1940-01-27 — Page 15

THE CHINA MAIL, JANUARY 27, 1940

REAL LIFE DETECTIVE TRIUMPHS

"BEGINNING OF A BEAUTIFUL

FRIENDSHIP

"

On April 26, 1859, $10,000 in bank; the easiest plan would be to bury notes mysteriously disappeared from them in the cellar or the back yard.

a pouch of the Adams Express Com- pany at Montgomery, Ala. One week later $40,000 in another pouch vanish- ed in an unaccountable manner be tween Montgomery and Atlanta.

Armed with all of this information. Pinkerton decided that the time had come to strike. When Moroney came on to join his wife in New York City he was arrested and put into jail in In each case the messenger was default of $100,000 bail. The exces- one John Chase and the receiving sive bail was for the purpose of keep- agent Nathan Moroney. There was ing him in custody until the evidence no clue of any kind to the missing | was sufficient to take him into court. money. Moroney had a receipt sign- ed by Messenger Chase showing that the packages of money had been dropped into the pouch in the pre- sence of Chase. He proved in addi- tion that the pouches had been sealed in the presence of Chase.

The messenger also had a perfect alibi. He said the pouches had been delivered precisely as they had been handed to him. They were never out of the locked safe in the express car. The pouches had been locked by the dispatching agent and unlocked by the receiving agent. And the mes- senger had no key!

In their bewilderment the officials of the express company called upon Allan Pinkerton, then a rising young detective, to solve the problem. Moroney, seemingly indignant at the suspicion cast upon him, resigned his job. But although he had quit the company, the company did not quit him. Pinkerton assigned two of his operatives to shadow the man, and

-By-

GEORGE BARTON

✡

*

Moroney was able to leave his prison cell.

Page 15 TRAVELLERS WARNED

Hong Kong has been declared in- fected on account of smallpox by the Government of the Straits Settle- ments, All arrivals by sea and air for # are subject to surveillance period of 14 days dating from the date of departure unless they

(a) bear evidence of a previous

attack of smallpox; or

(b) produce certificates signed by competent authorities showing that they have been vaccinated more than 12 days and less than 3 years

prior to their

arrival; or

(c) show local

sighs of an carly vaccination reaction indicating to small-

adequate immunity pox.

On the second day of Moroney's

to have company in the person of one Imprisonment he found he was going

Mr. Moroney was reluctant to con- John R. White, an alleged pork packer, fide in White at first, but her hus- wanted for the misappropriation of band's instructions left her no alterna- Ships and aircraft with passengers funds. Actually he was another Pin- Live. Accompanied by "Madame Im-subject to surveillance will be liable kerton detective. The meeting of bert" and two other supposed friends

to inconvenience and delay. Moroney and White was the beginning all Pinkerton detectives--the un- of a beautiful friendship. Birds of a suspecting woman took them down feather are presumed to flock together the cellar of her home and they dug and soon the two men were exchang-up the money that had been stolen Ing confidences. So, when John R. from the express company pouches. White was released on bail, it was When Moroney walked into court with the understanding that he should he had the shock of his life in see- undertake a highly important coming John R. White seated among the | mission for his pal. It was to take witnesses. cure of a large sum of money until It developed

notes were shipped he had kept Chase, the messenger, busy with the way bills while he handled the parcels. He dropped each package of money NEXT TO THE MOUTH OF THE POUCH AND DOWN BEHIND THE COUNTER.

Ten years in the penitentiary was

that when the bank the sentence.

also detailed Mrs. Kate Warne, one of his most trusted sub-ordinates, to win her way into the confidence of Mrs. Moroney.

*

*

:

The first promising bit of informa- tion obtained was that Moroney was well supplied with money and that he had been playing the horses at the Southern race tracks.

The second clue came with a report from the men who were on the trail of Moroney. They said he had travelled...from Montgomery... to Nat- chez and thence to New Orleans and Mobile. And he was always accom- panied by a small nail-studded black trunk which he guarded jealously.

The third tip came one day when Mrs. Moroney asked her dear friend, "Madame Imbert" what was the best way to hide bulky valuables "that one did not wish to carry from place to place."

The Madame suggested that

Kitty

TELL HIM

IM

THINKING

TO-NIGHT

- SATURDAY, 27th JANUARY, 1940

'Gripps" Dinner Dance

-PRESENTING·

FOR THE FIRST TIME IN HONG KONG

MIMI & JOSE

SENSATIONAL ACROBATIC DANCERS

WITH

NICK KORIN & HIS SWING BAND

DINNER $5

EXTENSION 2 A.M.

NO EXTRA COVER CHARGE

Reservations 'phone 30281

Hongkong Hotel

Imp

brain pow

THE HONG KONG & SHANGHAI HOTELS, LT

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