A Shattered Romance
A True Story of the Secret Service
By COL , H. C. WHITLEY , Former Chief U. S. Secret Scn'icc
HE professional crimin
al's brain is a constantly
working laboratory of
the most Ingenious plots
for over-reaching the offi
cers of the law. Ever
awake , ever tuoughful
and ever active at glar
ing noontide as well as
at black mldlnight In
the brown-stone front
nnd lowly tenement ev-
. ' " cry where and at every
hour is this insidious enemy of social
order wideawake and on the alert
It takes an acute mind and level
head to contend against and bring the
Ingenious criminal to the bur of Jus
tice. During our civil war counter-
felting blossomed Into n flno art. It
"became almost omnipresent In every
channel of trade and the government
Detectives were Impotent to totally
'eradicate ' the evil , expose the plots
fcnd defeat the operations of these
criminals , until some time after peace
had been restored.
To meet and destroy these vampires
tf society it was often necessary to
resort to measures of seeming wrong ,
[ that good results might bo obtained.
One of the most Ingenious criminals
that fell into the hands of the secret
service division during my ofilcial
career was one Thomas Brownie , the
eon of a man of wealth , occupying a
'fino residence on an aristocratic
street in Now York City.
Young Brownie was possessed of a
handsome , refined face , slight figure ,
polished address and the self poise of
a man thoroughly trained in the best
circles. Reared under the tuition of a
good and tender mother and supplied
with every luxury by a kind and in
dulgent father , it seems quite unac
countable that ho should choose to
enter the society of criminals. On uc-
'count of his expertness in dodging
the officers of the law ho gained the
teonfldenco of many of the leading
counterfeiters and forgers of the coun
try. When I first learned of him ho
\ \
was leading the life of a man of In
exhaustible means. His extravagance
'In dress and living was In keeping
Vrlth the man of millions. Through
Various sources of information it was
discovered that ho was handling
counterfeit money in a wholesale way
'and ' that ho was connected with what
f'a " .
\vaa then known as the Miner gang
\ of "Coniackers. "
Ho had for some time been cute
enough to deal In the bogus stuff in a
manner to baffle the skill of the gov
ernment officers. On more than one
occasion when the officers thought him
to be almost in their grasp , he would
manage to elude them and disappear
from their Bight The time came
Vhen neither the subtle ingenuity of
Ills plans nor the wealth and respecta
bility of his family served to shield
Ihlm from the hands of the officers ,
lllo was a difficult man to capture , but
inotwlthstanding his remarkable skill
and adroitness ho met his match at
last.
It was while at the height of his
criminal glory and whllo he was daily
strutting Broadway with the air of a
man of unimpeachable character and
inexhaustible wealth that evidence
sufficient for his conviction had been
gathered and brought to my olllce. I
at once directed his arrest and plans
were laid for his capture.
At about the same time ho suddenly
disappeared from his usual haunts
and the officers were unable to dis
cover his hiding place.
Whenever the officers sought him In
a place whcro his presence had been
reported they were always Just a Httlo
too lato. The man they were seeking
had changed his location.
When next heard of he would bo In
Gome other part of the city. In the
course of time ho was spoken of
the detectives wlll-o'tho-
among as a - -
wlsp , as ho was forever flitting about.
Two secret service officers were de
tailed to keep a careful watch upon
his father's aristocratic mansion. For
weeks , night and day , this was kept
up without success. The man we
were in quest of never put in an ap
pearance there. The only persons
seen to go out and in were an elderly
gentleman and a young woman of One
appearance , presumably his daughter.
There wore also two servants , neither
bearing the slightest resemblance to
young Brownie.
One of the detectives employed in
watching the house was a prepos
sessing young Italian. I will name
him Louis Merlto. lie was well edu
cated and of flno address. Watchful
and of a nervous , sangulno tempera
ment , ho was nearly always sure of
being the lucky one when sent with
others to make a capture.
Late one pleasant afternoon several
days after the young Italian had
taken a position near the Brownie
mansion , an elegantly attired young
lady was seen coming down the front
Bteps of the house , carrying a travel
ing bag. She entered a carriage in
waiting and It rolled away at a moil-
orate pace. Merlto followed on fo it
and wan ahlo to keep the carriage In
view. When the young lady crossed
the gang plank of the ateamor "Provi
dence , " then plying between New
York and Fall River , Merlto was close
at her heels. She stepped up into the
grand salon and after moving about
for a few moments , beckoned to a
nut-brown chambermaid. When the
servant came near the young lady
opened n pearl inlaid portcmonnale ,
and taking from it u ten dollar bill , re
quested her to procure a stateroom
and passage ticket to the city of
Ltoston.
