“The detection of crime, when entered upon with an honest purpose to discover the haunts of criminals and protect society from their depredations by bringing them to justice, is held to be an honorable calling and worthy of commendation of all good men.”

– Hiram C. Whitley, Chief of the Secret Service, May 1869 – September 1874

Welcome to my series of blog posts revisiting my research on the Secret Service for my Hidden Hearts of the Gilded Age series. For the next few months, I’ll be posting about their history. At the end of each post, I’ll include my resources and links to the other posts. As each post goes live, the links will be updated.

Part 5: Using Informants

Have you ever been an outsider trying to get into a tight-knit group? Our church has small groups where close-knit relationships develop. While fantastic, being an outsider is initially difficult. You are either joining a new group that takes time to develop trust with, or someone from a tight-knit group invites you in.

Now flip that innocent example on its head and pretend you are a Secret Service operative trying to infiltrate a tight-knit, highly suspicious network of counterfeiters. There is no way you can get in on your own. You are a stranger. They suspect you. They might allow you to have a drink with them, but no vital communication will occur in your presence—unless you have an “in,” someone who can vouch for you.

Enter the informant.

The use of informants was crucial for the success of a Secret Service operative. Thus, an operative’s relationship with his informant was highly personal. They were not friends, but the operative had to know whether they could trust the information, as it dictated their tactics and whether they committed their limited resources to an investigation.

Some informants were voluntary while others were coerced, meaning they were under arrest and possibly facing trial and prison.

Voluntary informants were often self-seeking in their desire to share information. Rewards were given by the Secret Service to any person who gave information “not already in the possession of the chief” that led to the “detection, arrest, and conviction” of counterfeiters or the “capture of their implements and materials.” Counterfeiters offered information as a way to supplement their income when they were down on their luck.

My favorite type of informant was the vengeful one. These informants used the Secret Service to exact revenge on their peers for real or imagined grievances, or to drive competitors out of business. These make the best kind of villain in a story. I read a story that former Chief Andrew Drummond published in the early 1900s about one such Italian counterfeiter. You can read about it here: What Jealousy Did in Little Italy.

A new informant initially had to build a case on his or her own to present his or her results to the operative. Then the Chief of the Secret Service would determine if there should be a reward for their services.

When a rumor was substantiated, the local operative kept the chief informed of developments while simultaneously working with his source to infiltrate the new network. Ideally, the operative sought to identify and arrest all the participants before they could complete and distribute the counterfeited banknotes. However, if it had already entered the distribution network, the chief acted to limit the damage by disrupting the market.

This could be done by providing descriptions of the banknote imperfections to each operative, lawman, and newspaper. Operatives and police officers would spread the word to as many business owners as they could. By spreading the knowledge of the counterfeit to the community, the risk of using the note became too great.

(See links to Resources and previous posts below.)

Can these four Secret Service Operatives catch the counterfeiters … without losing their hearts?

A Gilded Age Secret Service historical romance series, with mystery and suspense

Read more about the Secret Service’s History

Part 1: The Early Days
Part 2: The Making of an Operative
Part 3: The Challenges They Faced
Part 4: Bringing Criminals to Justice
Part 5: Using Informants
Part 6: Working Undercover
Part 7: A Real Case
Part 8: Dictionary
Part 9: Fun Facts

Resources

While I’m not going to list all the resources I used in research for this story, I will leave you with a few of my favorites in case you want to research further.

Books

Illegal Tender by David R Johnson* (My personal favorite. It gives you a look at counterfeiters AND the Secret Service.)

