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About The Sunday Oregonian. (Portland, Ore.) 1881-current | View Entire Issue (March 21, 1915)
s L BLACKMAILING AS A F I N E A RT THE BURNS' BY WILLIAM J. BURNS, HEAD DETECTIVE AGENCY TYPE OF BLACKMXlltfcj WILLIAM J BURJSIS TTTR" BTJNDAT OREGOAN.- POUTtAJTD. " MARCH '31, s 1915. Pound I A A. WARE the blackmailer! Never In the history of this country has this most cowardly and contemp tible of all crimes flourished so univer sally as It does today. And. further more, the most cunning- criminals of the New and Old worlds are concen trating their talents In this game. Criminologists will tell you that It is the oldest and most glaringly patent swindles that meet with the greatest success. In fact, I am almost tempted to say there Is nothing new in crime. In tracing the operations of swindlers and crooks of all kinds through past centuries we find that those tricks which netted the biggest returns In the darker ages are Just as good agencies for separating the unwary and timid from their hard-earned dollars today. Blackmailing flourished then and It la becoming so prevalent today that the brains of the shrewdest detectives In the land are being taxed to run down the men and women who are thriving by extortion. No prey, seemingly. Is too small for these swindlers, for to them a dollar Is a dollar no matter whether It comes to them in thousands or In hun dreds. Of course the bigger the game the more cunningly they work, but somehow the largest sums that find their way Into their pockets are ob tained by the crudest methods, paradox ical as this may sound. Frequently I have been asked where criminals of this type hide themselves. As a matter of fact, they don't hide. They are always in evidence, as a visit to the foyers of any of the big hotels will prove. There these men and women may be found. Just as faultlessly groomed and gowned as those with whom they touch elbows. Their bearing and appearance Is Just as faultless as their attire. They are there to stalk their game, and our hotel life is so democratic that all meet there on a common footing. There is no separating the wolves from the lambs in these palatial structures, for all the life therein seems to re volve around the foyers, in the "pea cock alleys' and in the public ball rooms and dining-rooms. A man or woman with the price" and with the proper "makeup" no matter what his or her mission may be. is free to come and go at will and this they do in droves. While the respectable clientele of these hotels little dreams of the pit falls that beset their paths, yet the hotel men are keenly alive to their danger, and that Is why they employ a regular detective staff of their own to mount guard over their patrons, as well as calling on the big agencies, ... such as mine, to aid in spotting these criminals and warning them away from the premises. But that, too, is a , delicate task, for, unless these black mailers are "caught with the goods" It Is a hazardous undertaking to arrest them, for they would retaliate by a damage suit that may pay them Just as handsomely as the game they In- naraed facta'iu the case tended to work. A detective Is always at a disadvan tage when he is called on to run down a blackmail case. In the first place " d.. 'b?.'ta " again, nine nines out i. eon assailed Insists upon the strictest secrecy. While absolutely innocent of the charges or the scandalthe black- mailer trumps up. or those that he n,.,.... t r..rr.i th victim shrinks from publicity. This means p that the blackmailer must De tnwartea u ma y.wfc, b ... . rarest occasions that arrests and prose- cution are Dermitted to follow. These victims will pay big fees to balk the hand that seeks to swindle them, yet a mighty small percentage of them are willing to permit the case to be tried when the man Is guilty and he knows Tne woman charged that while work- really Is what he was. Indignantly pro ln open court, well knowing that the he hasn't a leg to stand on. Not so lng jate ln the office of the lawyer she tested that he was not there to talk blackmailer will drag Into the lime- long ago a well-known lawyer, whose had been attacked by him, and only by terms, for. In