Star Tribune from Minneapolis, Minnesota • Page 66

Y7C mi mi ffitwrnt Mil llj I I. A in Traffic ignnng Hmencas monsrer uope Hairbreadth Escapes and Astounding Feats of the Daring Man Who Has Fought the (US with Firearms, Fists and Brains A $50,000 BrM Murphy's Own Pld I V. 1 ZT lJ- IN HER PRIME A A Favorite Phot of Julia B.uiu, 4- an American Stage Beauty of a ihhm. VjT Decade Ago Wh Contracted A A the Drug Habit Abroad. She mm MI 1 a Cured Herself, But Died Shortlr Afterward.

4vJ i SPITE 6, i Vf ri -L V. CV t-. -AT jJL Drug Evil LIGHTNING DISGUISES "Two-Gun" Murphy Could As-sume the Appearance in a Trice of Either a Leering Addict, Above, or a One-Armed Man, at Right. In Such Guise Did He Obtain Evidence from Many a Peddlei. that these had no idea of the extent to which their colleagues were going, in dragging down the good name of the city.

The unscrupulous ones, however, were sufficient to poison the whole organization. One morning I received a letter which contained a "tip-off" to a place which did a thriving business in opium and "snow." I dropped around for an informal call, knowing that such anonymous communications often bear important fruit more criminals are brought to book through the jealousy of their fellows than for any other reason. 1 strolled the block upon which the "joint" fronted I was rather surprised to see a man who occupied one of the most exalted desks in the municipal building walk out of the place, glance uneasily in all directions and depart at a brisk pace. This puzzled me. I'd have laid a wager that the man was not ah addict.

He had none of the never-failing marks: His step was firm, his nerves steady; he was overweight and obviously in excellent health. But he had visited that house in the slums for no good purpose. 1 approached, the door and knocked. After an interval of three or four seconds the door swung back on a short chain and an unshaven face glowered at me. The man inside made a quick effort to close the door in my face, but i had wedged my toe inside, and my right hand, in my pocket, grasped the handle of an automatic.

I let the gun press firmly enough against the cloth to outline itself significantly. Evidently I was recognized. "What ya want, Two-Gun?" he demanded. "There's nothin' in this house for you." "I don't know about that, but what I'm interested in is your friend. Who was the high-class visitor? Seems to me I know him." "That sputtered the tough-looking one.

"He thinks because of his job he can hi-jack the King of England!" "Meaning?" "I don't care if it gets me banked that guy is one of the biggest stuff peddlers in town. With that he kicked my toe out of the crack in the door and slammed it shut. 1 chuckled to myself and walked away. 1 had no intention of going after that particular dive then. That would, come later.

Meanwhile there was more informa tion to be raked together about the official. Discreet questions of half a dozen underworld char acters whom 1 knew brought out the fact that the .1. II m. oniciai was aciuaiiy a wholesale dope dealer! I I t. I I Ml 1 I a.

Chapter: Within two weeks I had enougn evidence to nave sent him up twice. The night before I turned over my findings to the proper authorities I was walking down a narrow, badly lighted street a few blocks from my hotel. I had worked late at narcotic headquarters and was taking a short cut home. "Mr. Murphy!" It was a soft, pleading, feminine voice.

I peered through the uncertain light and saw a woman standing on a doorstep just ahead. She approached me slowly and the rays of a street light fell across her face. I had never seen hei before, but she was strikingly beautiful. She held in one hand a small bundle of some sort. This she proffered me as she came close.

"Mr. Murphy, I want you to do me a favor a little favor that won't hurt you at all. Just forget about those questions you've been asking about Mr. and forget that I saw you tonight and everybody'U be happy." Wondering what sort of game this was, I looked up and down, the street as carefully as I could in the darkness. Apparently she had no men companions in her little mission, whatever it was.

I pointed to the package in her hand. "What's that?" "Fifty grand, in twenty-dollar bills." Neither Toars Nor Smiles Tempted "Twon" 1 smiled and shook my head, walking past her and continuing on my wiy. "Not a chance," I told her. "Now yoa better ran along to bed or you'll get in trouble." She began to plead, walking behind m. Teart were next, and finally anger, with torrent of abuse.

At last she gave up and went off in the opposite direction, as we approached a more brightly lighted thoroughfare. In my room, that night I wondered who this young woman could have been. She had something of the underworld air about her, but also some of the softness of voice that one associates with the drawing room. I never saw her again. Next morning my evidence was turned over to the District Attorney, precipitating an uproar.

