The “plant,” in short, consisted in writing a long and circumstantial story of the discovery of new evidence against the ladies’ poolroom, which so far had been scarcely mentioned in the case.  As Garrick laid it out, the story was to tell of a young gambler who was said to be in touch with the district attorney, in preference to saying the police.

In fact, his idea was to write up the whole gambling situation as we knew it on lines that he suggested.  Then a “fake” edition of the paper was to be run off, bearing our story on the front page.  Only a few copies were to be printed, and they were to be delivered to us.  The thing had been done before by detectives, I knew, and in this case Warrington was to foot the bill, which might prove to be considerable.

At least it offered me some outlet for my energies during the rest of the afternoon when the failure to receive any reports about the two women whom we were seeking began to wear on my nerves.

It took some time to arrange the thing with those in authority on the Star, but at last that was done and I hastened back to Garrick at his office to tell him that all that remained to do was the actual writing of the story.

Garrick had just finished testing an arrangement in a large case, almost the size of a suitcase, and had stood it in a corner, ready to be picked up and carried off the instant there was any need for it.  There was still no word of Miss Winslow and Mrs. de Lancey and it began to look as if we should not hear from them until Violet Winslow turned up on her visit to her former maid.

Together we plunged into the preparation of the story, the writing of which fell to me while Garrick now and then threw in a suggestion or a word of criticism to make it sound stronger for his purpose.  Thus the rest of the afternoon passed in getting the thing down “pat.”

I flatter myself that it was not such a bad piece of work when we got through with it.  By dint of using such expressions as “It is said,” “It is rumoured,” “The report about the Criminal Courts Building is,” “An informant high in the police department,” and crediting much to a mythical “gambler who is operating quietly uptown,” we managed to tell some amazing facts.

The fake story began: 

“Since the raid by the police on the luxurious gambling house in Forty-eighth Street, a remarkable new phase of sporting life has been unfolded to the District Attorney, who is quietly gathering evidence against another place situated in the same district.

“A former gambler who frequented the raided place has put many incriminating facts about the second place in the hands of the authorities who are contemplating an exposure that will stir even New York, accustomed as it is to such startling revelations.  It involves one of the cleverest and most astute criminals who ever operated in this city.