the first place,, he hadn't iignt some trivial inciaent m in. m of the prosecutor which, when en- larged upon and distorted, places the victim ln a very unenviable light, with the chances of many persons believing to hush the matter up and keep it boarding.house but had sought refuge tective," the go-between said, "and, ln all that the blackmailer chargeo. from his children and the newspapers. ,n the nom6 of a frlendi wher6 sh0 had fact, I think he hopes to marry her. As I ponder this subject of black- Yet I would be willing to 6take my life arrlved late the ight in question in a Therefore he ls very keen on push mailing the more deeply am I 1m- that he never had a thought beyond hIshly excted and disheveled state, lng the case and getting a conviction. ra"u u luo icutwa.ijr i clean living, among those who are striving for success or prominence ln any walk of lire. This applies Just as aptly to the professional man, the banker, the merchant, the politician and the manufacturer as It does to the woman who occupies a commanding position in society or any field of en deavor she seeks to conquer. The, mar, or woman of today "with a Dasf is fair game for the blackmailer, and .i .- ji o .- lucao .cut 10 a. a u.i.& iu ui( lutu the past and resurrect the one incl- dent which their victims would give a good part of all they possess to keep .burled. I have been called upon of late to run down several cases which involved, em- ployer and private secretary. In one or two of these cases the man was leading a dual life. His friends looked upon his home life as ideal. He had amassed a fortune in his business -and there to his future seemed to be limit ltable pillar in the church he attended, Yet desipte this there perhaps had uvea ue (jsc, A Bill, muerein Ufl naa been fascinated by a pretty face, maybe a stenographer or a show girl, or In been one lapse, a slip wherein he had . careless moment he had dropped some it that nnt hi oonrH.nsi secretary in possession of the facts ln the case. Just how the blackmailers worm themselves into the confidence of these orivate secretaries is the keynote of their success. That they do none can eralnsav. and the next step is easy. It 1, worked ln more ways than one. If ln the case can be au ,,n7n nrTml,; ;f I ,,;:- share ln the price set made to play her part the game ls so much easier. Should h swindlers rlecide to KO tt eftione. Tin m t tn rite fntur vr in nis aearcn lur a. BieuuKrduuor. - 1t Ch 0 wnn in coiiecr. neaviiy. iiuwi .v. wA B.tt . . - m ..- earning capacity. His business asso- man or woman, of the required chaiac- ng wno wouia testily tnat tney nau whJle j djn,t tn,nk my frlend the de-. the woman and the man who conducted nhyslcal activity of the races of West- Important condition, dates regarded him as beyond reproach, ter and experience. en t h, -oman leave the building late tectiv6 u t ,et up on you 8ettlementi n Europe is greatest when the aver- I" the first place, not only a defi ne stood high in the councils of his fel- He was directed to an agency where the night in question witnout nat or maybe the woman would accept dam- x know of another case Where a 8Ke temperature is about 60 degrees clency of moisture, as In a large part lows. and. furthermore, he was a vr- exDert legal stenographers could be coat, and apparently in a nigniy ex- azes without the formality of trial 'woman 'was made, to nav heaviiv fnr iL ... a ,u- h.rmomtr of Patagonia, but an exce.a, as In the i will be is asso- laid before his wife, his business asso- dates and his church. ; Names, dates and places have been carefully compiled and threats of im ". exposure, with all attending newspaper notoriety, generally succeed ln throwing the vlctlm lnto a state of panIc. He knows he has been basely betrayed. but he also knows that he no tavM , , on ix lUBca tL4i ii v i us ucmwi, ut be must oar the price and suffer in Bnence. Even when he pays he realizes tnat tnere is no guarantee uiui mruicr demands will not be made upon him. anil th result is he Uvea ln constant terror of a return call from the swlnd- ir. That is how the game is worked nie rrom Doynooa naa oeen oeyona re- proach. was. victimized by a black- mailer, and, shrewd lawyer