Crahan was Htirroiinded. One of the earliest movements made in the Inventlga tlon was to discover the exact hour at which tho electric lights were turned on In tho Union station. The engineer of the olecttlc plant was con sulted and his records showed that on this particular date the switch which put tho lights Into operation had boon turned on nt 5: 10. Wllkle next sent to tho newspaper oillco which had printed tlio found "ud." and re GEORGE BARTON in ff WW M1M II MU- quested a report upon tho exact tlmo at which tho advetlsement was ac cepted. Tho clerk who rccolved tho notice was finally located, and ho re membered distinctly that ho had stopped work on that aftornoon at live o'clock; the nd. which ho had re ceived was tho fifth or sixth above the last ono, nnd, nccordlng to his own calculation, It must haVo been handed in nt half-past four o'clock. This pointed to n discrepancy In Cra ban's statement of one hour and ten minutes. It wns Important. It wns tho thin entering wedge which might produce great results. One of tho significant discoveries nmong Crnhtui's offoctB whb a number of programmes of races nt Gravosond and two or throo of the custom tracks, not to speak of ono particular pro gramme which contained tho entries of the moos whore tho llrst book maker had received the $100 bill which he deposited with his roll In the Broadway Trust company. Crahan calmly admitted that ho had ntUindod, all of these races; that he was a lover of horse llesh and that ho occasionally made small wngoru on tho results; but ho denied positively having passed any or the other $100 hills, and said that ho had nver hnd them In his poBsosslon until he found tho white envelope at the Union station In St. Loulii. Wllklo did unmu very aovero think ing nt this singe of the name, nnd out of it ull camo tho theory that If Crahan was guilty, ho might havo usod slmllnr cubterfuges In pnsslng coun terfeit money at tho eastern tracks. The chief thereupon tolegraphcd Now York nnil ordered that n careful search bo made of the (lies of all tho Now York newspapers for tho two months covering the racing season. It was llko Bcarchliig for tho ncodlo In tho proverbial haystack, but It boro fruit, for In tho New York Herald of May 24 the searchers discovered this advertisement: "Found: At tho Grand Central station Into yostorday aftornoon a sum of money In bank notes which ownormay have, aftor proving property, by ap plying to B-314, Herald oillco." It Ib hardly necessary to say that by this tlmo Mr. Wllklo hnd suvernl spe cimens of Crnhnn's handwriting. After THE n imai - I J tt- the "nd." wns located In tlio Herald, tho original copy wns found In tho records of the oillco nnd It wnn In tho handwriting of Marcus Crahan. The government wns now In posses sion ot BUfllelont evldenco to convict Crahan, hoth of panning and having In his possession counterfeit money, but the authorities did not know whom the plntou wero, and how tho money hud boon printed. Tho big problem was to locato tho plant, to pull it up by tho roots, and effectually stop the circulation of these spurloun notes, I'lio two men Bat down together, and Crahan was given a breakfast that would havo delighted the palato, and warmed tho heart, of the most con firmed epicure, it was topped oft with a lino Havana cigar, and then, this formality having boon disposed of, Mr. Wllklo proceeded to glvo Crnliun tho "third degree." But this "third de greo," so callod, differed as widely from the popular concoptlon of tho op eration uh the day differs from tho night. "Crahan," said Wllklo, "your con viction Is as certain ns that the sun Is shining this morning." Wllkle followed this up by plausible argument along the samo line, and always pausing long enough to permit his words to sink Into tho man's consciousness. Tho nrgus-oyod rep resentative of the United States gov ernment know by experience that there Is nothing In this world mori dlfllciilt for a man to do than to ad mil to another man that ho has boon guilty of wrong. He realized, therefore, the necenslty of giving Cm huu an opportunity of confessing gracefully. Ho did this by sugges tion, by Innuendo, by appealing to the man's pride, by pleading with his pa triotic Instinct, and, at last, by laying slego to his sense of Justice. He said In BUbstancu: "Crahan, thoBO