Show 0 r A Shattered Romance A True Story of the Secret Service L By COL H C WHITLEY Former Chief U S Secret Service I I I 6 HE professional criminals 4r1 1 crimin-als brain is a constantly working laboratory of tho most ingenious plots for overreaching the officers piJ offi-cers of tho law Ever I awake over thoiighful and over active at glaring glar-ing noontide as well as at black mldlnlght the brownstone front and lowly tenement everywhere ev-erywhere and at every hour Is this Insidious enemy of social order wideawake and on the alert t It takes an acute mind and level bead to contend against and bring tho r Ingenious criminal to tho bar of justice Jus-tice During our civil war counter felting blossomed into a fine art It l became almost omnipresent In every channel of trade and the government detectives wore Impotent to totally eradicate tho evil expose tho plots and defeat the operations of these criminals until some time after peace bud been restored To meet and destroy these vampires of society it was often necessary to resort to measures of seeming wrong that good results might be obtained One of tho most Ingenious criminals that fell into the hands of the secret I service division during my official career was one Thomas Brownie the on of a man of wealth occupying a fine residence on an aristocratic street in Now York City Young Brownlo 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 Indulgent In-dulgent father It seems quite unaccountable unac-countable that he should choose to enter tho society of criminals On account ac-count of his expertness In dodging tho officers of the law he gained the confidence of many of tho leading counterfeiters and forgers of the country coun-try When I first learned of him he was loading tho life of a man of inexhaustible In-exhaustible means His extravagance In dress and living was In keeping with the man of millions Through various sources of information it was discovered that he was handling counterfeit money In a wholesale way j and that he was connected with what was then known as the Miner gang of Conlnckors I I Ho had for some time been cute I enough to deal In tho bogus stuff In a manner to baffle the skill of the government gov-ernment officers On more than orib occasion when tile officers thought him to be almost In their grasp he would manage to elude them and disappear from their sight The time came when neither the subtle Ingenuity of his plans nor the wealth and respectability respecta-bility of his family served to shield him from the hands of tho officers He was a difficult man to capture but notwithstanding his remarkable skill nnd adroitness he met his match at last It was while at the height of his criminal glory and while he was dally 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 office I at once directed his arrest and plans were laid for his capture At about the same time he suddenly disappeared from his usual haunts and the officers were unable to discover dis-cover his hiding place Whenever the officers sought him In a place where his presence had been reported they were always Just a little too late The man they were seeking had changed his location When next heard of he would bo In some other part of the city In the i course of time he was spoken of among the detectives as a wlllothe wisp as ho was forever flitting about Two secret service officers wero detailed de-tailed to keep a careful watch upon his fathers arIstocratic mansion For weeks night and day this was kept up without success Tho man we were In quest of never put In an appearance ap-pearance there The only persons seen to go out and in wero an elderly gentleman and a young woman of fine 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 houso was a prepossessing prepos-sessing young Italian I will name him Louis Merlto Ho wan well educated edu-cated and of fine address Watchful and of a nervous sanguine temperament tempera-ment he 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 steps of the house carrying a traveling travel-ing bag Sho entered a carriage In waiting and It rolled away at a moderato mod-erato pace Merlto followed on foot and waS able to keep tho carriage In view When tho young lady crossed tho gang plank of tho steamer Provl denco then plying between New HV KHH York and Pall 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 nutbrown chambermaid When the servant came near the young lady opened a pearl Inlaid portemonnale and taking from It a ten dollar bill requested re-quested her to procure a stateroom and passage ticket to the city of Boston A few minutes afterwards the cham t bermald returned and Informed the young lady that the staterooms on tho boat were all engaged Tho young lady seemed greatly disappointed dis-appointed and said It was a sorry predicament for her to be placed In and if the deep drawn sigh sho uttered ut-tered was an index of her feelings at that moment she was not only greatly disappointed but at a loss to know what to do Merlto who was near at hand was as kind hearted as ho was enterprising enterpri-sing and upon the Impulse of the moment mo-ment he pushed himself to the front and with the politest of French bows said Please excuse me young lady I am very much pained to witness your distress and I should bo glad to assist you If you will allow mo I think I can procure you a stateroom In modest tones she thanked him for his kindness and confidingly offered of-fered him the ten dollar bill that had been returned to her by the chambermaid chamber-maid Never mind the money until I know what I can do for you Ho thereupon went below Tho sister he thought is not responsible for the sins of her brother besides the making of her acquaintance might give him a better opportunity for discovering dis-covering the whereabouts of the man ho was seeking In his Imagination ho was sure that she was