though he is. he paid and paid well, only too glad ais who bo liir a.a mtu o This Is how he was trapped. He has a very large and lucrative practice, al- though It is only upon the rarest occa- slons that he appears ln court has a suite of offices ln one of -towers" and is a close student, often spending and is a close student, olten spending fourorflveenenlngsaweekinthelaw library of his office. A case came to him .hii-h reouired an unusual amount of research work and study, thereby compelling him to stick close to his library. Just at this time his conflden- tlal stenographer, a mature woman who t... . .hi. nuiaij. ,uai lum u.a wuu&.wwu tlal stenographer, a mature woman who had been ln his employ for years, was seized with an. illness which was long and tedious and called for a complete change of scene and rest during her convalescence. There was no one among his force of stenographers that he deemed capable of taking the dictation his case called for, and, as haste was imperative, he appealed to several of his fellow-law- yer in his search for a stenographer, procured, and accordingly engaged a businesslike woman of middle age, who was highly recommended. n .ft " J The week following the advent of this woman Into his office was a busy one. Day and night the lawyer tolled m hl llhrarv. dictating: long and tech- nical excerpts from the tomes over which he pored. The stenographer ap- parently was all that could be desired, for she never Interrupted his dictation and In an Incredibly snort time her . , 1 ... . notes were transcnoea ana iaia oe- fore her employer, - One morning, after an unusually long session in his law omce tne evening before, the new stenographer faUed to appear, ine lawyer was mucn put out, because his case was Hearing comple- won ana m notes bub nsu uteu mn THIS IS AS been preparing lay in those notes and he needed them sorely. Inquiries at he needed them sorely. Inquiries at the woman's boarding-house failed to shed light on her whereabouts, and, in f.At It fn, him In .m- ploy another stenographer and go all over the work he had done the night before. The case was finally com- pleted. and successfully so. but no word came from the lost stenographer. svrai w 1tr th lawver was w - w v.. v. vioucu m v a. iiio.ii nnu ecwu i. o iu formation of a most Important and confidential character to Impart. To be oriei, tne stranger saia tnat ne was tiie Intimate friend of a private detective wbn hnH hn nmnlnnil hv tho law- yer's late stenographer to work ln eon- Iimntinn with h ntfnrnov to i,rpnr J r-M a case against the lawyer. a ciever ruse had escaped his clutches rt f, fl , hl 0f(ice. she had been KO UDSet bT her exDerience. she said. th t he f ed to back t h rlthM worn torn: thorn ware scratcbes on her face neck hand5 and armg according to her, she had been'comp'ened to fight for more than her lffe be(ore ehe couid escape The iawyer.g visitor went on to say , . ' - . leT Vep. ha v. 'v-.. . " J - i uio uoict,u v o auu. lawjci uo.u nuuui ,.t ,.!- -o. v l"" IT .,' . from the lawyer's office ana ""T.""'!., " ' 1""-"" liau uccii iu,anu auu iiid vuauiicui uau . made his affidavit: the friends with whom she sought refuge were ea"ger to testify to the woman's condition upon her arrival there and to the succeed- ing attacks of "nerves" and hysteria that attended her convalescence. In fact, the circumstantial case against lfc. ,,, wa complete To clinch the lawyer was complete, the case-, the visitor said. To clinch there were "everal employes in the office build- cited state. When the dramatic recital ln ques tion had been concluded the lawyer .... A1 l . , ir., . Indignantly exclaimed: This Js as vile a piece of blackmail as I ever heard oi. i mtena to eo trict Attorney anu my mi. iui .auu. fore him. urtnermore, i mtena to call in a policeman ana nave you of talned until you can summon the ras- caiiy lawjer anu qici-u. .a u ju no wa J"" 1 1 .Ani Tr .