The True Stories of Celebrated Crimes

# Chief Wilkie and the Gold Certificates

This 1909 collection by George Barton features detective narratives based on historical crime investigations. The first case, "Chief Wilkie and the Gold Certificates," depicts U.S. Secret Service Chief John E. Wilkie's pursuit of counterfeit hundred-dollar gold certificates being distributed at race tracks across major American cities. A seemingly respectable photo-engraver from Providence, Robert Browne, is apprehended at St. Louis's Delaware track with twenty-eight counterfeit bills. Browne claims he found them in a white envelope at Union Station, supporting his story with a newspaper "found money" advertisement. Wilkie identifies a critical discrepancy: the advertisement timestamp contradicts Browne's account by over an hour. The investigation reveals similar advertisements placed by Browne at New York's Grand Central Station during the racing season, exposing the scheme. The narrative demonstrates the detective's methodical approach using verifiable records—newspaper logs and electrical plant documentation—to penetrate the suspect's credible facade.