June 27, 2023 • 30 mins
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Espionage adventures, Covert operations, Thrilling missions, International intrigue, Spy thriller, Government agents, Undercover work, Secret intelligence, Political espionage, Intriguing conspiracies, High-stakes espionage, Intelligence gathering, Hidden identities, Espionage secrets, Political thrillers, Spy network, Secret missions, Classified operations, Intrigue and suspense, Government secrets
Espionage adventures, Covert operations, Thrilling missions, International intrigue, Spy thriller, Government agents, Undercover work, Secret intelligence, Political espionage, Intriguing conspiracies, High-stakes espionage, Intelligence gathering, Hidden identities, Espionage secrets, Political thrillers, Spy network, Secret missions, Classified operations, Intrigue and suspense, Government secrets
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Episode Transcript
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(00:00):
Chapter nineteen, the clue in theclassified column, Quinn tossed his evening paper
aside with a gesture in which disgustwas mingled in equal proportion with annoyance.
Why is it, he inquired testily, that some fools never learn anything.
(00:22):
Possibly that's because they're fools, Isuggested, what's the trouble? Now?
Look at that? And the formersecret Service operative recovered the paper long enough
to indicate a short news item nearthe bottom of the first page, an
item which bore the headline new fiftydollars counterfeit discovered. Yes, I agreed,
(00:49):
there always are people foolish enough tochange bills without examining them any too
closely. But possibly this one isvery cleverly faked fools not to examine them,
echoed Quinn, That isn't the directionin which the idiocy lies. The
fools are the people who think theycan counterfeit Uncle Sam's currency and get away
(01:11):
with it. Barnum must have beenright. There's a sucker born every minute,
and those that don't try to beatthe ponies or buck the stock market
turned to counterfeiting for a living.They get it too. In Leavenworth or
Atlanta or some other place that maintainsa federal penitentiary. They never seem to
(01:34):
learn anything by others experience either.You'd think after the Thorne case it would
be perfectly apparent that no one couldbeat the counterfeiting game for long. The
Thorne case, I don't seem toremember that the name is unusual. But
(01:55):
yes, and that wasn't the onlypart of the affair that was out of
the ordinary, Quinn at him,Spencer Graham also contributed some work that was
well off the beaten path, notforgetting the assistance rendered by a certain young
woman. Probably the most remarkable portionof the case, continued Quinn, was
(02:16):
the fact that Graham didn't get inon it until Threeine had been arrested.
Nevertheless, if it hadn't been forhis work in breaking through an ironclad alibi,
the government might have been left highand dry with a trunk full of
suspicions and mighty little else. Somewherearound the latter part of August, the
(02:39):
New York branch of the Secret Serviceinformed Washington that a remarkably clever counterfeit fifty
dollar bill had turned up in Albany, a bill in which the engraving was
practically perfect, and the only thingmissing from the paper was the silk fiber.
This, however, was placed bytiny red and blue lines drawn in
(03:02):
indelible ink. The finished product wasso exceptionally good that if it had not
been for the linxlike eyes of apaying teller, plus the highly developed sense
of touch which bank officials accumulate,the note would have been changed without a
moment's hesitation. The man who presentedit, who happened to be well known
(03:27):
to the bank officials, was informedthat the bill was counterfeit, and the
matter was reported through the usual channels. A few days later, another bill,
evidently from the same batch, waspicked up in Syracuse, and from
that time on it reigned counterfeits sohard that every teller in the state through
(03:49):
a fit whenever a fifty dollar billcame in, either for deposit or for
change. Hardly had the flow ofupstate counterfeits lessened than the bill began to
make their appearance in and around NewYork, sometimes in banks, but more
often in the resorts patronized by bookmakersfrom Jamaica and the other nearby race tracks.
(04:13):
The significance of this fact didn't strikethe Secret Service men assigned to the
case until the horses had moved southward. The instant one of the bills was
reported in Baltimore, two operatives wereordered to haunt the paramutual booths at Pimlico,
with instructions to pay particular attention tothe windows where the larger wagers were
(04:35):
laid. An expert in counterfeits alsotook up his position inside the cage to
signal the men outside as soon asa phony bill was presented. It was
during the rush of the betting,after the two year olds had gone to
the post for the first race,that the signal came indicating that a man
(04:58):
about forty five years of age,a well dressed and well groomed, had
exchanged two of the counterfeits for aone hundred dollar ticket on the favorite Hollister,
and she and the secret servicemen tookno chances with their prey, neither
did they run the risk of arrestinghim prematurely, figuring that it was well
(05:20):
within the realms of possibility that hehad received the bills in exchange for other
money, and that he was thereforeignorant of the fact that they were spurious.
They contented themselves with keeping close tohim during the race and the interval
which followed. When the favorite one, the man they were watching, cashed
(05:43):
his bet and stowed his winnings awayin a trousers pocket. Then, after
a prolonged examination of the jockeys,the past performances, and the weights of
the various horses, he made hisway back to the window to place another
bet. Again the signal, andthis time Hollister and she enclosed in in
(06:04):
their man, notifying him that hewas under arrest and advising him to come
along without creating any disturbance. Arrestfor what he demanded, passing counterfeit money,
replied Hollister, flashing his badge.Then, as the man started a
(06:26):
protest, she encounseled him to reservehis arguments until later, and the trio
made their way out of the enclosurein silence. When searched in Baltimore,
two sums of money were found uponthe suspect, one roll in his left
hand trousers pocket being made up ofgenuine currency, including that which he had
(06:48):
received for picking the winner of thefirst race, and the one in the
right hand pocket being entirely of counterfeitfifty dollars bills forty eight in number.
