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The Skeleton in the Closet
A TRUE STORY OF THE SECRET SERVICE
By COL. H. C. WHITLEY
Former Chief U. S. Secret Service
OHAD MET the Judge fre
quently and felt quite
him. He was a politi
cian of note and a mem
ber of the president’s
cabinet. Because of his
prominence and his one
time important connec
tion with the govern
ment, I shall forbear the
mention of his name. It would be fa
miliar to every reader.
One day I received a message from
him requesting me to call at his office
at my earliest convenience. Present
ing myself I was given a private in
terview. After a little preliminary
conversation the judge said that he
wanted to talk to me in regard to a
personal matter. He needed my assist
ance in an affair of much concern to
himself and wife. He then related at
some length the history of his family
troubles. There was a skeleton ip his
■closet. He had sent for me believing
that I might be able to devise some
measure of relief.
"My wife,” he said, ‘‘is very muca
■worried and quite prostrated with
grief. She is In such a nervous state
of mind I fear she will break down
altogether.” His eyes filled with tears
ms ho explained the cause of their
Igreat trouble. “She was a widow with
Bn only son when I married her. This
•on, notwithstanding his moral train
ling and tender care, has turned out to
foe an unmitigated villain and a con
stant menace to our peace of mind.
(He seems to be heartless and devoid
|of decency and respect for our posi
jtlon. Besides, he is a thief. Only a
ishort time ago he was arrested in Chi
|cago, taken to Baltimore and charged
(with committing a robbery in a house
\ot ill repute. I was compelled to set
tle the case or suffer the disgrace of
an exposure. Wine and women are
fois hobbies. He is reckless in the use
of money and will resort to any means
to obtain it. Even now 1 am furnish
ing the money wherewith to gratify
Ills vicious appetite. God knows what
foe will do next! We are living in con
stant. fear that he will do something
to publicly disgrace us. Now, if there
Is any way that he can be got out of
the country without publicity, if you
can devise any plan to get rid of him
without killing him or sending him to
the penitentiary, It will meet with my
approval. 1 think It Is a case where
,severe measures would be entirely
Justifiable. Just think of It! The
Scapegrace has gone so far in his de
pravity as to escort a woman of known
bad character to his mother's recep
tions ’’
My sympathies once aroused and a
promise made, I felt bound to take
souii! action. It appeared a difficult
undertaking. The fellow was to be
got rid of, but just how was the
-question that puzzled my brain. I had
’read of many strange disappearances
of persons who were never afterwards
(beard of, but the manner of their dis
appearance was not always clear. It
may have been a voluntary act, mental
aberration or the result of a crime. 1
prided myself upon my skill In de
ivislng ways and means to accomplish
tan end, but the case in hand, after
some deliberation, appeared somewhat
like perpetrating a wrong deed for
the purpose of accomplishing a good
result.
If the story told by the judge was
true, there would be but little difficul
ty In landing the rascal in the peni
tentiary for the crimes he was com
[xnitting almost daily; but a measure
of this kind would mean exposure and
[disgrace. To put him away by foul
[means was out of the question. He
tmay have deserved a sharp medicine,
and the world may have been better
off without him, but there was no
[thought of doing him bodily harm.
[The idea was to dispose of him and
[slide him out of the country tenderly.
[The judge wanted to get rid of him,
Ifout could suggest no way. It was a
delicate case to handle. I knew that
:the judge was a conscientious and hu
mane man and that he meant no
{wrong, and it was difficult for me to
(understand tho course I could safely
■pursue.
As I turned to leave the judge's
office his wife entered the room. I
•was introduced, and cast my eyes
upon her face. It did not appear quite
new to me. Could I be mistaken? Had
I met her before? As the possible rec
ognition did not appear mutual I was
unable to place her.
The judge turned away to converse
with his disbursing clerk. The wife,
who had evidently been informed in
regard to the purpose of my interview
with the judge, requested me to be
seated. Placing her hand upon ni.-
arm she smiled pleasantly, while as
suring me of her faith in my ability to
do something to help them out of the
deep trouble they were in. She spoke
bitterly of her son and of the many in
dignities he had heaped upon her.
She wanted to be freed from him.
The manner in which he was to he
disposed of did not seem to give her
much concern. She wished him ban
ished in some far-away country; if he
Were dead, she would feel relieved.
While relating her troubles she
chanced to mention the name of her
[first husband. On the instant I recog
pized her as an old acquaintance, i
had known her when she was a rosy
choeked young woman some twenty
five years before. She was then living
with her husband in a little town In
northeastern Ohio. This was before
she became the wife of the judge. Her
first marriage was said to be a runa
way match. She was a remarkably
beautiful woman then, but there was
a cloud hanging over her life. I can
not say what it might have been that
caused gossiping women to shake
their heads and whisper as she passed
by. Shortly after she gave birth to a
son she left the village. I do not know
just where she went, but it was short
ly afterwards rumored that she had
been granted a divorce.