The United States Secret Service by Walter S. Bowen and Harry Edward Neal

Freedom’s Detective: The Secret Service, the Ku Klux Klan, and the Man Who Masterminded America’s First War on Terror by Charles Lane

True Detective Stories by Andrew L. Drummond (Digital)

Digital Resources

ABOUT CRYSTAL CAUDILL

Crystal Caudill is the author of “dangerously good historical romance.” Her debut novel, Counterfeit Love, was a 2023 Carol Award finalist, and her novella, “Star of Wonder,” won the 2024 Christy Award for short form. She loves history, hot tea, all things bookish, and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. She is a stay-at-home mom, caregiver, and chaos organizer. When she isn’t writing, Crystal can be found hanging with her family and playing board games at her home outside Cincinnati, Ohio. Find out more at crystalcaudill.com.

Connect with the author:

Website  |  Newsletter  |  Facebook  |  Facebook Group  |  Instagram  |  Pinterest  |  Amazon  |  BookBub  |  GoodReads

A Question for You:

What was your favorite fact shared today? 

“The detection of crime, when entered upon with an honest purpose to discover the haunts of criminals and protect society from their depredations by bringing them to justice, is held to be an honorable calling and worthy of commendation of all good men.”

– Hiram C. Whitley, Chief of the Secret Service, May 1869 – September 1874

Welcome to my series of blog posts revisiting my research on the Secret Service for my Hidden Hearts of the Gilded Age series. For the next few months, I’ll be posting about their history. At the end of each post, I’ll include my resources and links to the other posts. As each post goes live, the links will be updated.

Part 4: Bringing Criminals to Justice

The Secret Service adopted a long-term strategy for suppressing counterfeiting. While the country was split into 11 districts, covering multiple states and territories, the first step of this plan was to concentrate its operatives in the largest urban centers: New York City, Philadelphia, Cincinnati, and St. Louis.

There, they sought to penetrate the criminal networks by starting at the lowest level and gradually working their way upward to identify and arrest the manufacturers. Informants were crucial to their success, providing information and introductions into these secretive gangs of counterfeiters.

Good cases took weeks, even months, to develop and required enormous amounts of patience and dedication. Although not usually dangerous (the first operative to lose their life on the job was not until 1907), operatives stayed in peak condition to contend with criminals who did not wish to be caught.

Operatives were scrutinized by their superiors and were required to write extensive daily reports. Expenses were itemized, including the purchase of counterfeit notes, travel expenses, and personal expenses. In 1875, Chief Washburn demanded that field operative Andrew Drummond obtain a refund from a Philadelphia telegraph operator who had overcharged him one cent. Ever dutiful, he obtained the refund.

Not only were their expenditures itemized, but their days were also detailed from waking moment until slumber. A typical report might say: “I got up at 5:30 AM, ate my breakfast, left home at 7 AM, arrived at the office at 8 AM, at 8:30 I went to First National Bank…., I returned home at 10 PM and went to bed at 11 PM.”

Though they faced internal and external challenges, through the use of informants, undercover work, and both investigative and instigative techniques, the Secret Service reduced counterfeiting from the most prominent criminal activity in the pre-Civil War United States to a spattering of successful occurrences by 1900.

Fun Fact:

Long before the Miranda Rights were established in 1966, the Secret Service had its own version. It was common practice for law enforcement agencies to grant freedom to criminals who spouted information at their arrests. However, Chief of the Secret Service Elmer Washburn (1874–1876) enacted a policy for the Secret Service which required operatives to inform arrested criminals that anything they did must be done “voluntarily and without any promises whatever.” (See reports by Secret Service operatives as quoted in Illegal Tender by David R. Johnson [1995]). This policy was further emphasized by Chief James Brooks (1876–1888) in 1879. Operatives were instructed to warn suspects of their rights. Everything a suspect said would be documented and used against them in court, and they did not have to answer any questions until they had consulted a lawyer. Nearly ninety years before the rest of law enforcement agencies required it, Secret Service operatives were reading suspects their rights.

Read more about the Secret Service’s History

Part 1: The Early Days
Part 2: The Making of an Operative
Part 3: The Challenges They Faced
Part 4: Bringing Criminals to Justice
Part 5: Using Informants
Part 6: Working Undercover
Part 7: A Real Case
Part 8: Dictionary
Part 9: Fun Facts

Resources

While I’m not going to list all the resources I used in research for this story, I will leave you with a few of my favorites in case you want to research further.