When questioned, the prisoner claimed thathis name was Robert J. Thorene of
New Haven, and added that therewere plenty of people in the Connecticut city
(07:11):
who would vouch for his respectability.Then why, inquired the chief of the
Secret Service, who had come overfrom Washington to take charge of the case.
Do you happen to have two thousand, four hundred dollars in counterfeit money
on you? At that moment,Thorne dropped his bomb, or rather one
(07:33):
of the many, which rendered thecase far from monotonous. If you'll search
my room at the Belvedere, hesuggested, you'll find some five thousand dollars
more. What demanded the chief,do you admit that you deliberately brought seven
thousand, five hundred dollars of counterfeitmoney here and tried to pass it?
(07:59):
I had meant nothing, corrected thearrested man. You stated that the fifty
dollars bills which you found upon mewhen I was searched against my will were
faults. I'll take your word forthat, but if they are counterfeit,
I'm merely telling you that there area hundred more like them in my room
at the hotel. Of course,you're willing to state where they came from,
(08:26):
suggested the chief, who was beginningto sense the fact that something underlay
Thorne's apparent sincerity. Certainly I foundthem old stuff, sneered one of the
operatives standing nearby. Not only anold alibi, but one which you'll have
a pretty hard time proving. Doyou happen to have a copy of yesterday's
(08:50):
news, handy, Thorne asked.When the paper was produced, He turned
rapidly to the lost and Found columnand pointed to an advertisement which appeared there
found an envelope containing a sum ofmoney. Owner may recover same by notifying
(09:11):
Robert J. Thereene Belvedere Hotel andproving property there. He continued, after
reading the advertisement aloud, that isthe notice which I inserted after finding the
money, which you say is counterfeit. Where did you find it? In
(09:33):
the Pennsylvania station night before last,I had just come in from New York
and chanced to see the envelope lyingunder one of the rows of seats in
the center of the waiting room.It attracted my attention, but when I
examined it, I was amazed tofind that it contained one hundred and fifty
(09:54):
fifty dollars bills, all apparently brandnew, naturally, and cared a part
with the money unless I was certainthat I was giving it up to the
rightful owner. So I carried itwith me to the hotel and advertised the
loss at once. The next afternoonI went out to the track and found,
(10:16):
when it was too late, thatthe only money I had with me
was that contained in the envelope.I used a couple of the bills one
and being superstitious, decided to continuebetting with that money. That's the reason
I used it this afternoon. Cometo think of it, you won't find
(10:37):
the original five thousand dollars in myroom. Part of it is the money
which I received at the track,and which I replaced in order to make
up the sum I found. Butmost of the bills are there, you
said, remarked the chief, strikinganother tack. That your name is Threene,
(10:58):
and that you of a New Haven. What business are you in Stationary?
You'll find that my rating in bradStreets is excellent, even though my
capital may not be large. What'smore, and here the man's voice became
almost aggressive. Any bank in NewHaven and any member of the Chamber of
(11:22):
Commerce will vouch for me. I'vea record of ten years there and some
ten in Lowell, mass which willbear the closest possible inspection. And he
was right at that. In thefirst place, a search of his room
at the hotel brought to light alarge official envelope containing just the sum of
(11:46):
money he had mentioned, counterfeit billsand real ones. Secondly, a wire
to New Haven elicited the information thatRobert J. Thereene, answering to description
and he received, has operated asuccessful stationary store here for the past ten
years, financial standing, excellent,wide circle of friends, all of whom
(12:11):
vouch for his character and integrity.When this wire was forwarded to Washington,
the Chief having returned to headquarters,Spencer Graham received a hurry up call to
report in the main office. There, he was informed that he was to
take charge of the Thorne case andsee what he could find out. I
(12:35):
don't have to tell you, addedthe Chief, that it's rather a delicate
matter. Either the man is thevictim of circumstances, in which case we'll
have to release him with profound apologiesand begin all over again, or he's
a mighty clever crook. We can'tafford to take any chances. The case
(12:58):
as it finally stands, will haveto be presented in court, and therefore
must be proof against the acid testof shrewd lawyers for the defense lawyers who
will rely upon the newspaper advertisement andthorene spotless record as indications of his innocence.
(13:18):
That being the case, chief,why take any chances right now?
The case hasn't gotten into the papers, So why not release Thorene and keep
him under constant surveillance. Matt wouldn'tbe a bad idea. The moment he
started to leave the country, wecould nab him, and meanwhile we would
(13:41):
have plenty of time to look intothe matter. Of course, there's always
the danger of suicide, but that'sproof of guilt and it would save the
Service a lot of work in thelong run. Good idea will do it.
