Detective Pierson's Queer Dream

Said Detective Pierson, “It was queer.” Detective Pierson was a tall man, with sharp features, and just the slightest tinge of a reddish mustache. He wore a suit of dark bluish clothes, and a black hat; in his right hand was a slight orange tree cane, and his left pulled somewhat nervously at his mustache. “Yes, it was queer.” You see, the first information that he had of there being any amount of counterfeit money in the city was a circular letter addressed to the Chief from New York, and which stated that from certain information received, a gang had started for this city with over $10,000 worth of fives and tens. This “gang” was led by a man who was described to be about thirty years of age, stout built, dark eyes and hair, bushy side whiskers, and with bad teeth, and the third finger of the left hand missing. On this information we were obliged to work. It was useless, we knew, to wait until their presence was detected by the counterfeit money afloat in the city, because by that time, especially if the notes were well executed, they could have passed a sufficient number satisfactorily, and would have left. All that was left for us was to trace the gang at once and arrest them before they had time to commence operations. To effect this we had only the description of the leader to work upon, the others were perfectly unknown to us, and we might have passed them in the street any day. 

So accordingly we watched around for about two weeks without success, when information came to us that a ten dollar counterfeit bill had been presented at one of our banks, and so well was it executed that even there it had been at first accepted as genuine. I at once went to the bank and was shown the note, it was perfect with the exception that in one of the signatures the usual flourish was wanting, appearing… Read More