notes nro works of tut, nnd It Is a great shame that a man or your unusual talent should havo, In a rnomont or weaknoss, per mitted yourself to commit such a flu grant wrong ngulnst tlio public. I am sure, from what I havu noon of you, that whilo you mado tho coun terfoils, you did not originally Intend to do so. I feel that, In viow of your lecognlzod ability, and the fact that you uro a student and enthusiast In s Wealthy Engraver In serts "Ad" in Paper and Thai "Finds" Bogus Notes in Depot Tfxat Clew Proves His Downfall and Establishes Case Against Him Wealthy Friends to His Aid. engraving, you hnvo boon aolzcd with a desire to prove how you could re produce the almost fnultloHH work of the bureau of engrnvlng nnd printing a .class of work that will nlwayn ox- cite tho envy nnd ndmlrntlon of skilled engravers that, filled with this do sire, you began work In nn oxporl montnl way, that you put It under tho camorn, nnd reproduced It to see if you could bring forth n bit of work that would rival the unrivaled produc tion of the government. Thon, when this creation becamo u fact Instead of a vision, you wero seized with nn over whelming desire to hco if you could actually circulate it an gouulnu money." "You certnlnly brought tnoro thnu 30 notes to St. Louis," Biild tho do tectlve. "Oil, yes," responded tho counter feiter. "Whoro nro thoy now?' "At tho Union Btntlon." "in what part of tho Btntlon 1" "in tho bivggngo room." "Whoro Ih tho chock?" "I haven't got it. It's downstairs In the post ofllce." Wllklo looked the iifltontshmont ho felt. Before ho had tlmo to put his thoughts Into words, Crahan said: "After inserting ,tho ndvortlsomont in the paper, 1 put $20,000 In a hand bag, toguther with Bovoral bottles ot chemicals which I uso to artificially ago tho notes. Then 1 plaood tho check which I receivod for tlio hand bug In an onvolopo nddrcsscd to my self under an assumed namo, nnd di rected to the general delivery oillco of tho post otllco." It was evident that Crahan hnd cnrefully planned even the minutest detail of IiIb great counterfeiting scliemo. By this method ot conceal ing tho check for tho hand-bag ho loft the counterfeit noten totally disasso ciated with himself In any way, nnd still nt tho samu time within n mo ment's reach. A secrot Borvlco ngont wns sent down to tho postmastor, ob tained tho letter containing tho chock, took that to the Union station, nnd ro celved the hand-bag which ho brought to Chief Wllklo. Its contontB veri fied the stntetment mado by its ownor. Tho chlor took up tho question of tho plates. "Whoro nro tho plntCH?" ho in quired. "in n storngo warehouse In Provi dence," wna tho reply. Ho admitted that no ono in his I. business establishment was awaro that ho know nnytlilng whntovor ot tho mechanical part of tho work, but tho man, with a cunning nlmost be yond bollef, had perfected hlmsolf In the urt of etching. After that ho pur chased a prers in Now York city nnd hnd it delivered In tho middle of tho night to a private room In his estab lishment. Thero ho worked nnd ex perimented niiclit attar night until ho wns finally able to produce the per fected $100 bill countorfoltB. Then tin press wnt dismantled, nnd with the plates, placed In a warehouse In Prntldenco. It was stored under an assumed namo. "Whoro Is tho roculpt?" naked Wllkle. "It Is pasted between two sheets of papor that back up a photograph on my desk In my oillco in Provl donee." The chief Immediately called up Provldonco by telegraph. The locnl agent was Instructed to go to Crnhnn's ofllce and find the receipt for tho proHB. Ho did so. It wnB botweon tho two sheets of pnpor on tho pho tograph on his desk. Immcdluto ac tion was taken, and nfter an lncrod Ibly short Hpnce or tlmo tho plates were in St. Louis In possession of Chief Wllklo. On tho following day Marcus Crahan wns taken Into court. Ho pleaded guilty to manufacturing counterfeit money nnd passing It on tho public. Ho was glvon 15 yeara cm each of the two Indictments, tho sentences to run concurrently. This was Biihscquontly reduced to eight years. Than ended ono of tho most Important counterfeiting bcIiohich ovor discovered and thwarted by tho mar velodsly efllclont mnchlnery of tho hccrot service division of tho United States government. tCopyrlfht, 190S, by W. O. Chapman)