-"11 .ar. fryrtt tne cooi rep.,, " the Issue, well and good. I came to you in the role of a mend. I Know you oy reputation ana. t u.u... this thing for a moment. But with the case tnat naa you. you have a mighty poor chance 01 provms vu - VILE A PIECB OF BLACKMAIL AS I string of witnesses and a chain of cir- cumstantial evidence to back her that cumstantial evidence to back her tnat will stand almost any test you . might put them to. There is nothing in this man. nil . n An US vou like. .. I certainly have no intention of l oo aa vuu betraying my friend, the detective, ana there ls no law in the land that can compel me to reveal his Identity. I have asked" you for nothing and only . , " J inn mw yer rcuiaincu uiuugsu thnn eh t for some time. Then, turning to his visitor, he asked: "How much . will It require to nusn tnis matter up: 0f course you realise that I know I i .1.- i.oj. nt feiocirmaiiai-s Kiim the price and Til see what I can do - , IU W tX 1 ti UICCI.IU5 The visitor, or gc ThTvisitor. or' go-between, for that the slightest Idea whetner or not nis friend the detective could be bought off. "This womaii ls a friend of the de. too." The lawyer fairly wrlther in the net that ensnared him. He knew he was in the hands of clever swindlers and that he would have' a hard time to clear himself in court. .His friends tegm him so well that they would knew him so well that they would ev7r doubt him for a . second But how about the reading public? Should , . , the case come to trial he knew his tn i.i.l ha knew his i,.n in socletv and his profes- sion would Insure him a first page po- siUon in all the New York newspapers. It was a case of pay. and pay well, he t v i, .,.. - it a Iully ; . jou have come to me in the roie ot a . what would you advise me to do?" "" " S knowing how strong a case has been out against y ou I think I would PaT almost any price to keep It quiet. Well. if I were in your position. the wily visitor replied. "If the girl sued you for damages, ln all jjrobabll- sh(j would coUect heavily. Now, ln order to keep her name out of the papers. She was divorced once, and the papers devoted a great deal of at- luc littliwo c - tentlon to the case, all of which was very dlstasteful to her. I know she. too. shrinks from publicity.".. The lawyer realized that he was deaiing with a smart crook and could gain nothing by antagonizing him, so he "appointed" him his representative to meet the woman and learn what settlement she would make, ne in- ..... . . i i . . .. . j sisted that tne visitor return later in the afternoon, for he was determined., sald to close the matter then and and for aI1 ume mat very aay. Tne blackmaUer's agent had no sooner leu tne omce tnan mc ij. telephoned for his wife to come to nis omce at ouuc upuu EVER HEARD OF." single detail and concluded by.saylng: "Now, . I leave everything to you to i leave every mms w. ' Judge my guilt or innocence. I will be guinea entirely Dy your wisnes in . j wv. .j -- matter. IT you Say ine word X win ... .this case In open court to .the bit- ..... . i,..- I Posses to bring these swindlers to Justice. My friends will back me up. for they know me as well as you do. and furthermore they believe me Just as implicitv as I would have them do. - It is for you to decide.' Ana lne W118 aia aeciae. wnnout a moment's resitation. she aanroached -r jer husband and, resting her. hand on "Is shoulder, she said: ' "x am )ust as firmly convinced of yur innocence ,. as I am that I am J?""t,' L .IS! uiavcot, liiiii3 iu mj nuuiu uo i.v iigah the case and see that justice i3 done. But we, unfortunately, cannot, consider ourselves alone. The children must be s... I , , ... iu maaa ;iai,ca iu; i,iicuioci v to iu kii o world. Is it fair to them to have your name and mine dragged through the mire of .such a filthy, case? No matter how complete your vindication in the courts is. won't-there still be many to brand you guilty? No, my advice is t pay the price and do it as quickly as possible." The case wasn't settled that day, nor the next, for there was parleying on the Dart of the tro-betwecn. There was "i-. V, . iT JH h'g dl f iculty in ,. th omo "h. . u vjj oiut.o . ., . 