Show i po- po A 66 Lemon for the Lawyers I 11 I Stories of ole the Greatest j Cases i in n the Career 0 of Thomas Furlong the Famous Famous Famous Fa Fa- I Railroad Detective IE Told by Himself Copyright by W. W G G. Chapman i I I I I J II Iii I 00 11 r 1 I if I f I II II I I I I c ti I I I I 4 U Uj j t j vJ 1 G w H w I r r M i iM Ji I l L i t s y lea cn WE SHALL BE WILLING TO PAY YOU A FEE OF TEN THOUSAND DOLLARS One of the cases to which I look back with the greatest satisfaction was that of the Miles will There is isa isa isa a common Impression that the private detective is not an person In this case I had the pleasure of ot operating co-operating with one of my operatives operatives operatives opera opera- tives who had been offered what was to him a small fortune to commit a dishonest act and who instead rejected rejected re reo re- re the bribe and was the means of confounding the conspirators In the latter part of the nineties Stephen B. B Miles a wealthy resident of ot Nebraska died died leaving an estate consisting of lands in Nebraska and Kansas bank stock and bonds and other property the whole valued at several millions of dollars He was survived by a wife from whom he had been divorced two sons Joseph H. H Miles and Samuel and a daughter as aswell aswell aswell well as a number of nephews and nieces and several grandchildren One of the sons Bons Joseph was a prominent prominent prom prom- banker and business man of Falls City Neb and also had large Interests Interests interests In In- In other towns in that state He had been a telegraph operator in his younger days and had amassed his money by honesty and industry and was highly esteemed by all who business business business busi busi- I knew him as a clean wide-awake wide ness man an and ana t a good citizen The other son son Samuel was about forty years of age and resided with his family on a ranch belonging to his father in Kansas just over the N Ne- Ne e- e braka line He lie had been wild in his younger days and had caused his father father fa fa- fa ther a good deal of ot trouble on account of ot his dissolute habits Shortly after atter the death of Stephen B. B Miles a will was found in an old suit case case the provisions of which made mad A the son Joseph executor and trustee of at the estate and chief beneficiary Samuel being left In addition to a sum oum of ot money a life lite interest In the ranch on which he jie and his family were liv liv- ing After Atter his death and that of his wife the property was to pass to their children The will also provided that Samuel Samue could neither entail nor dispose dis pose POBO of the land These provisions were of course highly unsatisfactory to the son SamMel Sam Sam- Samuel Sam Sam- Mel uel and he put the matter in the hands of ot a lawyer at whose suggestion suggestion suggestion tion he ha began court proceedings to Prevent the probating of ot the will Not succeeding in this he be afterward brought suit to have the the will set aside About this I had in my service a man n named med D. D F F. Harbaugh of ot whom I have made mention n in previous previous ous cases This man who was a trusted trust trust- ed of ot mine had become well kno known n and had gained considerable notoriety in and about Kansas City on account of cases on which he be had worked under my mv instructions One day Harbaugh was wa's was approached In Kan Kan- l sas City by the lawyers who had been engaged by Samuel Miles to break the will The proposition which they made to him was that he sho should d find finda a man whose former Cormer reputation had been good and who would be willing willingto to go on the witness stand and testify to having drawn up and witnessed a awill awill awill will made by the elder Miles while he was on one of the frequent visits to St. St Louis that he had been accustomed to make During the course of the conversation the lawyer told Harbaugh Harbaugh Harbaugh Har Har- baugh all about the conspiracy that had been formed to break the will by finding a later one and gave the names of all who were connected with the scheme One of these men was wasa a prominent lawyer in Falls City Neb considerable Another was a man of prominence in Omaha having a big political pull throughout the state Still another was at that time in good n standing at the St. St Louis bar What will it be worth 2 inquired Harbaugh We shall be willing to pay you a afee afee afee fee of ten thousand dollars as soon as the will is broken the lawyer answer answer- ed Furthermore we will send you to the Paris exposition paying your fare and all expenses up to the value I of thoughtfully thoughtfully thoughtfully thought thought- Well uVell answered Harbaugh fully have to give me a few the proposition over days to think Its It's too big a thing for me to decide offhand The lawyer agreed to that and If Harbaugh Har- Har ar- ar baugh left that eY evening ning for St. St Louis morning he came tome tome to tome where the next which me and told me of oC the proposal had been made to him asking me better do about what I thought he be had it two There seems to me to be only things that can be done in this matter matter matter mat mat- ter I answered One is for you to completely as the proposition ignore rascality there can be no no doubt of the who are In any way all the parties o