So it was Robert J. Thereeneof New Haven was released from custody
(14:03):
with the apologies of the Secret Service, who retained the counterfeit money but returned
the real bills. While Spencer Grahamwent to work on the Baltimore end of
the case, four operatives took upthe job of trailing the stationer, and
Rita Clark found that she had importantbusiness to transact in Connecticut. Anyone who
(14:28):
didn't know Rita would never have suspectedthat back of her brown eyes lay a
fund of information upon a score ofsubjects, including stenography, the best methods
of filing, cost accounting, andmany other points which rendered her invaluable around
an office. Even if they foundthis out, there was something else which
(14:52):
she kept strictly to herself, thefact that she was engaged to a certain
operative in the United State Secret Service, someone known as Number thirty three and
sometimes as Spencer Graham. In replyto Spencer's often repeated requests that she set
(15:13):
a day for the wedding, MissClark would answer and lose the chance to
figure in any more cases. Notso that you would notice it. As
long as i'm single, you findthat you can use me every now and
then. But if I were married, I'd have too many domestic cares.
No, Spencer, let's wait untilwe get one more big case, and
(15:37):
then well, we'll say one monthfrom the day it's finished. Which was
the reason that Graham and his fianceehad a double reason for wanting to bring
threeen to earth. The first placethat Graham went to in Baltimore was the
Pennsylvania Station, where he made anumber of extended inquiries of certain employees.
(16:00):
There After that, he went tothe newspaper office, where he conferred with
the clerk whose business it was toreceive the lost and found advertisements, finally
securing a copy of the original noticein Thorne's handwriting, also some other information,
which he jotted down in a notebookreserved for that purpose. Several days
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spent in Baltimore failed to turn upany additional leads, and Graham returned to
Washington with the request for a listof the various places where counterfeit fifty dollar
bills had been reported during the pastmonth. The record sounded like a megaphonic
call of a train leaving Grand CentralStation, New York, Yonkers, Poughkeepsie,
(16:51):
Syracuse, Troy, and points north, with a few other cities thrown
in for good measure. Spencer informedthe chief that he would make his headquarters
in New York for the next tendays or so, wired rider to the
same effect, and left Washington onthe midnight train in New York. He'd
(17:14):
discovered only what he had already known, plus one other very significant bit of
evidence, something which would have warrantedhim in placing Thorine again under arrest had
he not been waiting for word fromRita. He knew that it would take
her at least a month to workup her end of the case, so
Graham put in the intervening time inweaving his net a little stronger, for
(17:38):
he had determined that the next timethe New Haven stationer was taken into custody
would be the last that the governmentwould have a case which all the lawyers
on earth couldn't break. Early inDecember, he received a wire from Rita,
a telegram which contained the single wordcome. But that was enough.
(18:03):
He was in New Haven that night, and in a quiet corner of the
taft Grille, the girl gave himan account of what she had found.
Getting into Thorine's store was the easiestpart of the whole job, she admitted.
It took me less than a dayto spot one of the girls who
wanted to get married, bribe herto leave, and then arrive bright and
(18:27):
early the following morning in response tothe stenographer wanted advertisement. Thorines had a
lot of practice writing ads lately,remarked Graham with a smile, what do
you mean nothing? Tell you later, what did you find in the store?
(18:49):
Not a thing until day before yesterday. I thought it best to move
slowly and let matters take their owncourse as far as possible, So I
contented myself with doing the work whichhad been handled by the girl whose place
I took, dictation, typing andthe rest. Then I found that the
(19:11):
correspondence files were in shocking shape.I grabbed the opportunity to do a little
night work by offering to bring themup to date. Certainly, said the
boss, and then took good careto be on hand when I arrived after
dinner that night. The very wayhe hung around and watched every movement I
(19:34):
made convinced me that the stuff wassomewhere on the premises. But where,
That's what I couldn't figure out.Having demonstrated my ability by three hours of
stiff work on the files, Isuggested a few days later that I had
a first hand knowledge of cost accountingand that I would be glad to help
(19:57):
get his books in shape the holidaybusiness. The old man who usually attends
to this being sick again. Thorineassented, and again he blew in to
explain any entries which might prove troublesome. I'll say this for him, though
(20:17):
there isn't a single incriminating entry onthe books. Every purchase is accounted for
down to the last paper of pins. Then, when I felt that I
had wormed myself sufficiently well into hisgood graces, I hinted that I might
be able to help out by supervisingthe system in the engraving department, checking
(20:40):
up the purchases, watching the disbursements, keeping an eye on the stock,
and so on. Rather, tomy surprise, he didn't offer any objection,
said that my work had been ofso much help elsewhere that he would
be glad to have me watch theengraver's work. It was there that I
got my first real lead, atleast I hope it's a lead. Back
(21:06):
of the engraving department is a smallroom, locked and padlocked, where the
boss is supposed to ride his personalhobby of amateur photography. I asked one
of the men the reason for guardinga dark room so carefully, and he
replied that Thorne claimed to be onthe verge of making a great discovery in
(21:26):
color photography, but that the processtook a long time, and he didn't
want to run the risk of havingit disturbed. I'm to have a look
at his color process tonight, whatcried Graham. He's going to show you
what is in the double locked room. That's what he's promised to do.
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I haven't the least hope of seeinganything incriminating. All the evidence will probably
be well hidden. But this morningI expressed a casual interest in photography and
remarked that I understood he was workingon a new color process. I did
it mainly to see how he wouldreact, but he never batted an eyelid.
