Knots Untied; Or, Ways and By-ways in the Hidden Life of American DetectivesMcWatters, George S.
General
Knots Untied; Or, Ways and By-ways in the Hidden Life of American Detectives
McWatters, George S.
Detectives
Calling his comrade to his help, McWatters carefully noted each
passenger as he was leaving the steamer. As Velge came up, Mac
recognized and arrested him. He was thunderstruck at the occurrence,
and protested his innocence. The officers conveyed him to the central
office, and laid the case before the superintendent. The prisoner
showed that he was an old resident of this city, though only twenty
years old. Several of his relatives were at headquarters yesterday
pleading his innocence. The clergyman who had caused his arrest made
his statement to the superintendent, who finally decided to retain the
young man in custody till he could be brought before a magistrate.
There was certainly a striking resemblance between the portrait and the
countenance of the prisoner. If the suspicions now entertained should
prove to be well founded, this is another instance of the perpetration
of crime followed by its speedy detection.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
EXTENSIVE COUNTERFEITING.
SEIZURE OF FIFTY THOUSAND DOLLARS IN SPURIOUS POSTAL CURRENCY--ARREST
OF THE COUNTERFEITER--HIS CONFESSION.
In the New York Times of November 20, 1865, we find an article with the
above caption, and which we copy as below. The arrest therein spoken of
created much sensation at the time, as well it might. Officer McWatters
acted in the matter, not only as an ordinary member of the police
force, but in the capacity of a detective, and won great credit by his
sagacity.
"An important arrest was effected in Brooklyn last Tuesday, the
particulars of which have been suppressed up to the present time. The
Treasury Department at Washington have long been aware that the
business of counterfeiting greenbacks and postal currency has been
carried on to an alarming extent at different points throughout the
country, but their endeavors to arrest the guilty parties have, with a
few exceptions, been attended with failure, or only partial success.
One exceedingly skilful engraver of bogus postal currency has been
especially marked as the most dangerous operator, inasmuch as his
execution was so perfect as frequently to deceive even the Government
officials; and the boldness of the counterfeiter was almost as great as
his skill. The man in question is an English engraver, by the name of
Charles J. Roberts. The best Government detectives have been on his
track for six months, without succeeding in finding him, until last
Tuesday, when his arrest was effected in Brooklyn, by Messrs. R. R.
Lowell and A. J. Otto, detectives in the service of the Treasury
Department, with the assistance of Officer McWatters, of the
Twenty-Sixth Metropolitan Precinct.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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