RECOLLECTIONS OF A PRIVATE DETECTIVE.

Oamaru Mail, Volume IV, Issue 1289, 25 May 1880, Page 2

RECOLLECTIONS OF A PRIVATE DETECTIVE.

[contributed. J One morning, in response to an urgent message, I called upon the manager of the Bank, by the private entrance. I found him in a most excited state. << Really," said he, " you must do something to discover whence these forged notes are coming. Yesterday, three more L 5 notes were presented in deposits by aood customers, who were quite angry when informed that their notes were forgeries; and if our note circulation is not to be ruined, we must discover and prosecute the forgers. You will therefore, until countermanded, devote your, whole time to the search, and need spare no expense." Thus instructed, after bein» informed of the names of the persons 0 who had presented the above-men-tioned notes, I sallied out, , and made enquiries, but found that no clue could be wiven as to the persons who had passed the notes. I, therefore, sauntered down Pitt-street, cjuit© ; absorbed, in studying the matter. On arriving at the Circular Quay, the heat being very oppressive, I naturally turned into the well-known hostelrie, the Paragon Hotel, and ordered a PB. and soda. While absorbing this refreshing beverage, I overheard part of a conversation between two men, who were seated in the side parlor. The words, though few, were such as to cause me to have an intense desire to cultivate the acquaintance of the parties. _ One of these men, who evidently was in some seafaring occupation, probably as stewaid or supercargo, said to the other, whom I could not see, !( I say, we haye done bully 5 between us we have ' smashed _ fifty ; so I say we have done bully this trip, j To which the other replied, with a slight nasal drawl, peculiar to those who try to affect bejng Yankees, ■' j but if you had brought more we might have done more bully; they only cost us a dollar and a • liaaf a-piece, and .we git twentyfive dollars in tin and trade fur each ' flim. ? You know I darn't go across, or I would bring over enuf' to start my pile with." To which my steward replied, " Just like you; go and overdo it, and have to do a lot over here in the ' Sing Sincr' of Botany Bay." The ill-timed entry of some thirsty souls, who clamored for drinks, put an effectual end to this interesting conversation ; but I had heard enough to convince me of the desirability of cultivating the acquaintance of my steward and his friend. With this resolve in view, I entered the parlor and rang the bell, Qn the waiter appearing, I - called for anotaer soda and P.B. iced, and iuvited my birds to join me, in which they were nothing loth. 1 introduced myself as a produce dealer just oyer frjonx Zealand. I soon found out that my stewarfi was actually filling this post in the - Californian mail boat, and that the other was in a similar capacity in a coasting steamer which traded between Sydney, Newcastle, and Grafton. Prom the hotel we all adjourned to the where my coasting man bade us adieu. My steward and myself then proceeded to to another hotel, in order .to have a quiet game of poker, as which he proved quite an expert. As I " parted " readily, we rapidly cemented our friendship, and I received a pressing invitation to visit him on board. Wo parted njutually delighted with one another, he to betake himself on board, and nfe to at once betake my*self to my lodgings. <► _ Early in the evening I called at the Bank, and explained that I suspected these forgeries were effected abroad. On referring to the record of forged notes presented, I found that they had been circulated at regular intervals, corresponding with the visits to the port of the very mail boat in which - my steward officiated. My determination was therefore at once fixed to go with my steward —if possible as an assistant, if not as a second-class passenger. On visiting my steward on board, I was introduced by him to three of his mates, and after a refreshing time, we all agreed to meet the next night, and have a run round. According to appointment, we all four met, and when we parted at 2 a.m. wo all agreed that, to use the words of one of my new friends, we had had a bully time." I again visited the ship, and by dint of much argument, backed up by a slight solatium, I was en? gaged by the chief steward as an extra knife-and-fork man for the run across ; and later in the day I had signed articles, and had my traps on board in the berth allotted to me. i

Two days after we steamed from port. I managed by a judicious administration of coin to secure a release from _ my onerous duty, and being amply provided with gold and silver, managed to make good time with all hands in the department. My business being to trace the makers of certain notes, I had no time to make any myself on the voyage, the pleasures and' pains of which have been fully dilated upon by other professionals. Suffice it to say that, not until arrival in 'Frisco, did any of our conversations refer to my soul-absorbing quest. Two days after the ship came to her moorings I got my discharge, and took up my temporary abode in M'Grath's wellknown sailors' boarding-house, in Mont-gomery-street. My steward had his duties to attend to, so that only in the evenings could I see him. X began to fear that I was endangering by delay the sole object of my journey, when, by the merest chance, I obtained a complete unveiling of the whole system of note forging. My steward and myself, in our last nocturnal ramble, visited the lager beer saloon, kept by Frank Gardiner, the exbushranger. This shanty, for it was little better, was the favorite haunt of such whose previous homes were in the Colonies, and though Gardiner never could be drawn into conversation on Colonial matters, his visitors amply made up for his reticence. One of these worthies, after boisterously reciting some portion of his Colonial experience on the West Coast diggings, offered to "shout pizen for the crowd" if Frank would smash a L 5 note of the Bank of New Zealand. Gardiner declared his inability to do this, saying that/the money brokers were the only ones who would do so, and that they would onlj' give 16 dols. (L 4 English money) for it. The possessor of the L 5 note at once replied "Then give me 16 dols. for it, and I will pay for the pizen." Gardiner again demurred. On this I said, "Let me have a look at the note." The note was handed to me, and seeing it was a good one, I said to my steward " I can give eight half-soyereigns for it." My steward, haying critically examined it, concurred, saying that it was " a bully note." I thereupon handed over the gold, and became the owner of the note. The "pizen" was then duly quaffed, and my steward and myself duly left. We turned down Dee-street, and at my invitation we adjourned to an oyster saloon, While there, snugly £sconssd,