Books

Illegal Tender by David R Johnson* (My personal favorite. It gives you a look at counterfeiters AND the Secret Service.)

The United States Secret Service by Walter S. Bowen and Harry Edward Neal

Freedom’s Detective: The Secret Service, the Ku Klux Klan, and the Man Who Masterminded America’s First War on Terror by Charles Lane

True Detective Stories by Andrew L. Drummond (Digital)

Digital Resources

Can these four Secret Service Operatives catch the counterfeiters … without losing their hearts?

A Gilded Age Secret Service historical romance series, with mystery and suspense

ABOUT CRYSTAL CAUDILL

Crystal Caudill is the author of “dangerously good historical romance.” Her debut novel, Counterfeit Love, was a 2023 Carol Award finalist, and her novella, “Star of Wonder,” won the 2024 Christy Award for short form. She loves history, hot tea, all things bookish, and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. She is a stay-at-home mom, caregiver, and chaos organizer. When she isn’t writing, Crystal can be found hanging with her family and playing board games at her home outside Cincinnati, Ohio. Find out more at crystalcaudill.com.

Connect with the author:

Website  |  Newsletter  |  Facebook  |  Facebook Group  |  Instagram  |  Pinterest  |  Amazon  |  BookBub  |  GoodReads

A Question for You:

What was your favorite fact shared today? 

“The detection of crime, when entered upon with an honest purpose to discover the haunts of criminals and protect society from their depredations by bringing them to justice, is held to be an honorable calling and worthy of commendation of all good men.”

– Hiram C. Whitley, Chief of the Secret Service, May 1869 – September 1874

Welcome to my series of blog posts revisiting my research on the Secret Service for my Hidden Hearts of the Gilded Age series. For the next few months, I’ll be posting about their history. At the end of each post, I’ll include my resources and links to the other posts. As each post goes live, the links will be updated.

Part 2: The Making of an Operative

Operatives tended to have military, police, or detective experience and come from a law-abiding middle-class background. These men were successful in life prior to being appointed and often had a job history that indicated an ambition to do more.

Unlike their predecessors, they adapted their behavior to bureaucratic routines, followed orders, and obeyed rules. They were talented detectives, highly tolerant of paperwork, and committed to organizational goals.

They were a tough, capable, and honorable breed, with high standards of personal integrity, who felt it their duty to interact with criminals for the greater good of society.

THE DO’S AND DON’TS OF BEING AN OPERATIVE IN THE 1880S

“Employees will be judged by the character they sustain, by the results they accomplish, and by the manner in which they accomplish them.” – Elmer Washburn, Chief of the Secret Service 1874-1876

• Avoid “any appearance of impropriety or disgraceful behavior.”

• Criminals are not personal acquaintances; they are enemies of the social order.

• Submit weekly reports to the director. They must include accounts of your actions and expenses every hour of every day.

• Do not accept gifts or gratuities to perform or forgo official duties.

• Do not deliver or give permission to use counterfeit money to any unauthorized person.

• All arrests must be in strict conformity to civil law and with the cooperation of the local policing institution.

• All financial transactions must be reported, even those involving criminals.

• Report all criminal transactions: what was paid for counterfeit money, from whom it was purchased, where the deal was made, the kind of bogus money purchased, and how much counterfeit was obtained.

• Record “all charges for information and assistance,” including names and residences of each person receiving these sums.

• Purchasing counterfeit money must be done for the smallest, practical amount.

• “Authority must be had from this Office before any bargain is made for information or assistance, unless the operative can clearly make it appear that the interest of the service would have suffered materially by the delay necessary, in order to obtain such authority.”

• “Operatives will neither promise, either by word or implication, immunity from punishment, nor anything in mitigation of sentence, to any person for any offense he may have committed.”