7 " " . . ' ' " r '. " "''. "1 . .I .LrZ.. effected, the woman getting .2S.00(, th rfetaet. til " ' - " : tne woman's lawyer SZoOO. The go- . hQu the woman's " lawyer $2500. entitled to something' for his kindly offlce, BO an additional S2500 was hand6d to him. The money was paid "aaaea to mm. Tne money was paid over , bmg of Bmal, denominatlong and the jawyeY made not the allghteet attempt to ascertain the Identity of his caIler The. woman's lawyer and the detective he well knew to be fictitious a mere act of indiscretion. She occu- oes down to perhaps 60 or 65 de- mountains of Southern Chile or In Ire pies a high position ln New York rees at night and rises to about 5 Und- which otherwise Is almost as f-. society and only recently was married. While engaged to hef present husband. who possesses great wealth, she was subjected to many little . indignities because of his overweanlng and petty Jealousies. He imagined that every .... ... tr. . ij . man she looked at attempted to flirt. with her, often adding that she was not averse to these admiring glances. He was insanely jealous 01 a man to . . . .... i . wnom tne young woman onoo naa oeen engaged to and frequently he accused her : seeing too mucn 01 xms man -'"."";"" i,...7X. -- The Jealousy of the fiance was so sp of comment among tnetr mutual friends and even was gossiped about uy .ut ... i to a dance or entertainment of some sort and it happened that her discarded ' "-T" " lover brought her home He had been ....... ... ... - - . . . . . "i " ...... . M"'",? T , " " . . . mltted him to her apar ment upon ar- riving home. The resul was she had quite a scene him there and in nocent as her In the whole affair was. one or two persons living in me ins living in tow ,., . . . . wind of her encounter " " ' ; .L," ",, Dre. with the man before she couia pre- vail uDon him to leave her P afternoons later while at one . HOW WEATHER N MANY parts of the world the Ideal I climate ls said to be found, but no i ....fl. what ft lit. The whQle matter depends on our denni tlon of "ideal, Tf wa are looking simply nH nUneiirA. a. warnr. sunny c,lmate probttby the best, accord- Ellsworth, Huntington, tn Har- ' MaKaZne If we want to go Shiner something different ls prefer- essential fact in the able. The most essential tact lives of the majority of mankind ls llve? r, l"' ' . ,. r?r"7v.7 I,,' tha nolni , recognized as one of the highly . f vieJ- efficiencr in the daily I wa take eniciency in tne ' work of life as our standard. It IS siblo measure what person, actu- llv do under different climatic condl- - t-- tions. and thus to form an estimate of j .v,,,. t m n estimate of ,ii.u' From the work-of about BOO factory operative, ln Southern Connecticut and of about 1800 students at West Point . . .i. . nri - ... t v.... -.nnr.rf oiirva Ul ttUUUb " - ana Annapuna the relative efficiency u d aiirerent conunion v. mldlty and storminesa These curves, based on Investigations These curves. Dasea on inve.iiK-no... among. a larse nuraber of individuals. &gTeg wth slmllar curvea prepared on the basis of a smaller number of per- SOns by two Danish psychologists, Lehmann and Pedersen. in Copenhagen- or 70 degrees by day. Mental activity, on the other hand, , grcate.t when ' the average ls a lltUe below 40 degrees that la, on a 1.1.1. front t nis-ht. " . : . Since life consists of both mental , Dny8Ciai activity, and each Is es- ,entlaj to success, the most favorable . , . w- .1 . conditions " temoerature never falls far WBBiB HIO ltjiin.i t propltiOUs point for "io. v r abov, th. ootl.' physlclal work. T . mrA. ,h. m. in other words, if the mean tempera- BldereA the best climate would be one where lhe average ln Winter is about , . vrBir in Knmmsr aisnut of the Fifth avenue hotels this girl was approached by a well-dreed woman she had never seen before, who Insisted upon a word In private. Baldly and brutally the woman stated her case. She said )t was common go.1p In. the apartment-house that the girl had been In the habit of entertaining her one-time fiance In her apartment until the early morning hour and that on more than one occasion the man was In a state of maudlin Intoxication when he left. All this Information, th woman said, would be laid before the girl's fiance unless a sum named was paid over forthwith. Before the girl could make the slightest outcry or de nounce the woman the stranger van ished In the crowd and all trace of her was lost. As the young woman was leaving her apartment-house the next, day she overheard snatches of conversation