A few minutes afterwards the cham
bermaid returned 'and informed the
young lady that the staterooms on thu
boat were all engaged.
The young lady seemed greatly dis
appointed and sold It was a sorry
[ ircdlcnment for her to be placed In ;
and if the deep drawn sigh she ut
tered was nn Index of her feelings at
that moment , she was not only greatly
disappointed , hut-at a loss to know
what to do.
Merlto , who was near nt hand , was
oven than tin * diamond solitaires that
adorned her cars.
The dctqctlvc's heart was throbbing
wildly. He could scarcely contain
himself. It was a case of love at first
night. The hot blood of the Italian
was surging to his head. He was quite
bewildered.
Collecting his scattered senses he
was soon able to convince the young
woman that he was a man of consequence
quence , and that while their mooting
was but casual , he was greatly de
lighted because of the opportunity of
fered to make her acquaintance.
It was late in the evening when they
bade each other KOW\ \ night with a
promise to meet again on the arrival
of the stt'iunor at F.UI Uivor In the
early morning.
Merlin hud not only ( Uncovered that
Miss Brownie was lovely and fas
cinating , but that she was frank , con-
fldlnc and truthful. She had nothing
homo and fled to Canada , whcrn nho
was expecting to meet him.
Learning this , the detective was
deeply Interested , not only In the
brother , but in the sister as well. In
deed , she was the most attractive per
son ho had over before met To his
mind slio was everything that n woman
should be. Wealthy , educated and af
fectionate , she was bravo and roman
tic enough to venture out alnno and
battle the cold world for the purpose
of redeeming her wayward brother.
So gentle and unassuming did she ap
pear that ho was sura she had a
heart overflowing with love.
As these thoughts cumu meandering
through his bruin ho saw In his eager-
HOBS the opportunity of his life , lie
would somehow be Instrumental In
saving the brother and thus win the
fair girl's gratitude perhaps her lovo.
Ho felt sure that ho could trust to her
generous heart to forglvo him for de
ceiving her by palming himself off as
the son of n nobleman.
When the couple arrived in Boston
they went nt once to the United Stales
hotel , where they took breakfast to
gether. The detective now thought
MlBH Brownie more fascinating than
ever and at the first opportunity ho
throw discretion to the winds and be
gan wooing in the most approved
Italian style. Pressing his suit with
an ardor mnro impetuous than con
ventional , ho bogged her to become
his wife.
It appears that her deep sorrow ,
her soft words , and above nil , her
tears , had quite bewildered him. Real
beauty In distress wan too much for
warm-blooded Latin and he
the - , nur-
TffOftffi 0MWM
T00
MFf
tf AUTHORITATIVE
WULMN5TME.
as kind hearted as ho was enterpri
sing , and upon the impulse of the mo
ment he pushed himself to the front
and with the politest of French bows ,
said : "Please excuse mo , young lady ,
I am very much pained to witness
your distress , and I should bo glad to
assist you. If you will allow me I
think I can procure you a stateroom. "
In modest tones she thanked him
for his kindness and confidingly of
fered him the ten dollar bill that had
been returned to her by the chamber
maid.
"Never mind the money until I
know what I can do for you. "
Ho thereupon went below. The
sister , he thoilit , is not responsible
for the sins of her brother ; besides ,
the making of her acquaintance might
give him a better opportunity for dis
covering the whereabouts of the man
he was seeking. In his Imagination
ho was sure that she was going to
meet him.
This was his opportunity , thought
he. Ho would ingratiate himself into
the good graces of this young woman
and If possible learn the whereabouts
ot her brother.
The olly-longued detective had no
great difficulty in securing the coveted
prize. Steamboat clerks are always
wise enough to reserve an extra ticket
or two for special purposes.
When Merlto returned to the grand
salon and handed the young hidy her
tickets she was profuse in her thanks
and expressed her deep obligation. As
she held the tickets between her
Jeweled fingers she beamed n smile
and displayed a set of pearly white
teeth , encircled by' a pair of ruby lips ,
and oh , such eyes ! More sparklluu
to conceal. Ho had learned every
thing. She was a young and sensitive
maiden who had courageously ven
tured from her father's homo with
the purpose of meeting a much loved
but wayward brother. How , then ,
could ho help sympathizing with her ?