She was now cutting a large figure
in society and often spoken of as the
handsomest woman in the capitol city.
Her husband, the judge, was up to
this time quite successful in political
life. Possessed of considerable brain
force and much amiability of charac
ter, he might have risen still higher
had not the intrigues set on foot by
his ambitious wife contributed to puu
him down. She planned schemes to
exalt him and to acquire wealth. In
making these efforts she aroused the
Jealousies of others and made the
judge quite unpopular with the leading
politicians. Her misdirected zeal not
only crushed the political prospects of
her husband, but finally resulte# in ex
pelling her from Washington society.
I was furnished a photograph of her
profligate stepson. He was a fine
looking young man, with wavy hair,
keen blue eyes and rosy cheeks; In
fact, much like his mother in her
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youth. His face was indicative of
criminal tendencies. I was told that
he was a difficult man to approach,
that he did not care for the compan
ionship of men. This being the case
I was at a loss to determine how to
reach him. It was necessary to Intro
duce a stranger In order to carry out
the plot I had in view.
After pondering over the matter for
some days I hit upon an expedient
that I believed would dispose of the
young man without public exposure or
resorting to crime. There was in my
employ at this time a man whom I
shall call Reed. If ever there was a
born confidence man he was the one;
an actor that could assume a part, live
it and play it through with a face as
solemn as the graveyard; never vi
cious, but ever apparently in earnest
while practicing a deception for mis
leading only those who ought to be
misled. I had found him on all occa
sions to be a valuable assistant In
furthering the ends of justice.
Reed hailed from the south, had
just arrived in the city and was in
quest of a private lodging place. The
judge’s stepson was now occupying an
elegant suite of rooms in a fashionable
location. He was so ompletely capti
vated by Reed's assumed manners and
apparent wealth that he was delighted
at the opportunity afforded to secure
a roommate. The detective accepted
the offer made by his new friend and
soon found himself in quite a novel
and dangerous situation. He was the
companion of a thief whose exploits
were liable to involve both in trouble.
He had led his roommate to believe
that he was himseif engaged in ques
tionable transactions and that New
York was the place to operate In.
"There,” said he, “are chances to
make big hauls.” The judge’s stepson
took to a suggestion of this kind like
a duck to water and was highly elated
on account of the proposed trip. He
no doubt imagined a broader field for
the exercise of his own peculiar talent.
On their arrival at New York they
registered under assumed names at
the Merchants’ hotel on Courtland
street.
For several days following they
strolled about the city, taking in the
sights and waiting for something to
turn up. While walking along Broad
way, near the old Astor hotel, they
chanced to pass a middle-aged man
who was gazing about in an uncertain
sort of way. His dress and manner
gave him the appearance of a green
one from the rural districts, pre
sumably from some place out west,
“Here,” said Reed in an undertone,
“is the very fellow we are looking for.
Let us try a hand on him. I will make
him think I have met him before.”
Reed now stepped up and accosted the
green one with an air of assumed fa
miliarity. Seizing him by the hand
ho said: “How do you do, Mr. Glick?
I am so glad to see you.” The verdant
man responded: "You are mistaken,
sir; my name is Jones, and I live at
Fort Wayne, Indiana.” ‘‘Never mind
the name,” said Reed, “I got the
names mixed, but I remember now
where I met you. You used to run a
livery stable at Kokomo.”
"Yes, I did.”
"Then of course you remember me.
I am the man that sold pumps and
kept my team at your stable. You
and I have taken many drinks to
gether.”
“Oh, yes," drawled Mr. Jones;
“what on earth are you doing in New
York?”
"Just looking around and having a
good time. Let’s go and take some
thing.”
“Come along, Jones. Let us go
around to our hotel,” said Reed. The
trio went to the Merchants. Jones ac
cepted an invitation to go to the room
of his friends.
“What Is your favorite drink?”
asked Reed.
“Plain brandy," said Jones.
“I will go down and bring up a bot
tle.” As Reed moved away he winked
slyly to the judge’s stepson. After an
absence of some thirty minutes or
more Reed returned with the brandy.
He pulled the cork. While Jones was
looking out of the window he slipped
a small vial out of his pocket and, giv
ing his partner an opportunity to see
it, he turned the contents into the
bottle of brandy. He gave the bottle
a shake and set It down on the table.
The judge’s stepson’s face flushed and
there was a tremor In his voice. He
seemed to comprehend the noxious
power of the venomous ingredient that
had been poured into the bottle. Reed
appeared self-possessed and proficient
In the art of deceiving and bold and
bad enough to commit any crime,
while the young man was evidently
greatly frightened—not because of any
compunctions of conscience, but for
the reason that he was, as was after
wards shown, a natural born coward.