be tween a strange man and one of the hallboys. She heard enough to con vince her that this man was Interro gating the boy about the Incident In her apartment a few nights before, When she returned she met the same man emerging from an apartment on the same floor with her own. The girl Is without father or brothers and hai a tidy little fortune of her own. liei first Impulse was to lay the whole af fair before her Invalid mother, but upon second thought she decided te "keep her own counsel. She concluded that she must hush this affair up at all cost, for were word of It to reach the ears of her Insanely Jealous flanct there would be a scene without doubl and there was no telling what the after consequences would be. Her only course lay, she concluded, in finding the strange woman who ap proached her In the hotel and tolling her that she would pay whatever price was demanded, and that speedily. Ac cordlngly she spent several afternooni In the same hotel before she agnln en countered her scheming friend. Hpying the woman, she cordially greeted hci and Invited her to Join her at tea. Then she bluntly told the woman that sh knew her to be a blackmailer and wer i, in, iin.AiHncr h.r Invalid mothei she would hand her over to the police at oncei Under the circumstances she had decided to ask for terms. "How would 11000 suit your' the woman asked. "I don't think I can pay that much." the girl replied. "Very well, then," the woman coolly replied, "when you meet me here attain In this hotel be prepared to pay ovet $10,000. That Is the least I will ac cept, and If It is not paid before the end of the week I will lay the whole matter before your fiance. I need the money, and liberty to me without money .Is worthless. I haven't the slightest dread of the police or a cell, slid If you care to lock me up go ahead. But, remember, we have s splendid case against you and you will never marry the man you are en gaged to." The $10,000 was paid over the fol i .r.rnnn net while the Men- . ,, .rfthe 'detective' tlty of the woman Mth detect!' wnu ", "Z ,' gweuci, ... -r- t n,wr tiVcn to D ro.ee u t e. The " f . . ... ,,, ,.,, .hortlr WOman confided In her hu,band ;nor"' ieT thelr marriage " declded to Prosecute, but later the case wa8 aropped and It so stands today. , .... - Next week Detective Richard lie- Kenna. chief of tne ivew rm squad, details events leading up arm uuu. to tno capture ana wnitiiii the Dudo." king of package thieves. '. MAKES US WORK world are blessed with such condl- lions. The most Important of these, both ln area and population. Is England. isext comes tne iorinurn .... . . . . . ... ii. i a t-nn Crcrnn tn ot tne uimcu " the Southern part of British Columbia, Here, unfortunately, the mountains rl-e close to the sea. and so prevent the favorable conditions from penetrating far inland. . . A third highly favored area ls found x- Zealand, especially the Bouth- ern Island. Th... like It. two pred.c.s-. advanced parts of the earth, . ..... , A. the places mo iurm uu "i?. ticularly favorab e is not generally a so rrnrnitpn Tt lies In I'ata kTOn la ID( recognized, it lies in i atagon a am recognized. It lies in ratagoniaam nd the corresponding part ot i-niii. De tween latitude 45 degree, and 50 d. grees. nd w irraes. louth. Few DeoDIe live mere south. Few people live there, a are apt to think of It as of . . . . relatively sngnt vaiue. it qimih i . . n ,nK a --- . . . -. , rn part, wnicn is exiremeiy moun- lamous. ... .... . I "oj f n ot be Inferred that the climates of gland, the northern Pacific coast of the United State., New Zealand and Patagonia are necessarily Ideal. Mean ICIIIfVI alUl in t- iiw nivalis . v vored as Kngland, may hamper a country. Such conditions produce not only an adverse economic effect by making ag riculture difficult, but also a direct ..r... ..n..ltv fur work V . ' - --- - --- A moderate degree of dampnee relative humidity of from that S per cent In Rummer to SO Der Cent In Wln- lcr tavoraDie. out wnen tn. num. tnmrm m i w.t nr 111. Winter. V TT OTt 1." . . w-ii peop,a 00 not work '"' Not Full Justice, (Phlladeluhla Public Ledger. Daughter Do you thtnk that paint . , ,,T n .ih.rT M?e The doVa, but n ...... thnt vnur ,ns -