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I've been making some interesting experiments recently, he said, and they ought
to reach a climax tonight. Ifyou'd care to see how they turn out,
Suppose you meet me here at nineo'clock and we'll examine them together.
But Rita Graham protested, you don'tmean to say that you're going to put
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yourself entirely in this man's power.The girl's first answer was a laugh.
And then, what do you meanput myself in his power? She mocked,
You talk like the hero of amelodrama. This isn't the first time
that I've been alone in the storewith him after dark. Besides, he
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doesn't suspect a thing, and it'stoo good a chance to miss. Meet
me here the first thing in themorning, around eight thirty, and I'll
give you the details of Thorne's secretchamber, provided it contains anything interesting.
Rita, I can't, Graham startedto argue, but the girl cut in
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with you can't stop me, No, you can't. What's more, I'll
have to hurry. It's ten minutesto nine. Now, see you in
the morning. The next thing,Graham knew, she had slipped away from
the table and was on her wayout of the grill. When Rita reached
the Thorine Establishment promptly at nine,she found the proprietor waiting for her on
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time as usual, he laughed.Now you'd better keep your hat and code
on. There's no heat in thedark room, and I don't want you
to catch hold The plates ought tobe ready by this time. We'll go
right down and take a look atthem. Guided by the light from the
lantern, which the stationer held highin the air, the girl started down
(24:14):
the steps leading to the basement wherethe engraving department was located. She heard
Thorene close the door behind him,but failed to hear him slip the bolt,
which, as they afterward found,had been well oiled. In fact,
it was not until they had reachedthe center of the large room,
(24:34):
in one corner of which was thedoor to the private photographic laboratory, that
she knew anything was wrong. Thenit was too late. Before she could
move, thoren leaned forward and seizedher, one arm about her waist,
the other over her mouth. Struggleas she might, Rita was unable to
(24:57):
move slowly relentlessly. Thorene turned heraround until she faced him, and then,
with a sudden movement of the armthat encircled her waist, secured a
wad of cotton waiste, which hehad evidently prepared for just such an emergency.
(25:18):
When he had crammed this in thegirl's mouth and tied her hand securely,
he moved forward to open the doorto the dark room. Thought I
was easy, didn't you, hesneered. Didn't think I'd see through your
scheme to get a position here,and your infernal cleverness with the books and
the accounts. Want to see somethingof my color process? Ah, well,
(25:45):
you'll have an opportunity to discover itat your leisure, for it'll be
twelve good hours before anyone comes downhere, and by that time I'll be
where the rest of your crowd can'ttouch me. Come along in with you.
At that moment, there was acrash of glass from somewhere near the
ceiling, and something leaped into theroom, something that took only two strides
(26:11):
to reach Thoren and back him upagainst the wall, with the muzzle of
a very businesslike automatic pressed into thepit of his stomach. The whole thing
happened so quickly that by the timeRita recovered her balance and turned around,
she only saw the stationer with hishands well above his head and Spencer Graham
(26:33):
hers Spencer holding him up at thepoint of a gun. Take this snapped
the operative, producing a pen knife, and cut that girl's hands loose.
No false moves now or unlikely toget nervous. A moment later, Rita
was free and Thoren had resumed hisposition against the wall. Frisk him,
(27:00):
ordered Graham, and then when thegirl had produced a miscellaneous collection of money,
keys, and jewelry from the man'spockets, Spencer allowed him to drop
his arms long enough to snap apair of handcuffs in place this time,
announced the secret service man. Youwon't be released merely because of a fake
(27:22):
ad and the testimony of your friends. Pretty clever scheme that inserting a found
advertisement to cover your possession of counterfeitmoney in case you were caught, But
you overlooked a couple of points.The station in Baltimore was thoroughly swept just
(27:44):
five minutes before your train arrived fromNew York, and every man on duty
there is ready to swear that hewouldn't have overlooked anything as large as the
envelope containing that phony money. Thentoo, the clerk in the news office
received your advertisement shortly afternoon the nextday, so you didn't advertise it at
(28:07):
once, as you said you did. But your biggest mistake was in playing
the game too often. Here,producing a page from the classified section of
a New York newspaper is the duplicateof your Baltimore ad, inserted to cover
your tracks in case they caught youat Jamaica. I've got the original in
(28:30):
your handwriting in my pocket. Buthow'd you happen to arrive here at the
right moment? Exclaimed Rita. Iwasn't any too well convinced that you'd fooled
our friend here, Graham replied,So I trailed you, and, attracted
by the light from Thorne's lantern,managed to break in that window at the
(28:53):
time you needed me. There's onlyone thing that puzzles me, the operative
continued, turning to threen. Whatmade you take up counterfeiting? Your business
record was clear enough before that,and of course, being an engraver,
it wasn't hard for you to findthe opportunity. What was the motive?
(29:18):
For a full sixty seconds, theman was silent, and then from between
his clenched teeth came two words,Wall Street. I might have guessed that,
replied Graham. I'll see you safelyin jail first, and then have
a look through your room. Wantto come along, reader, No,
(29:42):
thanks, Spencer, I've had enoughfor one evening. Let's see, this
is the sixth of December. Supposewe plan a certain event for the sixth
of January, and so they weremarried and lived happily of her after,
I added, as Quinn paused,and so they were married, he amended.