Even though his representations In
regard to himself wore falsely made
for the purpose of obtaining her con
fidence , ho believed ho was sufficiently
shrewd to square himself with her at
the proper time.
As deception is ofttlmes u part of
the detective's stock in trade , ho
thought there could bo no great harm
in it after nil was understood. It
seems that he told lior the secret of
his being the iou of an Italian noble
man of great wealth nnd that ho was
traveling incog to gratify his curiosity.
Willie the story he told was wholly
false , ho was qirlto good looking
enough and sufficiently genteel In ap
pearance to bear out the statement.
From what occurred It was apparent
that the young woman herself was
somewhat Impressed nnd quite uncer
tain a * to the true status of thu de
tective.
Her Htory us told to Mcrilo appeared
straightforward and truthful. Her
mother was dead. Her father , al
though In the enjoyment of a largo In
come , the result of frugality and well-
uppllod business transactions , was
bowed down with grief and very much
broken In health because of the way
ward course of her darling brother.
Ho had been led astray by evil asso
ciates and was being pursued by the
government officers , who charged him
with dealing In counterfeit money.
To jvado arrest ho had forsaken hla
rendered unconditionally. In Impas
sioned terms ho declared his love and
offered her ills heart and hand.
The young woman , although scorn-
Ingly overcome , wan altogether too
modest to accept. Somewhat taken
back by thin premature declaration ,
she was sufficiently self-poised to ns-
stiro him that ho was pleading to her
and that she deeply appreciated his
attention. But Hho could not take any
decisive step in BO Important a mat
ter without flrHt consulting her father.
She felt that it was her first duty to
nave her brother. To accomplish this
she was ready to sacrlllco life Itself.
Mcrito , never at a loss for a sub
terfuge , proposed to interest himself
nnd secure u condonement of her
brother's offense tlirough the assist
ance ot the Italian consul nt Now
York. Thin ray of light was present
ed In fine Italian style and muni huvo
Bounded hopeful to the oars of Miss
Brownie. Her lace now fairly beamed
with joy OB she assured him she
would willingly give all BIO ! possessed
in the world to effect such n result.
She promised to marry him should ho
succeed In saving her brother from
prosecution ior bin past offenses.
The day following this I received at
my New York olllco a letter marked
"personal , " which read as follows :
"United States Hotel , Boston. Mass
"My Dear Chief :
"I write to Inform
you that 1 ar
rived hero this morning in company
with the sister of Brownie. Through
cunning 1 made her acquaintance and
learned everything. She IB on the way
to meet her brother Thomas. She tells
mo that he Intends to remain outslda
of the United States unlcsa n compro
inlso can be affected. She nays ho has
offered to furnish Information and will
assist to break up the Miner gang ot
counterfeiters. If you will send mo
special authority and a guarantee that
ho will not bo arrested I will go with
his Blntcr and coax him to come to
Now York. Plenso forward the pa
pers to me here nt once.
"Yours respectfully ,
"LOUIS MERITO. "
The case was nn important one nnd
required my personal attention. If n
compromlHO could bo made that
would result In the conviction ot such
men ns Miner , I wan anxious to make
It. I chose to superintend It myself ,
nnd the next train that left for Bos
ton took mo with it. When I nrrlvcd
Ihoro on the following morning I went
directly to the United Stales hotel ,
whcro 1 met a thoroughly astonlRhotl
Italian. Ho was much surprised at
my unexpected appearance.
I eon learned enough to place mo
In posHcsslon of the fucts In the case
BO fur as the detective was concerned.
I then demanded a poraonnl interview
with MHH | Brownie , \vhleh was soon
arranged. After introducing mo to
the lady , M rlto , retired from the
room , as had been previously agreed
upoil. 1 found myself In the presence
ot a tall and stately young woman ,
tastefully and fashionably dressed.
She hold In her hand a largo fun which
nho wielded with consummate Brace.
1 found her fully posted on the nature
ot my business. Inviting mo to bo
seated , she began the conversation
and explained to mo her proposed trip
to Montreal , whore she hoped to
moot her brother , Thomas Brownie.
