Show i M M 3 T True ate stories H 4 4 U ne I e S am C of est the Federal Great Great- Greatest Detective 4 4 Agency the i D Detec ve Information Bureau Bureau 0 of 3 i U. U u. u TT S S. D Dept ep t 4 4 IF 4 i 0 of Justice 4 By Wi WILLIAM LIAM ATH l TON DU PUY 4 4 1 c n d 4 14 H HS 4 S 4 A sank Bank Case From rm the i 3 1 i 4 4 t. t by W. W O. O i It is astonishing said Gard Card th the e bookkeeper how few people kno know kno w anything about their own businesses Take bank accounts for tor Instance Many people have money In ban bank banI k which lies there inactive There i inot Is s not one man in five e having such an account account ac count who can tell the amount of at it This statement was launched during during dur duro ing the evening meal at Mrs Hudsons Hudson's Hudsons Hudsons Hudson's Hud sons son's very respectable boarding house houseIn In the prosperous little town to of New Hew ew Beaufort which slumbers in one of the valleys of at central New YorkI York I jI must take issue with you OU there ventured the elderly rector of at the Episcopal Episcopal Episcopal Epis Epis- copal church who being a widower boarded with Mrs Hudson I for Instance instance in in- stance have managed to save a little tittle money for old age and I can tell the amount of it to a penny penny And nd I know just how much I have on deposit Insisted Miss Dolan the school teacher And I am quite sure of mine asserted asserted asserted as as- a buxom widow who had collected collect collect- ed life Ute insurance As a test of at my contention said Gard Card I am willing wilting to pledge a box of candy to each of at the ladies and cigars to the gentlemen who will set down the exact amounts of their Inactive accounts accounts ac ac- counts in the First National bank and then prove their figures correct by application application application ap ap- to the cashi cashier r. r This proposal appealed to those who had bad been drawn into the incipient con con- ti Next day the they asked for the figures and each had won his reward Gard Card seemed chagrined that his theory theory should have e th thus s g gone gone ne to the winds but he cheerfully stood treat For he had established a fact very Important to him The inactive accounts accounts accounts ac ac- counts of the First National Nation l bank of New Beaufort were intact This was one of the first steps in an inv investigation of a financial institution which which while seemingly in the Ie best t of condition was suspected of ot h having ving been looted for hundreds of thousands ot of dollars Special agents of th the department department de de- of justice knew that an official official official of of- of the bank had been trading heavily in Wall street and that he had lost Gard Card a member of this new detective detective detective de de- force of at the federal government government government govern govern- ment had been sent to investigate Representing himself as a bookkeeper lie he had bad secured a position with the leading grocer and had come to board with Mrs Hudson He stayed three weeks At the end of that time he reported the shortage fixed the blame upon the man responsible responsible responsible re re- for it showed the methods used cited the accounts from tram which the money had been stolen told what accounts were wele still stilt intact Yet he had never been inside the bank had seen none of its books had consulted with nobody familiar with them had received re re- no confessions The manner In which he accomplished these Uiese seemingly seeming seeming- ly Impossible ends illustrates most excellently excellently ex ex- the methods used by this ne new nev detective agency of the government It was a strange conspiracy of circumstances circumstances cir cir- that brought to New Beaufort Beaufort Beaufort Beau Beau- fort detectives from tram three three different services on the night two months later that Conrad Compton the enterprising enterprising enterprising enter enter- citizen and banker was giving his big party There was McCord a plain-clothes plain plainclothesman man from New York McCord would not have been in New Beaufort but for the ramifications of at tho the New York police department in keeping track of ot thes these middle class criminals who live through the trade of burglary burglar a a callIng callIng calling call- call Ing that is sometimes refined Into art And the police potice department would not have hae come into possession of a certain tip If it Speck Thompson had not done his bit up the river and returned to his bis old haunts so broken that he chose to 10 become a stool pigeon because he was no longer lorger up to second story work Speck had found fourd tit t-at Dutch Shrader der had arranged to crac crack a safe and that the scene of at the cracking was New Beaufort He had tipped the matter off to the police and hence McCords McCord's McCord's McCords McCords McCord's Mc- Mc Cords Cord's presence in a community that was far from metropolitan He represented represented represented the first of the detective ices fees The second such service was represented represented represented by Newton a bank examiner examiner ex ex- In the tho service of at the treasury department His district was central New York For three years he had hadI 1 I been taking an occasional look into