Page:The American Magazine volume LXIV.djvu/605



arrival to find that the day before, while he was on the train, the United States Attorney had had the trial put over. Emma Watson had disappeared. The excuse seemed good and, besides, Heney was well satisfied with the delay. It gave him a chance to study the case. And when he encountered difficulty in getting the evidence from Hall, he set it down to "professional jealousy." He tried next to draw out Col. A. R. Greene, the Special Agent to the Secretary of the Interior, who had gathered the evidence, but Greene also was uncommunicative. Heney smiled. "A friend of Hall," he thought. But when, at a final conference, Mr. Hall told Heney how little would be expected of him; that he, the assistant to the Attorney-General, might make the opening speech and otherwise be assistant to the District Attorney—then Heney "got mad." He wired to Mr. Knox that a "personal conference would be to the interest of the government;" and Mr. Knox asked him to come to Washington. The Attorney-General had his fears; the first question he put to Heney when they met was:

"What do you think of Hall?"

"Above the average ability of men in that office," said Heney, who knew the United States district attorneys in Arizona, California, Idaho and Texas.

"But what of his fidelity to the government?" asked Mr. Knox, who, as Attorney-General, knew more of United States district attorneys than Heney.

"That's all right, too," said Heney, the unsuspecting, "But he's jealous of his prerogatives." And Heney went on to tell how Hall regarded him as an assistant.

"Oh," said Mr. Knox, "that isn't what I sent you up there for. You are to be in full charge." And he telegraphed to Hall that Heney represented the Attorney-General and was to be obeyed as the Attorney-General himself would be obeyed.

That would settle Hall's "jealousy." The next thing was to settle Greene. Heney called on Secretary Hitchcock. "The old Sec'," as the Department called him affectionately, was glad to meet Heney, and he introduced William J. Burns to him. But the "old Sec'" had found another great detective, Col. Greene, and Heney heard all 587