The end of it was that the guilty man was convicted and sent to jail. And that's the true story oi tne oiggest single bribe anyone ever offered me. The unsigned letter which led un to the ex nose i just recounted was typical of hundreds of its kind. i wenii sellers irom I Aggrieved Pertoni (f Who Give Infer. mation About En- emies and Rivali.

'i I All the Missives -y. Reproaucea to Stamp Out theuDemon Flower As soon as word trickled out that a dope clean-up was in progress in any city, narcotic headquarters began to receive these "spite missives. A over territorial lines among the dope czars; an argument over the "split" in profits; a personal friction of some sort and the aggrieved party would write to the agent in charge giving information damaging to his enemy. Often the informer was as 1U, m- wJ tJUL guilty as the man against whom he brought charges, and times both of them "squealed" and both id behind the bars as a result. We never igi these letters, even wnen they were wntt some language other than' English.

On Washington, D. we got a laundrymari we knew we could trust to translate a lette tabling a tip that later made possible a bii successful raid. In these articles I have traced my caree i poini wnere i was Beginning to gee a grea of publicity the press of the nation. Co and romanticized stories were written aboi "unspeakable and quick-speaking guns," my association with actors, actresses and club proprietors. Frankly, some of these me blazing mad.

To begin with, the less said about better for my effectiveness in the service. disliked the intimation that I spent most time running around to night clubs. The asd tion in most people minds would be that I my glass as high as the rest of them, bre one law while I was entrusted with the en ment of another. The truth is thai I never took a drink in tn I realized at an early age that liquor meant for me. 1 saw its effects upon Adventurous, high-strung, always actiri quickly as I thought, I never needed alco remain keyed up a few notes highei than nc A I Ul'i By JOSEPH J.

"TWO MURPHY (Nationally Former V. S. IS ar colic Squad Operative.) HOW NARCOTIC SLEUTH IS TEMPTED MANY times 1 have uatn asked by acquaintances about, corruption in the squad how many agents are offered and take bribes, how are the bribes tendered, and in what amounts I will answer only for myself. There are too many wealthy peddlers for attempted bribery riot to be quite common. The traffic will support heavy outlays in this direction, and with the 'gradual tightening of narcotic Jaws during past years and the lengthening of sentences, the dope dealers are usually panic-stricken when they see long "raps" in jail staring them the face.

Of course I have been offered bribes on numerous occasions. The xalaries of narcotic agents are not high; easy money" is a temptation that every operative must face soon after he has been inducted into the service, If he succumbs, the road ahead is rocky and I am profoundly convinced that in the long run he pays thrice over for every penny of graft that he takes. Suffice to say; that when I resigned from the service I had exactly two hundred dollars in my pocket, the savings of more than four years. I had a wife and two babies to support. But I had something else a clear corcience.

Up and down Broadway, and up and down the mam stem" of many another city, I have made friends with: all sorts of people. Some of these are celebrities and some have "shady" reputations. A "done time' behind the bars because of arrests that I personally have made. But they all, I think, give me credit for one thing: never has a rich man stood a better chance of avoiding prosecution for crime than a poor one when I made the arrest. And when a man or woman wanted to go straight I have always been willing to forget the past.

A Woman Offers Him $50,000 Just to "Lay. Off? was $50,000 in cash. It was offered me by a KlnJ man wh0 had abused his high position of public trust by engaging in the dopetrade This was one of the rnosi Colorful agent ePlsodes of my entire career as an fBfecauSe the.pan involved was convicted ana SfL Jhe JPententiary and because his family, innocent sufferers in the case, are trying to live years ago, I shall disguise the names and community in which the episode occurred. Police officer on the Eastern seaboard should read this article I'm sure he would im-mediately identify the incident. haoin wlh several other agents 1 had t0 a eity which was miif lax in the enforcement of the Federal anti-narcotic laws.

toon developed that nor only were drugs be. tng sold as openly as liquor is dispensed today in many metropolitan speakeasies, but cases which ere prosecuted seldom resulted in either heavy lines or sentences. I knew--we all knew, in fact that some-ining was going on "upstairs" that wouldn't bear close inspection. But that was not all. The Smi jneork of municipal government was i corruPlln.

working under cover, had soon ferreted nut tha fa aii the local officials were not crooked. Many Or Thorn VMV VIIV ICIVbOi uwiiesi men, ana i really believe.