Page:Memoirs of the United States Secret Service.djvu/116

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BILL DOW.
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mire; and whom he could manipulate perhaps to advantage on some future occasion—for Drake appeared to him to be a right jovial fellow, who was thoroughly posted.

Thus Detective Kennock (alias "Jim Drake") wormed himself into Bill's favor fairly, and got upon the scent of more than one of Dow's prospective "jobs" then in contemplation.

A prominent confederate of Dow was the notorious Jim Boyd, who was a Deputy Sheriff and Canadian mail agent.[1] Messrs. A. B. Newcomb, Del Omo, and Kennock were the U. S. Detectives who worked up the Springfield job, in which Bill was concerned. Kennock was the man who sprung the trap and "put the collar" upon Dow at Hookset, N. H.

Alf Tenney of Lowell, was another notable companion of Dow's. Tenney was an "old dodger," and was too sharp to be "cleaned out" by the Eastern police, though he was watched and waited for, a good while. He too was a constant frequenter of the tap-room and the "boozing-ken"—and met his fate finally, as will be seen, hereafter.

Detective Newcomb took Bill Dow from Hookset to Boston, and placed him in charge of the Chief, Col. Whitley, who awaited his arrival there, after having been notified of his arrest, by his operatives. Then the Colonel proceeded to an interview with his prisoner, who at once "knuckled" to the Chief, whose men had run him "to close." Dow caved! The Chief had hardly been in conclave with him fifteen minutes before he "acknowledged the corn," owned up fairly to having been in the coney traffic a long time, and offered to make disclosures valuable to the Government.

" You've got the 'dead wood' on me, Colonel," said Bill,

  1. Jim Boyd was subsequently arrested by Col. Whitley's men through a cleverly managed ruse, which is explained in another chapter of this work.