He possessed none of the elements
and rugged force of an assassin. He
seemed to have a nervous apprehen
sion that he was wading In water too
deep and d- \gerous. He was heart-
less enough, but somehow lacked the
nerve to perform.
Step by step Jones became drowsy.
The stepson strove to rally him to his
senses. Jones closed his eyes. What
might have been a pnantom o* over
heated imagination now became a
fearful reality. The stepson was now
almost paralyzed with fear as Jones
slipped from his chair to the floor.
Was he dead or alive? He uttered
a low and suppressed moan as his lank
and livid body was laid upon the bed
and stripped of all its valuables. The
stepson, thoroughly in earnest, wanted
to take Jones’ overcoat, but Reed said
It would be dangerous, as It might
lead to detection.
I now leave the horrors of this occa
sion to the imagination of the reader.
The two survivors suddenly left the
hotel and crossed over to Jersey City
and took lodging at Taylor’s hotel,
where they registered under assumed
names, as they had done previously at
the Merchants’. It was late In the
evening when they went to bed.
They had left the Merchants’ hotel
late In the afternoon. Jones, the sup
posed drugged countryman, was not
quite as dead as the Judge’s stepson
thought him to be. He, too, was a
skilled pretender.
Soon after his entertainers had ta
ken their departure he, possum-like,
came to life, got up and took a drink
from the brandy bottle that was left
upon the table, and made his way at
once to the government secret service
office, where he told the story of his
adventure and received further in
structions. This so-called Jones was a
detective of marked ability. He could
assume almost any character and de
ceive the best educated criminal, yet
withal an honest, faithful servant to
the government.
At an early hour on the following
morning at Taylor’s hotel Reed pre
tended to be taken suddenly sick with
a cramp In his stomach. He left his
roommate and went below. A short
time afterwards he rushed back into
the bedroom and informed the Judge’s
stepson with a trembling voice that
they must get out of the place in a
hurry or they would be arrested. Reed
said that while downstalre he had torn
a slip from a newspaper. He handed
It to the Judge’s stepson, who, on
glancing at it hastily, at once sprang
out of bed.
It was a sensational article and bore
the appearance of having been clipped
from a newspaper. As a matter of
feet, however, it had been printed at
the New York Tribune job office. It
was a nice piece of deception and read
as follows:
A Brutal Murder and Robbery.
Another of those outrageous and
dastardly murders which have so
recently startled the community
occurred in this city yesterday af
ternoon, the particulars of which
are as follows: It appears that
shortly after dark last evening a
well dressed man, apparently
thirty-five years of age, was found
by the police lying near the foot
of Courtland street in an insensi
ble condition. He was taken to the
police station, where restoratives
were administered, and when he
had revived sufficiently he stated
that his name was P. R. Jones and
that he was from Fort Wayne,
Ind.
Mr. Jones was removed to the city
hospital last evening, where he be
came delirious and died about nine
o’clock. The police are on the
track of the murderers, who are
supposed to be from Baltimore or
Washington, as the clerk at the
hotel states that they came in just
after the arrival of the Washing
ton train. The clerk is positive he
can Identify them.
A frightful ghost had risen and was
standing in its most horrible form be
fore the now half-crazed stepson. The
rope of the hangman was looming up
before his eyes. He did not even
take time to wash his face, so great
was his anxiety to leave New York be
hind him. Even the very air he
breathed seemed tainted with the foul
odor of his crime. It was thought to
be dangerous to travel by rail at first,
and they started away on foot, and
finally concluded to make their way
to New Orleans.
Reed was, of course, -the ruling
spirit and was carrying Out the plan
they had agreed upon. They doubled
back and forth with the object of put
ting imaginary pursuers off the track.
Reed was seeking delay for the pur
pose of gaining time. When the pair
arrived at New Orleans about the first
thing that met their eyes was a hand
bill posted in the depot describing the
fugitives and offering a reward for
their arrest and conviction. Staring
at the bill with beads of perspiration
starting upon his brow the judge’s
stepson nearly collapsed. He was
careXvorn, downhearted and ready to
speed away as swift as steam could
carry him. In the course of time the
fugitives arrived at Brownsville, Tex.
From this point I received a note from
Reed saying that they intended to
cross the Rio Grande and work their
way to the City of Mexico.
To the minds of the detectives who
played their part In this case the
whole affair appeared a farce.
Alter a time Reed returned from
Mexico. He had given his companion
the slip and was quite positive in his
opinion that the judge’s stepson would
never dare show his face in the Uni
ted States. He declared the man was
about the greatest coward he had ever
met with.
Reed was correct in his opinion, as
the fugitive, so far as I know, has
never been heard of. He certainly did
not appear in Washington to further
annoy the judge and his wife. He may
still be running from a Nemesis that
i will never overtake him.
I (Copyright, ISIO, by W. G. Chapman.)
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