(30:08):
I can't say as to the restof it, though I'm inclined to
believe that they were happy Anyhow,Rita knew when she had enough, and
that's all you can really ask forin a wife. End of chapter nineteen,
Chapter nineteen, the clue in theclassified column, Quinn tossed his evening paper
aside with a gesture in which disgustwas mingled in equal proportion with annoyance.
Why is it, he inquired testily, that some fools never learn anything.
(00:22):
Possibly that's because they're fools, Isuggested, what's the trouble? Now?
Look at that? And the formersecret Service operative recovered the paper long enough
to indicate a short news item nearthe bottom of the first page, an
item which bore the headline new fiftydollars counterfeit discovered. Yes, I agreed,
(00:49):
there always are people foolish enough tochange bills without examining them any too
closely. But possibly this one isvery cleverly faked fools not to examine them,
echoed Quinn, That isn't the directionin which the idiocy lies. The
fools are the people who think theycan counterfeit Uncle Sam's currency and get away
(01:11):
with it. Barnum must have beenright. There's a sucker born every minute,
and those that don't try to beatthe ponies or buck the stock market
turned to counterfeiting for a living.They get it too. In Leavenworth or
Atlanta or some other place that maintainsa federal penitentiary. They never seem to
(01:34):
learn anything by others experience either.You'd think after the Thorne case it would
be perfectly apparent that no one couldbeat the counterfeiting game for long. The
Thorne case, I don't seem toremember that the name is unusual. But
(01:55):
yes, and that wasn't the onlypart of the affair that was out of
the ordinary, Quinn at him,Spencer Graham also contributed some work that was
well off the beaten path, notforgetting the assistance rendered by a certain young
woman. Probably the most remarkable portionof the case, continued Quinn, was
(02:16):
the fact that Graham didn't get inon it until Threeine had been arrested.
Nevertheless, if it hadn't been forhis work in breaking through an ironclad alibi,
the government might have been left highand dry with a trunk full of
suspicions and mighty little else. Somewherearound the latter part of August, the
(02:39):
New York branch of the Secret Serviceinformed Washington that a remarkably clever counterfeit fifty
dollar bill had turned up in Albany, a bill in which the engraving was
practically perfect, and the only thingmissing from the paper was the silk fiber.
This, however, was placed bytiny red and blue lines drawn in
(03:02):
indelible ink. The finished product wasso exceptionally good that if it had not
been for the linxlike eyes of apaying teller, plus the highly developed sense
of touch which bank officials accumulate,the note would have been changed without a
moment's hesitation. The man who presentedit, who happened to be well known
(03:27):
to the bank officials, was informedthat the bill was counterfeit, and the
matter was reported through the usual channels. A few days later, another bill,
evidently from the same batch, waspicked up in Syracuse, and from
that time on it reigned counterfeits sohard that every teller in the state through
(03:49):
a fit whenever a fifty dollar billcame in, either for deposit or for
change. Hardly had the flow ofupstate counterfeits lessened than the bill began to
make their appearance in and around NewYork, sometimes in banks, but more
often in the resorts patronized by bookmakersfrom Jamaica and the other nearby race tracks.
(04:13):
The significance of this fact didn't strikethe Secret Service men assigned to the
case until the horses had moved southward. The instant one of the bills was
reported in Baltimore, two operatives wereordered to haunt the paramutual booths at Pimlico,
with instructions to pay particular attention tothe windows where the larger wagers were
(04:35):
laid. An expert in counterfeits alsotook up his position inside the cage to
signal the men outside as soon asa phony bill was presented. It was
during the rush of the betting,after the two year olds had gone to
the post for the first race,that the signal came indicating that a man
(04:58):
about forty five years of age,a well dressed and well groomed, had
exchanged two of the counterfeits for aone hundred dollar ticket on the favorite Hollister,
and she and the secret servicemen tookno chances with their prey, neither
did they run the risk of arrestinghim prematurely, figuring that it was well
(05:20):
within the realms of possibility that hehad received the bills in exchange for other
money, and that he was thereforeignorant of the fact that they were spurious.
They contented themselves with keeping close tohim during the race and the interval
which followed. When the favorite one, the man they were watching, cashed
(05:43):
his bet and stowed his winnings awayin a trousers pocket. Then, after
a prolonged examination of the jockeys,the past performances, and the weights of
the various horses, he made hisway back to the window to place another
bet. Again the signal, andthis time Hollister and she enclosed in in
(06:04):
their man, notifying him that hewas under arrest and advising him to come
along without creating any disturbance. Arrestfor what he demanded, passing counterfeit money,
replied Hollister, flashing his badge.Then, as the man started a
(06:26):
protest, she encounseled him to reservehis arguments until later, and the trio
made their way out of the enclosurein silence. When searched in Baltimore,
two sums of money were found uponthe suspect, one roll in his left
hand trousers pocket being made up ofgenuine currency, including that which he had
(06:48):
received for picking the winner of thefirst race, and the one in the
right hand pocket being entirely of counterfeitfifty dollars bills forty eight in number.