Shu hud lonrnod Uuuiigli ft friend that
her brother was anxious to quit
counterfeiting and that ho could , It
given nn opportunity , put the government -
mont officers In a position to nrrcnt n
number of loading counterfeiters. She
did not know the particulars , but was
mire that her brother would , If per
mitted to return to Now York , render
the government Important service.
She Buld that her father hud nearly
lost his mind on account of the action
of his non and that ho was ready to
undergo almost any uac'rlflco and pay
any reasonable sum of money for the
purpose of saving his boy.
What she Bald was quite reasonable ,
nnd after questioning her for some
time I had nlxnit coma to the conclu
sion that her offer , if carried out as
promised , would bo a good thing far
the govcrnmnnt. ,
There were n number of counter
feits then on the market and I wan
exceedingly anxious to break up the
gang by arresting its leaders and se
curing the plates. The Minor ganp
had first and lost cost the government
a considerable sum ot money. Whllo
talking over the details of the pro
poned surrender I stopped to n win
dow nnd raised the shade , upon which
the sun suddenly shone forth , lighting
up the room nnd casting Its bright
rays fully upon the face of the lady
before mo. Drawing my chair n IHtlo
nearer and more In front of her I wna
enabled to look her straight in the
face. My eyes renting on hers sccmot
to disconcert her. She blinked nnc
turned her head. I straightened up n
llttlo nnd Etarcd at her. She ctartcc
to rise.
"Keep your neat , " I commanded , In
an authoritative tone.
At this moment I saw defiance
mingled with terror In her eyes. At
first I had noticed nothing In her ap
pearancc or actions to create sunpi
clou. As was quite natural , she now
Bccmcd excited. This might have
boon attributed to n disturbed cond.I
tlon of her mind on account of the
actions of her brother a natural BO-
quenco under the circumstances. She
again turned towards mo and the sun
shone upon her face. I nt bnce de
tected the work of an artlnt skilled in
the UBO of Hhadcs of paint. I noticed ,
too , that her hnlr had not the glossy
appearance of natural growth. I was
quite sure nho was in dlsguiso.
"Before this business goes any fur
ther , " I said , "I want you to remove
your false hair and wipe the paint
and powder from your face. "
As I arose in front of her she start
ed up with nn Indignant glare and at
tempted to push mo nway. In a flash
I reached for her chignon. Giving it n
quick jerk , its fastenings gave way
nnd it rolled on the carpet. There
was no longer any use for conceal
ment. Thomas Brownlo stood before
mo. The game was up. There was
no more room for dodging. Ho begun
peeling off layer after layer of his
feminine apparel. When ho had fully
disengaged himself from his dress
maker's outfit he opened his traveling
bag and proceeded to clothe himself
hi masculine attire.
Mcrito , who hud during this Inter
view remained In the hull , was now
requested to corno into the room. I
handed him a pulr of handcuffs and
Brownie immediately put up his hands
to receive thorn. He was completely
done for and offered no further re
sistance.
In taking the trip on the steamer
"Providence" and playing the part of
a fascinating woman , It was not sur
prising that Brownlo was able to dupe
the detective As a gifted Impersonator
senator he could reproduce to a nicety
the tones and modulations of the do-
tectlvo's 'voice. HlB description and
imitation of the impassioned love
Bconu that took place between himself
and Morlto wna very entertaining.
Brownlo was too crafty and gifted a
criminal to run at largo. Ho was put
on trial , convicted nnd sentenced to
the Albany penitentiary for u term of
fifteen years.
Merlto was BQ chagrined and over
come on account of his escapade with
Brownlo that ho lost his nssunmco
and wan unable to face his fellow of-
fleers. The last I heard of him ho
was on the PaclUc const
A Sura Cure.
Mother I'm afraid Gwendoline In
eottlng her heart on that young Pet
nllcss.
Father You think no ?
Mother I am almost sura of It
Father Well , ho Is not a fit person
for her to marry. He Is ns poor an n
rat nnd has no prospects , Something
must he done to set linr against him.
Mother I have thought ot that and
huvo hit upon what I think Is an excel-
cut plnn.
Father Yen ? Whn1. Jn It ?
Mother Wo miiBt toil her Hint w
want her to murry him.
