The Barrel Mystery

A Secret Service chief recounts an investigation that begins with a body discovered in a barrel and unfolds into the methodical exposure of an organized criminal network. The account follows infiltration of social clubs, recruitment of a printer to produce counterfeit currency, and the coordinated use of extortion known as the Black Hand. It combines procedural detail on surveillance, letter-tracing, printing techniques, raids, arrests, and confessions with narrative case recollections, showing both investigative tradecraft and the tactics criminals use to intimidate victims and evade detection.