When questioned, the prisoner claimed thathis name was Robert J. Thorene of
New Haven, and added that therewere plenty of people in the Connecticut city
(07:11):
who would vouch for his respectability.Then why, inquired the chief of the
Secret Service, who had come overfrom Washington to take charge of the case.
Do you happen to have two thousand, four hundred dollars in counterfeit money
on you? At that moment,Thorne dropped his bomb, or rather one
(07:33):
of the many, which rendered thecase far from monotonous. If you'll search
my room at the Belvedere, hesuggested, you'll find some five thousand dollars
more. What demanded the chief,do you admit that you deliberately brought seven
thousand, five hundred dollars of counterfeitmoney here and tried to pass it?
(07:59):
I had meant nothing, corrected thearrested man. You stated that the fifty
dollars bills which you found upon mewhen I was searched against my will were
faults. I'll take your word forthat, but if they are counterfeit,
I'm merely telling you that there area hundred more like them in my room
at the hotel. Of course,you're willing to state where they came from,
(08:26):
suggested the chief, who was beginningto sense the fact that something underlay
Thorne's apparent sincerity. Certainly I foundthem old stuff, sneered one of the
operatives standing nearby. Not only anold alibi, but one which you'll have
a pretty hard time proving. Doyou happen to have a copy of yesterday's
(08:50):
news, handy, Thorne asked.When the paper was produced, He turned
rapidly to the lost and Found columnand pointed to an advertisement which appeared there
found an envelope containing a sum ofmoney. Owner may recover same by notifying
(09:11):
Robert J. Thereene Belvedere Hotel andproving property there. He continued, after
reading the advertisement aloud, that isthe notice which I inserted after finding the
money, which you say is counterfeit. Where did you find it? In
(09:33):
the Pennsylvania station night before last,I had just come in from New York
and chanced to see the envelope lyingunder one of the rows of seats in
the center of the waiting room.It attracted my attention, but when I
examined it, I was amazed tofind that it contained one hundred and fifty
(09:54):
fifty dollars bills, all apparently brandnew, naturally, and cared a part
with the money unless I was certainthat I was giving it up to the
rightful owner. So I carried itwith me to the hotel and advertised the
loss at once. The next afternoonI went out to the track and found,
(10:16):
when it was too late, thatthe only money I had with me
was that contained in the envelope.I used a couple of the bills one
and being superstitious, decided to continuebetting with that money. That's the reason
I used it this afternoon. Cometo think of it, you won't find
(10:37):
the original five thousand dollars in myroom. Part of it is the money
which I received at the track,and which I replaced in order to make
up the sum I found. Butmost of the bills are there, you
said, remarked the chief, strikinganother tack. That your name is Threene,
(10:58):
and that you of a New Haven. What business are you in Stationary?
You'll find that my rating in bradStreets is excellent, even though my
capital may not be large. What'smore, and here the man's voice became
almost aggressive. Any bank in NewHaven and any member of the Chamber of
(11:22):
Commerce will vouch for me. I'vea record of ten years there and some
ten in Lowell, mass which willbear the closest possible inspection. And he
was right at that. In thefirst place, a search of his room
at the hotel brought to light alarge official envelope containing just the sum of
(11:46):
money he had mentioned, counterfeit billsand real ones. Secondly, a wire
to New Haven elicited the information thatRobert J. Thereene, answering to description
and he received, has operated asuccessful stationary store here for the past ten
years, financial standing, excellent,wide circle of friends, all of whom
(12:11):
vouch for his character and integrity.When this wire was forwarded to Washington,
the Chief having returned to headquarters,Spencer Graham received a hurry up call to
report in the main office. There, he was informed that he was to
take charge of the Thorne case andsee what he could find out. I
(12:35):
don't have to tell you, addedthe Chief, that it's rather a delicate
matter. Either the man is thevictim of circumstances, in which case we'll
have to release him with profound apologiesand begin all over again, or he's
a mighty clever crook. We can'tafford to take any chances. The case
(12:58):
as it finally stands, will haveto be presented in court, and therefore
must be proof against the acid testof shrewd lawyers for the defense lawyers who
will rely upon the newspaper advertisement andthorene spotless record as indications of his innocence.
(13:18):
That being the case, chief,why take any chances right now?
The case hasn't gotten into the papers, So why not release Thorene and keep
him under constant surveillance. Matt wouldn'tbe a bad idea. The moment he
started to leave the country, wecould nab him, and meanwhile we would
(13:41):
have plenty of time to look intothe matter. Of course, there's always
the danger of suicide, but that'sproof of guilt and it would save the
Service a lot of work in thelong run. Good idea will do it.
So it was Robert J. Thereeneof New Haven was released from custody
(14:03):
with the apologies of the Secret Service, who retained the counterfeit money but returned
the real bills. While Spencer Grahamwent to work on the Baltimore end of
the case, four operatives took upthe job of trailing the stationer, and
Rita Clark found that she had importantbusiness to transact in Connecticut. Anyone who
(14:28):
didn't know Rita would never have suspectedthat back of her brown eyes lay a
fund of information upon a score ofsubjects, including stenography, the best methods
of filing, cost accounting, andmany other points which rendered her invaluable around
an office. Even if they foundthis out, there was something else which
(14:52):
she kept strictly to herself, thefact that she was engaged to a certain
operative in the United State Secret Service, someone known as Number thirty three and
sometimes as Spencer Graham. In replyto Spencer's often repeated requests that she set
(15:13):
a day for the wedding, MissClark would answer and lose the chance to
figure in any more cases. Notso that you would notice it. As
long as i'm single, you findthat you can use me every now and
then. But if I were married, I'd have too many domestic cares.
