The Findlay Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Hancock County, Ohio) 1870-1881, 1874-04-17
No. 49,.
OUR NEW YORK LETTER.
DISQUALIFICATION IT Is DONE AND.
WHO ARE THE yICTIMS-TEMPERAN
-CURRESCY-BUSINE BUILD
ERS AND TRADES USION-DISTRESS
NEW YORK Anril Q 1874

! -CURRENCY-BUSINE THE BUILD
Frs AND TRADES USION-DISTRESS
NEW YORK, April 9, 1874.
BLACK-MAILING
| In great city. it Is safe TO say. that
nearly One-half the population have no
good reason for living. The number of
rumSellers, gamblers, thieves. confidence
men. and people who steal living.
would. if put together make an army
large enough 10 have crushed the rebel
non l now speak of the male ulcers
on the body-politic-there are at least
5O,oOO women in the city who live by
equally disreputable means.
The meaneSt and most deSpicable of
all the scOundrels who infest the CITY.
next to the politicians, are the
| PROFESSIONAL BLACK-MAILERs.
and few paragraphs devoted TO them
may be of interest TO your readers. The
black-Inailer is a man. or woman, who
| possesses. some knowledge of another
| person which will not bear open day
| light, and then EFFORTS money as the
| price of silence. For instance. the. pro-
fcssiOnal black-mailer goes night after
night TO a fashionable gambling house,
and watches closely the players They
are admirable judges of human nature.
| indeed this is the first qualification for
| the business. He fixes upon some ner-
vous player who is losing heavily, and
| notes TO a doller his losses. When the
| player finally quits and leaves the house,
he does not know that he is being fol
lowed, and that the street and number
of his residence is taken. nor does he
know that watchful eye follows him
the next morning TO the bank or office
where he Is employed, and that by noon
of that day every fact in his history is
in the possession of II cool, calculating.
merciless scoundrel. who, by knowing
what he is, has hold on MIN that will
ruin him. We will assume that the vic
tim observed in the gambling house is
the cashier of bank From the mo-
ment the black-mailer spotted him he is
not out of his sight for an instant His
losses are carefully noted, his goings to
and fro are observed and noted, and |
every incident that at all compromises
himis set down with circumstances. For,
be it known, he who CANDLES has other |
vices-in fact the most of the raw men |
at gambling tables are those who have
squandered money not theirs on unlaw- |
full pleasures and they fly to gaming in |
the hope of getting even by a stroke Of |
luck.
When the black-mailer has got points"
enough on his man-that is when he has
facts concerning him, which if made |
known to his employers or family, would |
ruin him-he moves on him. He takes |
him aside and tells him boldly what he |
knows of him, and fixes the sum at !
which his silence can be assured. The \
victim puts ON a bold front and defies \
him Mr. Black-Inailere expects this and \
it doesn't move hmm. He pulls out Of |
his bTeast-pocket a little book, and he |
reads to him that on such night he lost |
-, 900 at John Chamberlin's; on such |
another night 81, 900; on another night |
he was at an assignatiOn house in 22d |
street, with a woman closely veiled, but |
whose name is So-and-So, that moreover |
he pays the board of Miss So-and-so, at |
such street and number; in short the |
black-mailer reads to his victim a com
plete history of his secret life, so me
thodically arranged as to make denial
useless. And after this no denial is
made. He willis and gladly pays the
price demanded.
But it does not end here. Having once
paid he belongs soul and body to his
torInentOr. The threats of exposure, so
efficaciOus the first time are equally so
the second. He comes again and again,
until the dupe becomes desperate and
flies the country.
frequently they do not wait for the
commission of a crime. They select a
timid, nervous man and threaten TO ae
cuse him of crime if he does not come
down handsomely. and in many cases |
they succeed, the victim submitting to !
be bled rather than TO be accused. One |
8 ,,,afah no.
other day. A black-mailer, a graduate |
of the State Prison, accused a clerk of |
stealing from his employer and proposed |
to ''hush the thing" FOR $500. The in
tended victim gave "a seeming assent,
but privately made arrangements with
the police and had the black-mailer ar
rested with the money in his hand. Ii
was fortunate that the clerk had pluck.
Had he yielded to the first demand for
money. he would have found himself
compelled. in time. to pay over to his
accuser every dollar that he could save
or steal.
WOMEN
make the best game for these fellows.
If married woman INDUCES in what,
to her. seems to be an innocent fiirta-
ton. aud happens TO fall into the hands
of one of these men, it costs her dear.
So valuable is her reputation that rather
than have it called in question, she will
do anything. She pays the scOundrel
money, silver ware, jewelry. anything,
as the price of silence, for they imagine
a thousand evils where none could pos
sibly occur. Next to women,
CLERGYNEN
are the favorite victims of black maiIers,
v,rylfffnv, i r.aarrIiar and nm
certain. In their cases, the services of
some fair but abandoned woman are
brought into requisitiOn. Some years
ago distinguished preacher in Il Broad
way church resigned his charge and left
the city broken-hearted. because he had
permitted himself TO be plundered by
band of men and women who had com
bined 10 place him in a false position.
His friends felt that he was innocent, and
Vet they advised him 10 90, because his
weakness had put him under suspicion
He had been sent for TO console dying
woman. and he went. and was ushered
into her rOOm and left alone with her,
and was then surprised by confederate,
who claimed to be the wOnan's husband.
The house was regular trap, the woman
a prostitute, and the two We're black
mailers. but it was enough. He was
weak enough to pay once, and then it
was all over with him. Paying was an
evidence Of guilt, and. innocent Of guilt
a. a child. he was compelled 10 resign
his charge and leave the city. But il did
not end with this His prosecutors fol
lowed him TO his new home and eXtorted
more money. for every step he took TO
relieve himself only put him more secure
Is in their hands. He was compelled,
finally. to leave the ministry. But they
do not always succeed 50 well. Not long
ago another clergyman approached in the
same way, laid very neat trap. and had
his accusers brough to shame. He thus
saved himself lifelong trouble.
The only way IS 10 defy them, and ut
terly refuse to pay. That ends it. They
have no reason to divuIge what they
know: in fact, when their secret i made
common property. il ceases TO have any
value 70 them. They always leave such
people alone.
THE TEMPERANCE REFORM.
has finally struck Trinity Church, This
religious corporation, owning real estate
70 the amount OF millions. has for years
leased a considerable portion Of its prop
erty 70 ruul-Inills. some Of them of the
lowest and yilest order. But the Tenn
perance revival has struck the slumber-
ing cOnseiences Of the trustees. and they !
have deterHIinedtO eLOse out tlIe liqaOr I
shops, rebuild the building, adapting I
them 70 other business. II is we'll. !
Trinity should have done fliis Fong ago. I
The women of the West have accom-