of connected with the scheme The other to todo todo todo the right thing in opinion and my this man Joseph Joseph Joseph Jo Jo- is to try and locate do him of the seph H H H. Miles and apprise that is being worked up conspiracy brother and his own these lawyers by the matter matter matter mat mat- and ignore If tt Ile we e keep quiet all probability secure ter they will In who will accept the proposition man n t parties to this conspiracy conspiracy con con- conspiracy be bo and we would because we failed to expose it it L J. J h Y I l answered u u. u Well Nell I 1 to 10 you yuu boss and it is up the are aro all I 1 know about the have told y you his that matter I told turn this vuu lawyer important one proposition was a very should require a D. few days I and that of this He approves It over think to from me In and expects an answer i iI about a weeks week's time J Jo o J I at once set to work to locate I r i soph H. H Miles and succeeded after atter the lapse laps of about twelve hours I found that ho he lived at Falls City as I have said and that he was president of the First National bank in that place He had a bank bant in another Nebraska city y and a a largo large interest in a bank at York Pa He was very well known and much esteemed After locating F him I wrote him a aletter letter which ran as nearly as I can recall as follows Mr Joseph H H. H Miles Falls City Neb Dear Sir If It you rou are the son of the late tate St Stephen phen B. B Miles and have a l brother by the name of Samuel Miles l and a number of nephews and nieces who reside in Kansas and Nebraska I 1 have Important information for you and will impart It personally if you will come to St St. LouisI Louis I would suggest that you bring your lawyer as I believe my Information important enough to Justify you inso In Inso Inso so doing On receipt of this I wish that you rou would telegraph mo me stating when you yeu will leave Falls City and at what time you will wUl arrive in St. St Louis On arrivIng arriving arriving ing at St. St Louis ouis go to the Planters' Planters hotel look at at the register where you will find my name and you can then come direct to my room where I will willbe willbe be waiting for you and your attorney I am using a fictitious name for reasons that I will explain to you when I see you Yours very truly On receipt of this letter from me Mr Miles at once telegraphed that he would leave Falls City the same evening evening eve eve- ning arriving at St. St Louis the following following follow follow- ing morning via the Burlington route and that he would carry out the instructions instructions in in- which I had given him I went to the Planters' Planters hotel that evening registered under the assumed assumed assum assum- ed name which I had given in my letter letter let let- ter ter and was assigned to a room on the fourth floor The next morning about eight o'clock Mr Joseph H H. Miles accompanied by his lawyers Judge Ex-Judge Gillespie of Falls Falb City and Judge Ex-Judge Martin of the same place and the latter's son son who was a stenographer arrived at the hotel After Arter we wo had all been mutually mutually mutually mu mu- introduced I began by saying Gentlemen my namo is Thomas Furlong and I l used a fictitious name in writing to Mr Miles because my ray name and business are aro known to a great many people in Nebraska A certain person who Is connected with what I know to be a conspiracy against Mr Miles resides in Falls City of which he is an old inhabitant and he would probably know my name if he heard it As I did not know but that he might be connected with or know people in the telegraph office and would thus learn that I had communicated communicated communicated com com- with Mr Miles I deemed it advisable not to use my own name Now I wish that you would call on any of the general m managers of any of the railroads that enter St. St Louis Louis' or the president of oC any bank In the city whom you may know and ask him as to my character and standing Does Mr William Nicholson know you asked Mr Joseph H H. Miles He knows me very well I answer answer- ed Mr is my correspondent here said Mr Miles and has charge of more than a million dollars of our estate We walked over to Mr bank and Mr 1 Miles entered the private private private vate office leaving me standing in the passage outside As he entered the theoffice theoffice theoffice office ho he left the door open Mr arose and greeted him atthe atthe at the same time speaking to me After the greeting Mr Miles said to Mr I see that you know Mr Furlong Yes replied Mr I have known Tom for y years ars and he is welcome welcome wel wel- come to anything I have Mr Furlong told me that you you knew him said Mr Miles and he I insisted on my coming down here and asking you about his standing In St. St Louis After a little further conversation Mr Miles shook hands with Mr Nick Nick- olson and md we returned returned to my room at the Planters' Planters hotel where Judges Mar Mar- Martin Martin tin and Gillespie and the stenographer rapper were awaiting us I then related re re- re- re in detail the story that had been told me mo by Harbaugh After Arter I had Completed the tho narrative all of which was taken down In shorthand by the stenographer the younger Mr Martin Harbaugh was sent for and he verified veri