Page:Memoirs of the United States Secret Service.djvu/111

 genial manners drew about him many personal friends, among the good and bad who chanced to cross his path professionally or socially. In his personal appearance, in middle life, he resembled a wealthy country gentleman, though he was evidently "a man of the world," as well.

When, in the course of his busy career, a bank was to be "cracked," Bill was always near by the scene of operations, on the watch to "pipe off," personally. In the manipulation of the "queer," he never trusted the "kids—" but always received and "planted the stuff," himself. After cracking a "crib," or bank successfully, and getting away with the "plunder," Bill would lay for the "reward" which he knew would shortly be offered for the recovery of the money. Then he would "work back" the notes, through the police, or certain "easy" detectives; and take his commissions, or share (after indirectly negotiating sharply) for the return of the lost funds. This course he adopted, because the stolen notes were for the greater part the issues of the bank thus robbed; and such large sums of the same kind of good money were far more difficult to get rid of without detection, than were even so many counterfeit notes. At the close of such a transaction, Bill would pay off the "kids," the blacksmith, and his pals in the enterpiise, and "go in" again upon a fresh hunt.

Bill went to New England, where he readily found plenty of "boodle carriers" anxious to assist him and take the "stuff" into the interior, at figures that paid him generously, and afforded them large profits. "Hod Bonney" of New Hampshire, was one of his chief boodle men. These agents parcelled the bogus notes out to "peddlers," or itinerant dealers, who "shoved " it every where in the country towns, liberally. Bill travelled in all directions, to oversee this work, kept up the supply regularly, and meanwhile was