No, Spencer, let's wait untilwe get one more big case, and
(15:37):
then well, we'll say one monthfrom the day it's finished. Which was
the reason that Graham and his fianceehad a double reason for wanting to bring
threeen to earth. The first placethat Graham went to in Baltimore was the
Pennsylvania Station, where he made anumber of extended inquiries of certain employees.
(16:00):
There After that, he went tothe newspaper office, where he conferred with
the clerk whose business it was toreceive the lost and found advertisements, finally
securing a copy of the original noticein Thorne's handwriting, also some other information,
which he jotted down in a notebookreserved for that purpose. Several days
(16:25):
spent in Baltimore failed to turn upany additional leads, and Graham returned to
Washington with the request for a listof the various places where counterfeit fifty dollar
bills had been reported during the pastmonth. The record sounded like a megaphonic
call of a train leaving Grand CentralStation, New York, Yonkers, Poughkeepsie,
(16:51):
Syracuse, Troy, and points north, with a few other cities thrown
in for good measure. Spencer informedthe chief that he would make his headquarters
in New York for the next tendays or so, wired rider to the
same effect, and left Washington onthe midnight train in New York. He'd
(17:14):
discovered only what he had already known, plus one other very significant bit of
evidence, something which would have warrantedhim in placing Thorine again under arrest had
he not been waiting for word fromRita. He knew that it would take
her at least a month to workup her end of the case, so
Graham put in the intervening time inweaving his net a little stronger, for
(17:38):
he had determined that the next timethe New Haven stationer was taken into custody
would be the last that the governmentwould have a case which all the lawyers
on earth couldn't break. Early inDecember, he received a wire from Rita,
a telegram which contained the single wordcome. But that was enough.
(18:03):
He was in New Haven that night, and in a quiet corner of the
taft Grille, the girl gave himan account of what she had found.
Getting into Thorine's store was the easiestpart of the whole job, she admitted.
It took me less than a dayto spot one of the girls who
wanted to get married, bribe herto leave, and then arrive bright and
(18:27):
early the following morning in response tothe stenographer wanted advertisement. Thorines had a
lot of practice writing ads lately,remarked Graham with a smile, what do
you mean nothing? Tell you later, what did you find in the store?
(18:49):
Not a thing until day before yesterday. I thought it best to move
slowly and let matters take their owncourse as far as possible, So I
contented myself with doing the work whichhad been handled by the girl whose place
I took, dictation, typing andthe rest. Then I found that the
(19:11):
correspondence files were in shocking shape.I grabbed the opportunity to do a little
night work by offering to bring themup to date. Certainly, said the
boss, and then took good careto be on hand when I arrived after
dinner that night. The very wayhe hung around and watched every movement I
(19:34):
made convinced me that the stuff wassomewhere on the premises. But where,
That's what I couldn't figure out.Having demonstrated my ability by three hours of
stiff work on the files, Isuggested a few days later that I had
a first hand knowledge of cost accountingand that I would be glad to help
(19:57):
get his books in shape the holidaybusiness. The old man who usually attends
to this being sick again. Thorineassented, and again he blew in to
explain any entries which might prove troublesome. I'll say this for him, though
(20:17):
there isn't a single incriminating entry onthe books. Every purchase is accounted for
down to the last paper of pins. Then, when I felt that I
had wormed myself sufficiently well into hisgood graces, I hinted that I might
be able to help out by supervisingthe system in the engraving department, checking
(20:40):
up the purchases, watching the disbursements, keeping an eye on the stock,
and so on. Rather, tomy surprise, he didn't offer any objection,
said that my work had been ofso much help elsewhere that he would
be glad to have me watch theengraver's work. It was there that I
got my first real lead, atleast I hope it's a lead. Back
(21:06):
of the engraving department is a smallroom, locked and padlocked, where the
boss is supposed to ride his personalhobby of amateur photography. I asked one
of the men the reason for guardinga dark room so carefully, and he
replied that Thorne claimed to be onthe verge of making a great discovery in
(21:26):
color photography, but that the processtook a long time, and he didn't
want to run the risk of havingit disturbed. I'm to have a look
at his color process tonight, whatcried Graham. He's going to show you
what is in the double locked room. That's what he's promised to do.
(21:49):
I haven't the least hope of seeinganything incriminating. All the evidence will probably
be well hidden. But this morningI expressed a casual interest in photography and
remarked that I understood he was workingon a new color process. I did
it mainly to see how he wouldreact, but he never batted an eyelid.
(22:14):
I've been making some interesting experiments recently, he said, and they ought
to reach a climax tonight. Ifyou'd care to see how they turn out,
Suppose you meet me here at nineo'clock and we'll examine them together.
But Rita Graham protested, you don'tmean to say that you're going to put
(22:36):
yourself entirely in this man's power.The girl's first answer was a laugh.
