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
-