going to meet him This was his opportunity thought he He would Ingratiate himself Into the good graces of this young woman and If possible learn the whereabouts of her brother The ollytonguod detective had no great difficulty in scouring 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 lady her tickets sho was profuse In her thanks and expressed her deep obligation As sho held the tickets between hor Jeweled fingers she beamed a smile and displayed a set of pearly white teeth encircled by a pair of ruby lips and oh such eyes More sparkling oven than the diamond solitaires that adorned her ears The detectives heart was throbbing wildly Ho could scarcely contain himself It was a case of love at first sight The hot blood of the Italian was surging to his head Ho was quite bewildered Collecting his scattered senses he was soon able to convince the young woman that he was n man of consequence conse-quence and that while their mooting was but casual he was greatly delighted de-lighted because of the opportunity offered of-fered to make her acquaintance It was late In the evening when they bade each other good night with a promise to meet again on the arrival of the steamer at Fall River in the early morning Merlto had not only discovered that Miss Brownie was lovely and fascinating fas-cinating but that she was frank con fldlmr and truthful She had nothing to conceal He had learned everything every-thing She was a young and sensitive maiden who had courageously ventured ven-tured from her fathers home with the purpose of meeting a much loved but wayward brother How then could he help sympathizing with her Even though his representations In regard to himself were falsely made for the purpose of obtaining her confidence con-fidence he believed ho was sufficiently shrewd to square himself with her at tho proper time As deception is ofttimes a part of the detectives stock in trade he thought there could be no great harm In It after all was understood It seems that he told her the secret of his being the son of an Italian nobleman noble-man of groat wealth and that he was traveling Incog to gratify his curiosity While the story he told was wholly false he was quite good looking enough and sufficiently genteel In appearance ap-pearance to bear out the statement From what occurred It was apparent that tho young woman herself was somewhat Impressed and quite uncertain uncer-tain as to tho true status of the detective de-tective Her story as told to Merlto appeared straightforward and truthful Her mother was dead Her father although al-though In the enjoyment of a largo income in-come the result of frugality and well applied business transactions was bowed down with grief and very much broken In health because of the wayward way-ward course of her darling brother Ho had been led astray by evil associates asso-ciates and was being pursued by the government officers who charged him with dealing In counterfeit money To evade arrest he had forsaken his homo and fled to Canada where she was expecting to meet him Learning this tho detective was deeply interested not only In tho brother but in the sister as well Indeed In-deed she was the most attractive person per-son ho had ever before mot To his mind sho was everything that n woman should be Wealthy educated and affectionate af-fectionate sho was bravo and romantic roman-tic enough to venture out alono and battle tho cold world for tho purpose of redeeming her wayward brother So gentle and unassuming did she appear ap-pear that he was sure she had a heart overflowing with love As these thoughts came meandering through his brain ho saw In his eagerness eager-ness the opportunity of his life lie would somehow bo Instrumental In saving tho brother and thus win the fair girls gratitudeperhaps her love Ho felt sure that he could trust to her generous heart to forgive him for do colvlng her by palming himself off as tho son of a nobleman When the couplo arrived In Boston they went at once to the United States hotel where they took breakfast together to-gether The detective now thought Miss Brownie more fascInating than ever and at tho first opportunity he threw discretion to the winds and begun be-gun wooing In tho most approved Italian style Pressing his suit with an ardor more Impetuous than conventional con-ventional ho begged her to become his wife It appears that hor deep sorrow her soft words and above all her tears had quite bewildered him Real beauty in distress was too much for the warm bloodpd Latin and he sur iT r y I p > AN 1 I I vd I Y I im tr l 1 fj 3 f t 4 I 1 o 4 i 1 TIf11l8 B owNct 4ji 47 I lsrooDBFfo8f l I I 1ii P R I I u t w i C A i Q wrL I V 4 p i MEl7WVH Yaditz Rt cAiv ow 1 aw L yl pROCURE ST7TER00fl YOU A I YF ° c AT l yEWOOED8F N COMMANDED AUTHORITATIVE l rM Mo rA PROvE roNE lrLIRN TYLt rendered unconditionally In Impas stoned terms he declared his love and offered her his heart and hand The young woman although seemingly seem-Ingly overcome was altogether too modest to accept Somewhat taken back by this premature declaration sho was sufficiently selfpoised to assure as-sure him that he was pleasing to her and that she deeply appreciated hIs attention But she could not take any decisive stop In so Important a matter mat-ter without first consulting her father She felt that It was her first duty to save her brother To accomplish this sho was ready to sacrifice life Itself Merlto never at a loss for a subterfuge sub-terfuge proposed to Interest hImself and secure a condonement of her brothers offense through the nssla ance of the Italian consul at New York This ray of light was present cd In fine Italian stylo and must have sounded hopeful to the ears of MIss Brownie Her face now fairly beamed with Joy as she assured him she would willingly give all she possessed In tho world to effect ouch a result She promised to marry him