There 11 more Catarrh la thin faction ot ( tin country
han all other dl eaw put together , nnd until Ilia laM
our jcat" wai titppowu to be InrurMita. 1'or * trial
many \o.\rs doctor * pronounced u n local illocim ami
> rMirlued local rrmnllni , nnd liy constantly falling
n rum with looAl treatment , pronounced It Incurable ,
Science IIM proven O.Uitrti to lift n coiutlttitluiml < lk
a.ir , nnd therefore riMulrci con.itltutlonul Ucatmrnt.
lall'i rttarrh tMrr , nmnufacturnl l > y F. J , Cheney *
& Co. , Toledo. Ohio , li the only Conitlttltlontl cure on )
he market. It li talien Intrrntlly In down from If )
ilrotn to n tr.iiipooiitul. It ncti dlrrcthr on tlin likxxl
nnd mucxnn nurfarra ot the yntcm. They Oder onn
mmlrrd ilollari for ntiy CA H It falls to cur * . Bom )
or rlrculan and trntlmonlaU.
Aililrrn : 1J. . CUHNHV it CO. . Toledo. Ohio ,
old In" DrilKiElaU , 730.
Take Haifa 1'amlly 1'11'J for corutlpatlou.
The Significant Wink.
"I , thlnk , " sttld the weary stranger ,
' ( hut I'll go somewhere and take forty
winks. "
The buck driver looked puzzled.
"What's the trouble ? "
" 1 was wondering whether you
wanted mo to drive you to u hotel or
n drug storo. "
Fcmlnlno Logic.
Her A woman la always right.
Him How do you flguro that out ?
Her Well , n woman Is , Isn't she ?
Him Yes , I suppose so.
Her And Pope says : "Whatever la ,
Is ilRht. " See ? Chicago News.
BUSINESS IS BUSINESS.
Mr. IClckor Your bill actually
makes my blood boll.
Doctor Slick Then , sir , I must
charge you $20 moro for utorlll/lni ;
your system.
END STOMACH TROUBLE NOW
Dyspepsia , Gas , Sourness or Indiges
tion Go Flvo Minutes After Taking
a Little Dlapepstn.
If your meals don't fit comfprtably ,
or you fool bloated after eating , and
you bollovo it Is the food which illlii
you ; if what llttlo you cat lies Hku
lead on your stomach ; if there is dif
ficulty in breathing , eructations ot
sour , undigested food and acid , heart
burn , brush or u belching of gun , you
can muko up your mind that you need
something to stop food fermentation
and euro Indigestion.
A largo case of Pope's Dlapopsln
costs only llfty cents nt any ilrufl
store hero In town , and will convince
any stomach sufferer flvo minutes nftet
taking a single dose that Formcnta
lion and Sour Stomach is causing lh < j
misery of Indigestion. ,
No mutter If you call your trouhlu
Catarrh of the Stomach , Dyspepsia ,
Nervousness or Gastritis , or by any
other name always remember that a
certain euro is waiting at your drug
store the moment you dccldo to begin
its use.
Papo'a Diapopsln will regulate any
out-of-ordor Stomach within flvo min
utes , and digest promptly , without any
fuss or discomfort , all of any kind ol
food you cut.
These largo CO-ccnt cases contain
more than sufficient to thoroughly
cure any chronic case of Dyspepsia ,
Indigestion , Gastritis or any othei
Stomach trouble.
Should you at this moment bo nuf-
ferlng ' from Indigestion , Gus , Sour
ness or any stomach disorder , you can
surely get relief within live mlnutea.
She Covered Her Head.
Scene , a country church of Epinco-
copullan denomination in procesa of
being decorated for the ChristmaH
season. The rector , who has a strong
leaning towaids forms of all kinds Is
fastening n festoon of evergreen
about the baptismal font , when , ou
ter Mius Dymplo , who unceremoni
ously llings her hat upon the seat ot
n pew and conit'it to his assistance.
The rector suddenly observes ( hat
she la hatlosB and remarks severely.
"Miss Dymple , It is particularly for
bidden that women shall come. Into
the church with uncovered heads. "
"Oh , bother , I forgot ! " responded
( he young lady Irreverently. . "Well , "
grabbing up the rector's derby and
setting It jauntily on her pert llttlu
head , "will this do ? "
Important to Nlothory
Exnmiuo carefully every uoftlo ol
CASTOR1A , n Eato nnd sure romcdy for
Infants and children , and aeo that it
Bears the
Signature ofi
In Use For Over 30 Years.
The Kind You Have Alwuya Bought.
Not to the Wise.
Howell A word to thu wlao Is suf
ficient.
Powell Then how do you account
for the long-drawn-out speeches ovoj
the telephone' . '