Ogden Daily Standard | 1909-01-18 | Page 1 | Popularity Causes the Downfall of "Alkali Pete"

man's usefulness Is ended when ho becomes a pcpular Idol. The name "Alkali Pete," which was given to the government detective by attaches at the Federal building, Is admitted to be the pnly rea-son for hla removal. The name clung to him, and he was pointed out to visitors as a sample of tho government's secret service employes. "Alkali Pete" wag originally a ranchman in Idaho. He was elected a sheriff In that state and was known to be a quick man with a gun. Ho afterward after-ward became a government secret ser-vice ser-vice operative and was ordered to Chicago to assist in the investigation of the packing industry. In appearance he was more than six feet tall and of slender build, had a long, flowing yellow moustache, woro long laced boots and a broad-brimmed felt hat. "Alkali Pete" did his work well at the fttock yards, where ranchmen ranch-men are common, but when transferred transfer-red to tho down-town district he was not bo successful. It might be all right for the western sheriff to hide 'behind boulders in the canyons, but when he appeared behind a pillar In the Federal building, took peeps at the man he was shadowing, ho failed in bis mission. ; POPULARITY CAUSES THE I DOWNFALL OF "ALKALI PETE" ' Chicago, Jan. 18. Popularity Is responsible re-sponsible "for the downfall of "Alkali Pete," the Idaho, "cow puncher" detective detect-ive of the Federal beef Investigation. The familfar figure which was much In evidence in tho Federal building during dur-ing the last two weeks, is gone. District Dis-trict Attorney Rims admits .that he had been transferred to other fields, remarking that federal secret servico