A CLOSE SUITE.

Auckland Star, Volume XVII, Issue 205, 1 September 1886, Page 4

A CLOSE SUITE.

Tho Story Told by a Secret Sorvico

Detective

Dukint; the war Washington waa filled with some of the worst persons in tho land, and in addition to thieves, thugs, burglars, gamblers, and that class of eharpors, there was an element which constantly plotted and conspired against the Government, if not against nlmoat every individual official, la was tho duty of tho Secret Service

Bureau to look up and keep an eye on those persons, and I ara honoot in stating my boliof that we drove out of tho capital, in ono way and another, 100 men and women who wero plotting conspiracy and

assassination.

In tho summer of ISO.'! a member of the C.ibinct who had expressed a considerable bitterness towards what was called the dia loyal element in Baltimore, received a very fine basket of flowera at hia deak. Thoy were placed on the desk while he was at lunch, and tho coloured attendant who rooaived them stated that he took them from the hands of a well dressed boy. They were flowers of which the official was particularly fond, and he spent some time admiring the gift and inhaling the perfume. Within a quarter of an hour he waa taken suddenly ill, and had to bo sent homo in a carriage. There wero several atoriea whispered about, but I believe from what followed that the bouquet waa poisoned, and had been sent in tbo hopee to cause hia death Ho was done up for four or live days anj how, and I received orders to make every elfirt to hunt down the person who had sent in the bouquet. It was little I had to encourago mo in tbe start. I got a description of tho boy, however, and after a day or two 1 found persons of whom he had inquired his way from tho station to the Secretary's office. It wan easy enough after that to trace him as having come from Baltimore. He came alone and had the bouquet in a baudbox. The bouquet was tied with a grass cord, and I took this cord and went to Baltimore, and scarcely rested a moment until I had seen the owner of every green-house. 1 applied to twenty or more before I found the " one who had put up tho flowers. He remembered tho circumstance, identified the cord, and described the buyer as a handeomelookinglady, about 35 years of age, who had come in a hack. The vehicle was drawn by a white and a bay horse, and inside of two hours l had found the driver. Ho described tho lody about as tho florist had done, and added that she had gold-filled front teeth, bluo eyes, a little scar on her chin, and was sharp and decisive in her speech. Sho had taken the hack at the stand and left it at tbe same place, If this woman intended the death of the official she had gone to the greenhouse in an attire selected for tho occasion and one she would not wear again on the street. I hung about tho various hotels until certain that aha was not a guest at any of tbem, and thon could only trust to accident for success. On two occasions I caught sight of a faco in a carriage which answered to the description and followed the vehicle without success. Each time it escaped mo by rapid driving. Again I caught sight of the lady on the street. She entered a dry goods store and I followed. She soon passed out and I was at her heels, but cije dodged into a crowd gathered about the soeco of an acci dent and I lost her. An hour later J suddenly discoveicd that I was being shadowed. I did considerable walking, turrdng and dodging before I would admit that this was the case, but I finally had to acknowledge that the hunter waa being hunted. My "shadow" was a mediumsized man, about4o yes.rs o}d, well dressed, respectable looking, and doing bis work in the neatest manner. He did not loze sight ot me until he saw me enter my hotel, where I brought up about six o'clock in tho evening. I had no clue connecting the man with tho woman 1 waa looking aftor, but it was natural for me to infer that there was some connection. I wrote out and mado my daily report, ate supper, smoked a cigar, and then started for the theatre. It wouldn't be at all strange if I found my lady there—even if I had the seat next to her. I waa within twenty feet of the door of tha iheafcro when a rough and raggod-leoking man, who certainly spoke in a disguised voice, stopped me and said ; "Mister, I'm a discharged soldier, and I've been sick and am out of money. Won't you buy this revolver of me for $3 ?" He pulled the weapon from bis pocket snd shoved it towards me, muzzle first. Before I could comprehend the full import i f his words there was a flash and a report, a-id I was dimly conscious of falling. Kour or five minutes later I came to myself, i o find that a crowd had gathered and that 1 was in the hands of a doctor. A bullet .;m that revolver had ploughed along my skull, making a vound which laid me olf duty for a month. The fellow who sought to murder mo escaped without pursuit, and to this day is undetected. If he waa not the person who had shadowed me in the afternoon he was in that parson'a employ, und both were acting for the woman. ft was afterward ascertained that she was a woman who was notably viadictive, and that Bhe left for England before I recovered from my wound. — " Detroit Free Press."