should he succeed in saving her brother from prosecution for his past offenses The day following tills I received at my Now York office a letter marked personal which read as follows United States Hotel Boston Mass My Dear Chief I wrlto to Inform you that I arrived ar-rived here this morning In company with the sister of Brownie Through cunning I made her acquaintance and learned everything Sho Is on the way to meet her brother Thomas Sho tolls me that ho Intends to remain outsIde I oC the United States unless a compromise compro-mise can be affected Sho nays ho has offered to furnish information and will assist to break up tho Miner gang of counterfeiters If you will send me special authority and a guarantee that he will not be arrested I will go with hIs sister and coax him to coma to Vow York Please forward tho pa pore to me hero at once Yours respectfully LOUIS MI2U1TO Tho case was an Important one and required my personal attention If n compromise could be made that would result In the conviction of such non as Miner I was anxious to malts It I chose to superintend It myself and the next train that loft for Boa ton took mo with It When I arrIved hero on the following morning I wont directly to the United States hotel where I met n thoroughly astonished Italian lie was much surprised at my unexpected appearance I soon learned enough to place mon mo-n possession of the facts In the case so far an the detective was concerned 1 then demanded a personal interview with Miss Brownie which was soon arranged After Introducing mo to ho lady Morlto retired from tho room as had boon previously agreed upon I found myself in the presence of a tall and stately young woman tastefully and fashionably dressed She held In her hand a largo fan which she wlolded with consummate grace 1 found her fully posted on tho nature of tny business Inviting mo to be seated she began the conversation and explained to mo her proposed trip to Montreal where she hoped to meet her brother Thomas Brownlo She had learned through a friend that her brother was anxious to quit counterfeiting and that ho could If given an opportunity put the government govern-ment officers In a position to arrest a number of leading counterfeiters She did not know the particulars but was sure that her brother would If per milted to return to New York render the government Important service Sho said that her father had nearly lost his mind on account of the action of his son and that he was ready to undergo almost any sacrifice and pay any reasonable sum of money for the purpose of saving his boy What sho said was quite reasonable and after questioning her for sometime some-time I had about come to tho conclusion conclu-sion that her offer If carried out as promised would bo a good thing for the government There wero a number of counter felts then on the market and I was exceedingly anxious to break up the gang by arresting its leaders and securing se-curing the plates The Miner gang had first and last cost the government a considerable sum of money While talking over the details of the proposed pro-posed surrender I stepped to a window win-dow and raised the shade upon which tho sun suddenly shone forth lighting up the room and casting Its bright rays fully upon the face of tho lady before me Drawing my chair a little nearer and more In front of her I was enabled to look hor straight In the face My eyes resting on hers seemed to disconcert her She blinked and turned her head I straightened up a little and stared at her She started to rise Keep your seat 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 appearance ap-pearance or actions to create suspicion suspi-cion As was qulto natural she now seemed excited This might have been attributed to a disturbed condition condi-tion of her mind on account of the actions of her brothera natural sequence se-quence under the circumstances She again turned towards me and the sun shone upon her face I at once detected de-tected the work of an artist skilled In the uso of shades of paint I noticed too that her hair had not the glossy appearance of natural growth I was quite sure she was In disguise Before this business goes any further 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 started start-ed up with an indignant glare and attempted at-tempted to push me away In n flash I reached for her chignon Giving It a quick Jerk its fastenings gave way and it rolled on tho carpet There was no longer any uso for concealment conceal-ment Thomas Brownlo stood before mo The game was up There was no more room for dodging He began peeling off layer after layer of his feminine apparel When he had fully disengaged himself from his dressmakers dress-makers outfit ho opened his traveling bag and proceeded to clothe hlmscll In masculine attire Merlto who had during this interview Inter-view remained In the hall was now requested to como Into tho room 1 handed him a pair of handcuffs and Brownie Immediately put up his hand to receive them He was completely done for and offered no further resistance re-sistance In taking the trip on tho steamei Providence and playing the part ol i a fascinating woman It was not surprising sur-prising that Brownie was able to dupe the detective As a gifted Impersonator Imper-sonator ho could reproduce to a nicety the tones and modulations of the de tectlves voice His description and Imitation of the Impassioned love scone that took place between hlmsell and Merlto was very entertaining Brownlo was too crafty and gifted a criminal to run at large He was put on trial convicted and sentenced to the Albany penitentiary for a term 01 fifteen years Merlto was so chagrined and overcome over-come on account of his escapade with Brownlo that ho lost his assurance and was unablo to face his fellow officers of-ficers The last I heard of him he was on the Pacific coast o < o1i III |