Mechanics of the Secret Service 



Protecting the Nation's money-bags 

 By M. McGuire Telford 



Spying on the men 

 in the sub-treasury 

 as the money-bags 

 are being counted 



THE officers at the 

 United States sub- 

 treasury located in 

 Chicago found that there 

 was a small but persistent 

 shortage in the money- 

 bags delivered in truck-' 

 load lots from the banks 

 of the city. Careful 

 watching showed that the 

 full amount was sealed in 

 the 



bags 

 at the 



banks, but the count 

 was invariably short 

 in the sub- treasury, 

 the difference usually 

 being two, three, 

 or four dollars per 

 bag. 



The Secret Service 

 men were called in to 

 solve the mystery. 

 Captain Porter, in 

 charge of the investi- 

 gation, was convinced 

 that the stealing was 

 occurring in 

 the s u b - 

 treasury it- 

 : self 



Carrying the money-bags sent by the 

 banks of the city by truck-loads to the 

 sub-treasury where they are counted 



a n d 

 not 



in the banks or on the 

 trucks during transporta- 

 tion. To make sure, he 

 had a small chamber 

 built in the top of a 

 toilet room opening from 

 tfhe room where the 



bags were received and counted. A tiny 

 crack was made near the molding so that 

 a man might secrete himself in the chamber 

 and keep the workers in the room under 

 observation. 



Captain Porter posted himself in these 

 cramped quarters before the beginning of 

 the day's work. As they came in, the 

 money bags were counted by a young man 

 of twenty-five whose work was supervised 

 by an older and highly trusted employee. 

 Captain Porter saw 

 that as the young man 

 counted the bags he 

 tested the tightness of 

 the fastening on each. 

 Most of the bags were 

 quickly passed along, 

 but a few were set 

 aside in a row on the 

 table. When all were 

 counted and tested the 

 young man turned to 

 those on the table. 

 With marvelous quick- 

 ness he pulled down 

 one of the folds on the 

 first bag through the 

 cords loosely fastening 

 it, thrust in his fingers, 

 withdrew two or three 

 silver dollars, and in a 

 jiffy pulled the fold 

 back into place. Each 

 of the other bags was treated in the same 

 fashion, the older man in the mean- 

 time scrupulously keeping his 

 back turned so as to see 

 nothing. On the third day of 

 the investigation, Captain 



C^iff::^ 



The mouth of the 

 bag is drawn into 

 accordion-like folds 



Vt. 



/ 



A cord is run through a lead seal and a 

 steel pin is run through each separate fold 



The new sealing 

 device for the 

 m o n e y-b a gs 