the books of ot the various national banks banks' of his district checking up assets ant and I liabilities inquiring into the value of at o othe atthe the paper held by the banks Two weeks before Conrad Compton gave his his party Newton had been in New Beaufort and had gone thoroughly into the affairs ot of the bank Its books were models of efficiency and there was no flaw to be found In any of at its securities securities securities ties or loans Newton had nad given th the tho Institution his O. O K and had passed on to other towns But there was a feeling of ot wires unrest L that haunted the young examiner It r seemed that his subconscious mind was aware C of an oversight that had been made by his working faculties He was not able to sleep well of at nights I and in his sleep the various accounts of at the New Beaufort bank insisted on visualizing themselves Finally the recurring recurring recurring re re- accounts eliminated themselves with the exception of one which per per- isted The loans and discounts account account account ac ac- ac- ac count kept thrusting Itself into his con con- By Jove he exclaimed d suddenly to himself The entries in that account account account ac ac- ac- ac count the amounts of money that have been run through it are out of all proportion to the other business of the institution Something is wrong with loans and discounts So Newton hurried back to New Beaufort and was that night a guest at atthe atthe atthe the party given by Conrad Compton with whom he had built bunt up a friendship friendship friendship friend friend- ship through years of association In Inthe Inthe Inthe the line tine of his work He was to take a further look at the loans and discounts discounts discounts dis dis- dis- dis counts on the morrow The department of at justice is the prosecutor in cases of at violations of the national banking law Its work is enI entirely entirely en en- apart from that of at the bank examiners examiners ex ex- I of the treasury department The New York office of this service as asa asa asa a matter of of dail daily routine received the information that David Lorance assistant assistant assistant as as- cashier of at the First National bank ank of at New Beaufort was regularly placing heavy buying and selling orders orders or- or ders lers with a certain broker in Wall Nall street For this reason Agent Gard Card got the assignment to come to New Beaufort I and was wasl thus the representative of the third bird detective service His windows at the grocery store looked out upon the side door of the bank opposite He was bland and inconspicuous but he was was an an expert rt accountant had hid taken a a degree in the law and worked three nights a week in the gymnasium in New York when he was in town The Compton home stood on a hilt hill j just st back of the town It was known as Stone Crest and was the most ambitious ambitious am- am establishment thereabouts beIng being beng be- be Ing ng always pointed out with pride to visitors The banker was a widower but ut given n to entertainment and to charity The members of the board of aldermen often met at Stone Crest Cresto to o discuss those matters that had to do with the well-being well of the town Teas were given there whenever its charitable charitable charitable charit charit- able women were inaugurating some Bome new venture The party tonight was a asem sem semipublic affair for it was in commemoration commemoration commemoration com com- of a centennial anniversary anniversary anniversary sary of that occasion when the first settlers had fought off oft attacking Indians Indians Indians In In- from tram their stockade through a aday aday aday day and night Conrad Compton was wag a tall graceful nervous man with a high forehead and anda a mass of wavy hair His features were of a perfect regularity and the whole face tace was so small as to give it somewhat the appearance of that of a woman an impression that was heightened heightened heightened height height- ened by its absolute pallor Newton the bank examiner watched his host narrowly as he received received received re re- re- re his guests as he directed their entertainment by a party of professionals profession profession- als who had been brought up Cram from New Mew York for tor the occasion as the Ices were served He thought the banker was a bit paler than usual and his natural natural natural nat nat- ural nervousness seemed somewhat ac ac- ac- ac Once during the evening e he be had drifted into the library which happened to be empty of at guests and andI had found the host peering out of a I window that commanded a view of the town I I trust you will pardon my preoccupation preoccupation p pation Uon said the banker turning again to his guests I seem to have a way of at feeling when I have most company McCord the plain-clothes plain man had vacillated between his hotel the railway railway rail ralI- wa way station and those streets that gave views of the alleys leading past the back ends of establishments that might contain safes worth raffling Occasionally Oc Oc- his bis eye fell upon the lights in the house of the banker on the hill bill and wandered to the chief financial establishment establishment establishment es es- es- es of the town Yet all was wasso wasso wasso so serene in this eddy of