enjoying the delicious . bivalves, my steward became communicative, and told I me that he could put me up to a " spec" | by which I could clear pearly 800 dols. if i I had " grit." I replied-that I was good for any spec ; th4t I had : about 80 sovs, and was not afraid to risk some of them. My steward then proceeded to tell me that if I went with a leter of introduction from him, to a certain place in New York, I could get fifty notes printed so exactly like the Lo note I had bought, that they would pass readily in Sew Zealand, and that the cost would be only 75 dols. (equal to about LlB English money). On my expressing my surprise and doubt, he coolly said " Why, 1 smash 50 every trip to Sydney, but the game there is played out, so I don't mind letting you into the secret, but mind, only try it on in New Zealand, as. { am going, after a spell, to try it on in Sydney with another bank note.". I pretended to be frightened that thero would be a difficulty in smashing the notes, to which he replied, in a speech plentifully garnished with forcible asseverations, that there was not the slightest difficulty, and that I could easily smash 50 without fear. He recommended me to plant all but one, and that when I had smashed that one, to. S°i t°V another, so only having one at a time on me, in case of an accident. He said I would have to smash all in about a week, as the game would then get risky, and that I could then get clear away, without any trace. Further were then given me, and the method of forging explained. He said that the man he would send me to would photograph the front and back of the note on stone, and print 50 for me, all in two or three days. That I then could come on to Auckland, and haying got the Aims smashed, go on to Sydney and meet him there, when we might arrange other parcels. I pretended to be talcen with the suggestion, and my steward at once wrote out his letter, introducing me as a safe friend, who wanted to d.o business, This he gave to me, with strict injunctions to deliver it personally only to the persou'to whom it was addressed. We then sallied out, and parted _with an agreement to see me off by train next day. The next day saw my steward and myself on the platform of the . station, I being amply equipped for the i eight days'journey to New York. After he wished me luck, the whistle screeched, the engine snorted, and away the train sped on its long journey. At this length of time, SQ rapid was the change of scenery, that the journey appears almost like a dream. No exciting events occurred, and one with a preoccupied mind soon becomes satiated with even the most glorious vistas, more especially when viewed fronythe window of a railway car, travelling at a great velocity. Suffioe it to say to say that eventually I reached New York, and having quickly located myself in .the —Hotel, I sallied out to execute my mission. I was not long in finding the artist in nqtes, to whom I delivered my letter of introduction. We then at once plunged into business, and I arranged _ with him to supply me with 50 copies of my L 5 Bank of New Zealand note for the sum of L2O in gold coin, _ljlo of which I had to at once deposit. My artist, though, like all Yankees, averse to • " tall talk," promised me that if I called again in three days at a certain hour, he would. show mo the whole proqess. 1 thereupon took my departure, and passed the intervening time in various ways. At the appointed time I again presented myself, and my artist, without any prefatory remarks, at once led the way to where two of his best hands were turning out my notes. In the gourse of an hour not only had the process been esplainec| to me, but I had my own note returned ; and after paying the balance of LlO, I had in my hands 50 new crisp notes, exact duplicates of my own Bank of New Zealand L 5 note.

After settling ray account at the Hotel, I at once returned by train to 'Frisco, and by the nest mail steamer came on to Auckland. . At the Post Office I there found, according to agreement, a registered letter awaiting me from my steward. This letter informed me that through an accident, he had been discharged in Sydney, and was theii in the Hospital suffering from broken ribs, he adyised nig to transact my business speedily, and to come over at once and meet him; and that if he were discharged from the Hospital before I came back I would find a registered letter at the General Post Office in Sydney, giving me his address. This was a state of affairs that I hacj. not lookek for, and necessitated great caution on my part, so that I could not be recognised by him before I saw my bank manager. To that end I returned on board, and went on to Sydney. Through the steamer arriving at 2 o'clock in the morning, I determined to land at once, and, leaving my personal effects on board, I was taken to the wharf at Miller's Point by the steam launch which was landing the mails. Inside my breast pocket I had the forged notes safely laid side by side with my steward's letter in my pocket book. On landing I found that there were no cabs in attendance, and so had to trudge on foot. (To be Continued.)