• Suspects must be warned about their rights – everything they say will be documented and used against them in court. Suspects needn’t answer any questions until a lawyer is obtained. (This was long before the Miranda Rights became required in 1966.)

Can these four Secret Service Operatives catch the counterfeiters … without losing their hearts?

A Gilded Age Secret Service historical romance series, with mystery and suspense

Read more about the Secret Service’s History

Part 1: The Early Days
Part 2: The Making of an Operative
Part 3: The Challenges They Faced
Part 4: Bringing Criminals to Justice
Part 5: Using Informants
Part 6: Working Undercover
Part 7: A Real Case
Part 8: Dictionary
Part 9: Fun Facts

Resources

While I’m not going to list all the resources I used in research for this story, I will leave you with a few of my favorites in case you want to research further.

Books

Illegal Tender by David R Johnson* (My personal favorite. It gives you a look at counterfeiters AND the Secret Service.)

The United States Secret Service by Walter S. Bowen and Harry Edward Neal

Freedom’s Detective: The Secret Service, the Ku Klux Klan, and the Man Who Masterminded America’s First War on Terror by Charles Lane

True Detective Stories by Andrew L. Drummond (Digital)

Digital Resources

ABOUT CRYSTAL CAUDILL

Crystal Caudill is the author of “dangerously good historical romance.” Her debut novel, Counterfeit Love, was a 2023 Carol Award finalist, and her novella, “Star of Wonder,” won the 2024 Christy Award for short form. She loves history, hot tea, all things bookish, and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. She is a stay-at-home mom, caregiver, and chaos organizer. When she isn’t writing, Crystal can be found hanging with her family and playing board games at her home outside Cincinnati, Ohio. Find out more at crystalcaudill.com.

Connect with the author:

Website  |  Newsletter  |  Facebook  |  Facebook Group  |  Instagram  |  Pinterest  |  Amazon  |  BookBub  |  GoodReads

A Question for You:

What was your favorite fact shared today? 

“The detection of crime, when entered upon with an honest purpose to discover the haunts of criminals and protect society from their depredations by bringing them to justice, is held to be an honorable calling and worthy of commendation of all good men.”

– Hiram C. Whitley, Chief of the Secret Service, May 1869 – September 1874

Welcome to my series of blog posts revisiting my research on the Secret Service for my Hidden Hearts of the Gilded Age series. For the next few months, I’ll be posting about their history. At the end of each post, I’ll include my resources and links to the other posts. As each post goes live, the links will be updated.

Part 1: The Early Days

While many people today think of the Secret Service as primarily protecting the President, that duty did not actually become a part of their repertoire until 1894. Until 1902* it was conducted only informally and part-time, and even then, only two operatives were assigned full-time to the White House. So what did they do from their creation in 1865 until 1902, and beyond?

*Taken from the Secret Service’s website, as there are conflicting dates.

Counterfeiters Beware

It is estimated that one-third of the circulating U.S. currency was counterfeit during the Civil War. Until 1863, there was no national currency. Each state and bank had its own banknote design, making it an easy world for counterfeiters to thrive. Public confidence in a nation’s currency is critical to the health of the country’s economy, and the United States was in serious trouble. Even after the installation of a national currency in 1863, counterfeiters thrived. Only local police and occasional investigations by the War Department hampered counterfeiters.

On April 14th, 1865, Secretary of the Treasury Hugh McCullough brought attention to the growing trouble of counterfeiting and insisted that a permanent, continuous, aggressive, organized effort was needed to thwart this menace to the economy. Abraham Lincoln agreed and authorized him to move forward. That same night, Abraham Lincoln was shot by John Wilkes Booth. Despite the turmoil in the government that followed, on July 5, 1865, William P. Wood was sworn in as the first Chief of the U.S. Secret Service.