at the world that the hour of solitude that followed eleven o'clock seemed such an age that it drove him to bed As the time drew on toward twelve there was no sign of at life In the vil vIt- lage The lights in the drug stores the restaurants the delicatessens where Ice cream Is served to the small smalltown smalltown smalltown town lovers had one by one ono winked themselves out The owl car of the trolley line that ran through the village village village vil vil- lage had deposited its last late revelers revelers revelers revel revel- ers at eleven The swinging arc lights at tho the street Intersections occasionally occa occa- sputtered fitfully and glared again A dynamo whirred distantly althe at atthe al at atthe the electric light plant Gard Card tho the special agent of ot tho the de de- of justice was one of the few tew men in the town who was awake except those who had been guests of ot the banker and who had bad lingered to an hour which was almost unprecedented in New Beaufort They would have gone home at eleven but the tho banker insisted that they remain for tor further entertainment on the part of his New NewYork NewYork NewYork York musicians One song called forth another and the quality of at the music proved so much more pleasing than that of their customary local talent that they forgot the passing of at time The special agent sat on a a. hilt hill neat I the Compton home and smoked a pipe It was twelve o'clock before th the party anally broke up Those tho of-tho I townspeople who had come in their automobiles au au- automobiles automobiles were being tucked into the and those who nad walked up the gray macadam drive were just setting out on foot toot when the clatter as of a bunch of at giant fire crackers called their attention to the village below From the bank building was seen suddenly suddenly sud sud- denly to burst a cloud of at smoke while white a moment later a skylight was broken and a tongue of flame leaped forth Fire Fire came the shout from tram froma trama a dozen voices Gard Card had seen more than had the guests of the banker As he smoked his pipe and watched the village below below below be be- low the lights in In tho windows of Stone Stano Crest and the silent cottage of Lorance Lor Lor- ance the assistant cashier he had seen an automobile with no lamp showing creep through the quiet back street purr stealthily into the alley back of the bank and stop behind behind a I small smaIl building that shut oft off his view Half Halt an hour passed and the darkened machine reappeared from behind the Intervening building turned into the thoroughfare leading to the southeast and nd disappeared in the distance at an anever anever anever ever increasing rate of speed When the exploding cartridges inthe in inthe inthe the cashiers cashier's drawer at the bank gave the first warning of the fire the clamor of the alarm followed and pandemonium pandemonium pandemonium pande pande- broke out in the village Of the dispersing group on the hill everyone everyone everyone every every- one ran for a nearer view of at the fire The musicians the servants the master master master mas mas- ter of the house himself all aU hurried Into the village to make malte part of at the excitement excitement excitement ex ex- that prevailed Stone Crest the lights tights of its entertainment still glowing was lest left deserted Gard Card the special agent again acte acted differently from his fellows by failing falling to do the thing which others did He crossed over from the hill bill on which I I I t J. J I 1 ii i iI i I I d do o r ra a 4 t I i I II 1 I L Li i L j t p rl r i C r 1 FOUND THE HOST PEERING OUT OF A WINDOW THAT COMMANDED COMMAND COMMAND- ED A VIEW OF THE TOWN he had smoked and hastily entered the bankers banker's s house Arriving he seemed to know exactly what he wanted He hurried through the tho rooms of at the tho house snapping on still more lights until he ho found that apartment which seemed to to be the personal retreat of the owner Here Hero he evidently had business Standing in the middle of the floor he looked about Thrown carelessly carelessly carelessly care care- lessly into a window seat he saw two heavy books of the appearance of led led- gers These he secured and placed on ona ona ona a table in the tho middle of the room without without without with with- out even examining them Next he began further exploration When he found the bankers banker's bedroom he seemed satisfied On the back of a chair was wasa a coat evidently that which Compton had worn worn until he dressed for the eve eve- ning Gard Card thrust his hand band into the inside pocket of his coat and pulled out a batch of letters through which he ho ran rapidly He selected two or three thrust them into his pocket returned returned re reo re- re turned for tor the ledgers tucked these under his arm and left the house On the way to his lodgings he filed fileda a telegram to the department at WashIngton Washington Washington Wash Wash- ington which read as follows Compton cashier in First National bank case guilty Lorance probably not implicated Bank burned tonight by accomplices of Compton Case com com- GARD The Tho manner in la which these conclusions conclusions conclusions were reached readied are Ara but typical of 01 tho the methods of the tho |