reri fled fied the statements which 1 had made The conference was then adjourned for tor luncheon At two wo o'clock when the party reassembled reassembled reassembled reas reas- in my room room Judge Martin said We have been considering this statement of yours Mr Furlong We Ve have known for some time that these lawyers whom you have named were trying to make trouble for us but we did not know until you told us today just what they intended to do and now I 1 want to say that Mr Miles and myself appreciate what you have done dono In this matter so far and we are anxious ious bus for your opinion as to what you think is the best way to proceed Of course had bad ad been considering that point for some somo time Ume and I replied replied re re- re- re plied I believe that the best way to proceed proceed proceed pro pro- would be bo for Harbaugh to go to the lawyer in Kansas City and tell him that he will accept his proposition proposition tion and that he will secure a man who can be relied on on and who will state that he had written the will forthe forthe for forthe the elder Mr Miles I would then select se lect a man whom I can trust and turn him over to Harbaugh Harbaugh will take him to Kansas City and put him under the guidance of the lawyer When the conspirators have thorough thorough- thoroughly ly posted and instructed this man whom they will expect to commit deliberate deliberate deliberate erate perjury they will probably havo have his deposition taken In St. St Louis He will take the stand and will be able to answer all the questions put to him until asked if it he wrote the will When he is asked this question being under oath of course he will tell the truth In this way we will be able to prove the enormity of the attempted crime and the cool audacity of the parties who are connected with it I then turned to Mr Miles and said That Is the opinion which I have to offer but if you do not approve of it and prefer to employ some one else to handle this case for you you are of course at liberty to do so I felt that it was my duty to advise you of ot this conspiracy and the manner in which I had received my information concerning it it ft We want you to handle this case for us us Mr Furlong said Judge Martin Martin Mar Mar- tin Un and Mr Miles nodded and said Yes I want you to handle this case for me and to handle it In your our own I way and I will pay your regular charge allow you the expenses incur- incur pay you e extra tra for your servo service ice I do not expect anything of that sort sort I answered I do not believe in rewards and never have worked for them Mr Miles insisted however on payIng payIng pay pay- Ing me extra for my services and I subsequently divided the amount he gave me equally with Harbaugh I instructed Harbaugh to go to Kansas Kansas Kansas Kan Kan- sas City and get in touch with the crooked lawyer informing him that he had decided to accept his proposition proposition proposition tion which he did I then selected aman aman a aman man whom I knew and whom I believed believed believed be be- to be honest I instructed himas him himas as to what I wanted him to do and indue in indue indue due time he was Introduced to the Kansas City lawyer by Mr Harbaugh 1 The lawyer began instructing him as asto asto asto to the part he was to play He gave him a minute description of the deceased deceased deceased de de- de- de ceased Stephen B B. B Miles whom of course the man had never seen He posted him as to a room in the old St St. James hotel that had been occupied by Stephen B. B Miles during one of his trips to St. St Louis This was the place the conspirators had determined in which the fake will should be supposed ed to have been written The lawyer was highly pleased with the man f i I J. I I Iw w I r j f THE LAWYERS FEASTED AND Dl ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS f I I. I I II lI l 4 f S k kr ko t r o- o L D 4 ut Ii f kf d r r r lit c f s f r 4 I o 4 j r t t r rIt rN wt w N y a dr r rI I DO NOT BELIEVE IN REWARDS AND NEVER HAVE WORKED V FOR THEM whom I had sent and feasted and dined him on several occasions when he was In Kansas City rehearsing the I part that he was to play iu in the con con- In Inthe the meantime the lawyer had also also also al al- al- al so taken a great fancy to Harbaugh and treated him so well that Harbaugh Harbaugh Harbaugh Har Har- baugh began to conceive an involuntary Involuntary Involuntary tary admiration for the mans man's gen gen- After Atter the conspiracy was fully concocted concocted con con- the the day arrived for the taking of the deposition of the man nian who was supposed to have written the will signed by the late Mr Miles l Due notice notice no no- tice was served on the respective parties parties parties par par- ties interested and at the appointed time our man appeared at the office of the St. St Louis attorney and the taking of his deposition began After being duly sworn the witness was examined by the St St. Louis representative of ot the conspirators in the usual way until at last the question was reached I Did you ou know Stephen B B. B Miles deceased deceased deceased de de- de- de ceased and did you not write this will for him I have known a number of men by bythe bythe bythe the name of Miles answered the wit wit- ness Allow me to describe one of them and |