About 30 men made up this first group of Secret Service operatives. Headquarters were set up in Washington, and 11 field offices were established in cities throughout the country. A guide list of six “general orders” was issued*:

1. Each man must recognize that his service belongs to the government through 24 hours of every day.
2. All must agree to assignment to the locations chosen by the Chief and respond to whatever mobility of movement the work might require.
3. All must exercise such careful saving of money spent for travel, subsistence, and payments for information as can be self-evidently justified.
4. Continuing employment in the Service will depend upon demonstrated fitness, ability as investigators, and honesty and fidelity in all transactions.
5. The title of regular employees will be Operative, Secret Service. Temporary employees will be Assistant Operatives or Informants.
6. All employment will be at a daily pay rate; accounts submitted monthly. Each operative will be expected to keep on hand enough personal reserve funds to carry on Service business between paydays.

*Taken from The United States Secret Service by Warren S. Bowen and Harry Edward Neal.

Credentials were handwritten letters of appointment until an incident in 1871 forced them to reconsider an alternative. Ira W. Raymond waltzed into a field office posing as an operative and demanded all contraband be turned over to him. The operative on duty felt it odd that he wasn’t notified, and he telegrammed headquarters. Raymond was arrested, but this prompted Chief Whitley (the second Chief) to design and issue distinctive badges and printed credentials to all members of the Secret Service.

These badges were five-pointed, silver stars with lacework engraved into each point. “U.S. Secret Service” was stamped into the center of each. Operatives had $25 deducted from their paycheck for the badges, with the promise that it would be returned upon retirement when they turned in their badge. Each operative carried engraved and printed credentials called commissions from that point forward.

Unfortunately, the first two administrations of the Secret Service were fraught with scandal. As a result, a cloud hung over the division’s public image. Chief Washburn made some repairs to their reputation, but it was Chief James J. Brooks who really turned things around.

One of Chief Brooks’s first acts was to compile and issue the first formal manual of instructions for operatives. These were called “General Orders No. 4.” Under his reformation, the Secret Service was officially recognized as a division of the Treasury Department with its own budget, as limited as it was. Chief Brooks was a hard man and did not believe in vacations for his men. Any leave of absence was given without pay. But through his leadership, public opinion began to shift in a positive direction toward the Secret Service.

Can these four Secret Service Operatives catch the counterfeiters … without losing their hearts?

A Gilded Age Secret Service historical romance series, with mystery and suspense

Read more about the Secret Service’s History

Part 1: The Early Days
Part 2: The Making of an Operative
Part 3: The Challenges They Faced
Part 4: Bringing Criminals to Justice
Part 5: Using Informants
Part 6: Working Undercover
Part 7: A Real Case
Part 8: Dictionary
Part 9: Fun Facts

Resources

While I’m not going to list all the resources I used in research for this story, I will leave you with a few of my favorites in case you want to research further.

Books

Illegal Tender by David R Johnson* (My personal favorite. It gives you a look at counterfeiters AND the Secret Service.)

The United States Secret Service by Walter S. Bowen and Harry Edward Neal

Freedom’s Detective: The Secret Service, the Ku Klux Klan, and the Man Who Masterminded America’s First War on Terror by Charles Lane

True Detective Stories by Andrew L. Drummond (Digital)

Digital Resources

ABOUT CRYSTAL CAUDILL

Crystal Caudill is the author of “dangerously good historical romance.” Her debut novel, Counterfeit Love, was a 2023 Carol Award finalist, and her novella, “Star of Wonder,” won the 2024 Christy Award for short form. She loves history, hot tea, all things bookish, and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. She is a stay-at-home mom, caregiver, and chaos organizer. When she isn’t writing, Crystal can be found hanging with her family and playing board games at her home outside Cincinnati, Ohio. Find out more at crystalcaudill.com.

Connect with the author:

Website  |  Newsletter  |  Facebook  |  Facebook Group  |  Instagram  |  Pinterest  |  Amazon  |  BookBub  |  GoodReads

A Question for You:

What was your favorite fact shared today?