And then, what do you meanput myself in his power? She mocked,
You talk like the hero of amelodrama. This isn't the first time
that I've been alone in the storewith him after dark. Besides, he
(22:57):
doesn't suspect a thing, and it'stoo good a chance to miss. Meet
me here the first thing in themorning, around eight thirty, and I'll
give you the details of Thorne's secretchamber, provided it contains anything interesting.
Rita, I can't, Graham startedto argue, but the girl cut in
(23:21):
with you can't stop me, No, you can't. What's more, I'll
have to hurry. It's ten minutesto nine. Now, see you in
the morning. The next thing,Graham knew, she had slipped away from
the table and was on her wayout of the grill. When Rita reached
the Thorine Establishment promptly at nine,she found the proprietor waiting for her on
(23:48):
time as usual, he laughed.Now you'd better keep your hat and code
on. There's no heat in thedark room, and I don't want you
to catch hold The plates ought tobe ready by this time. We'll go
right down and take a look atthem. Guided by the light from the
lantern, which the stationer held highin the air, the girl started down
(24:14):
the steps leading to the basement wherethe engraving department was located. She heard
Thorene close the door behind him,but failed to hear him slip the bolt,
which, as they afterward found,had been well oiled. In fact,
it was not until they had reachedthe center of the large room,
(24:34):
in one corner of which was thedoor to the private photographic laboratory, that
she knew anything was wrong. Thenit was too late. Before she could
move, thoren leaned forward and seizedher, one arm about her waist,
the other over her mouth. Struggleas she might, Rita was unable to
(24:57):
move slowly relentlessly. Thorene turned heraround until she faced him, and then,
with a sudden movement of the armthat encircled her waist, secured a
wad of cotton waiste, which hehad evidently prepared for just such an emergency.
(25:18):
When he had crammed this in thegirl's mouth and tied her hand securely,
he moved forward to open the doorto the dark room. Thought I
was easy, didn't you, hesneered. Didn't think I'd see through your
scheme to get a position here,and your infernal cleverness with the books and
the accounts. Want to see somethingof my color process? Ah, well,
(25:45):
you'll have an opportunity to discover itat your leisure, for it'll be
twelve good hours before anyone comes downhere, and by that time I'll be
where the rest of your crowd can'ttouch me. Come along in with you.
At that moment, there was acrash of glass from somewhere near the
ceiling, and something leaped into theroom, something that took only two strides
(26:11):
to reach Thoren and back him upagainst the wall, with the muzzle of
a very businesslike automatic pressed into thepit of his stomach. The whole thing
happened so quickly that by the timeRita recovered her balance and turned around,
she only saw the stationer with hishands well above his head and Spencer Graham
(26:33):
hers Spencer holding him up at thepoint of a gun. Take this snapped
the operative, producing a pen knife, and cut that girl's hands loose.
No false moves now or unlikely toget nervous. A moment later, Rita
was free and Thoren had resumed hisposition against the wall. Frisk him,
(27:00):
ordered Graham, and then when thegirl had produced a miscellaneous collection of money,
keys, and jewelry from the man'spockets, Spencer allowed him to drop
his arms long enough to snap apair of handcuffs in place this time,
announced the secret service man. Youwon't be released merely because of a fake
(27:22):
ad and the testimony of your friends. Pretty clever scheme that inserting a found
advertisement to cover your possession of counterfeitmoney in case you were caught, But
you overlooked a couple of points.The station in Baltimore was thoroughly swept just
(27:44):
five minutes before your train arrived fromNew York, and every man on duty
there is ready to swear that hewouldn't have overlooked anything as large as the
envelope containing that phony money. Thentoo, the clerk in the news office
received your advertisement shortly afternoon the nextday, so you didn't advertise it at
(28:07):
once, as you said you did. But your biggest mistake was in playing
the game too often. Here,producing a page from the classified section of
a New York newspaper is the duplicateof your Baltimore ad, inserted to cover
your tracks in case they caught youat Jamaica. I've got the original in
(28:30):
your handwriting in my pocket. Buthow'd you happen to arrive here at the
right moment? Exclaimed Rita. Iwasn't any too well convinced that you'd fooled
our friend here, Graham replied,So I trailed you, and, attracted
by the light from Thorne's lantern,managed to break in that window at the
(28:53):
time you needed me. There's onlyone thing that puzzles me, the operative
continued, turning to threen. Whatmade you take up counterfeiting? Your business
record was clear enough before that,and of course, being an engraver,
it wasn't hard for you to findthe opportunity. What was the motive?
(29:18):
For a full sixty seconds, theman was silent, and then from between
his clenched teeth came two words,Wall Street. I might have guessed that,
replied Graham. I'll see you safelyin jail first, and then have
a look through your room. Wantto come along, reader, No,
(29:42):
thanks, Spencer, I've had enoughfor one evening. Let's see, this
is the sixth of December. Supposewe plan a certain event for the sixth
of January, and so they weremarried and lived happily of her after,
I added, as Quinn paused,and so they were married, he amended.
(30:08):
I can't say as to the restof it, though I'm inclined to
believe that they were happy Anyhow,Rita knew when she had enough, and
that's all you can really ask forin a wife. End of chapter nineteen,
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