The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1879-05-25
FRENCH BLACKMAILERS.
A Regularly Organized Blackmall'
' ing Society In Paris.
How Its Members Worked-The Record OF
Private Lives Kept In a Ledger.

Tho French word for bIackmail Is cItantage,
the application Of the term coming from the
manner In which the vctimizer Is supposed
to make the victim "sing;" an American
MIGHT saw "bleed,' or craftsman might use
the appropriate term "pan out, which comes
from UNDERSTANDING and is very applicable
| to another business IN another sense.
| Paris, at all times of its history, has been
| famous and Infamous for Its secret family
Skeletons and at all times, since literary ro-
| nance has assumed It's present character, the
blackmailer have figured as extensively as
the chld-stealing Gypsies of the middle ages.
with other callings, and enterprise has accom-
pltshed much with the aid of organization
and cooperation. There have been COM
panies engaged in matchmaking, and firms,
supposed to be In mercantile or professional
callings, have actually acquired wealth at
the "spider" business, as some have properly
denominated 1t. The recent exposure OF
Tompetier and D'Omer. keepers OF an unfor-
tunate bureau on the Rue st. Jacques, has
exhumed the character OF the spider busl-
ness, and, at the same time, the characters OF
| many noted men and women.
/ Albert Belot q wealthy merchant, was walk
| ing down the street, when messenger &C
costed him and requested his presence for q
moment in the office of NM. DOmer and
| Tompetier.
"Alone, If you please Monsieur" said the
messenger M. Beot went into the office. and
D'Omer informed him that he was directed.
| nS d. IbWyGI, w DIlHE SuIb dShlISU I'LL Wy IL
certain lady, Of a delicate buff color, whom
| Mr.. Beot had married thirty years before in
the Island of Barbados, where he was then
a merchant.
However, Monsieur said M. D'Omer,
blandly, "your famly-such q noble and
happy family-would be scandalized by hear
ing this unfortunate history brought out in
court, and II you will pay us ten thousand
francs you shall never hear OF the matter
again"
"Give me only ten minutes to think the
matter over" replied M. Belot, who, with his
early adventures In Barbados, had evidently
acquired the readiness and address OF a
shrewd man. At the end of ten minutes, in
stead of NJ Belot with ten Thousand francs,
there came an officer with warrant OF arrest,
and before D'Omer and his partner or his
clerks could secrete anything, the officer and
his assistants had all the books OF the bureau.
hundred entries of business transactions, of
which the following are specimens that will
explain the depth and spirit OF the spider
business:
\ THE LIFE CONVICT.
i MARCH IL, 1874.-No. ID reported that he
domicile No. 81 Rue de Richelieu. He has
attended the family professionally for
eighteen months having been introduced by
friend (No. 25.) Monsieur Laqueer is sew
enty years of age, and Is head OF the firm Of
Laqueer, Viennot and Lomporte. He has
three sons, two of them with him In his bust
ness and one in the banking house of Cherat
81 Co. All are married into families OF title
and are wealthy. One daughter is the wife
! OF the Marquis d'Agular, the Spanish Min
lister. Monsieur Laqueer was taken suddenly
. i'll, and No. 10 was sent for. warm bath
was prescribed, and though No. 10 ought to
have superintendent it, he was excluded, and
the sons we're brought for the purpose. The
, Doctors suspicious were excited, and he re-
solved to understand the proceedings
, "That night he gave the patient q powerful
sOporific, and at a suitable opportunity he ex-
! amined Monsieur Laqueers person. On the
back breast and right arm he bore the brands
OF life convict and the scars of severe pun
ishment. On this information we began a
suit against Monsieur Laqueer Immediately
claiming that our client was married to him
under another name over forty years ago, and
setting up his disappearance, his conviction
of crime, his committal to the bagniO for life
and his subsequent discharge or escape, his
| lremarriage and his present means of support
ing the plaintiff. This brought speedy set
. Element In $4,000.
sTRANGLING A CORPSE.
February IS, 1875.-No. reported that
, Monsieur LIE Blanc Of the Rue de st. p
had died suddenly with very heavy insur.
, ance on his life. No. 2, being an undertaken
was employed to prepare the body for inter.
ment. For two days and nights he kept q
rope tightly twisted around the dead mans
throat. On the third day he removed 1t, and
we waited on the widow and children and
stated that q client to whom the dead mar
was indebted had stated his suspicious that
he was murdered, and the Insurance compa
MES would not pay. The family were greatly
alarmed, and more SO when they saw the
marks Of rope plainly visible around the
dead mans throat. They were evidently sus
picious of one another, aud made up between
them $4,000 francs to keep the matter quiet
After the insurance was received they paid te
us, by request, 10000 francs more"
THE MURDERED PASSENGER
MADAME Charlotte RAINIER, a poor old
woman, came to inquire for a son-in-law
whom she had not seen for years. We pre-
tended to hear from him, aud cleaned these
facts: He had been poor cab driver at Mar
settles, and suddenly inherited large for
|, tune; but 1t was just after the disappearance
OF young man whom he had brought from
miner and had a very heavy trunk. The
trunk was found to contain only rocks; but
we thought, perhaps, that the cab driver
must have helped the passenger to disap,
, pear. We sent No. 80 to Marseilles, and, after
careful researches, discovered the body Of the
where the cab driver had lived. The cat
driver is now an elegant, rich gentleman Ii
7 Paris, but his worth to us Is yearly revenue
of 10, 900 francs"
The entry of NJ Belot's case seems to be the
only one where mistake had been made, az
was the husband Of the buff lady, and hence
the discovery of the inside workings OF the
Information bureau. The two accomplished
, heads Of the house have been condemned tx
, ten years penal labor, and many a man anC
,, woman in Paris breathes freer at the thought
that the skeleton closets are safe from dis
covery.
, Toy Balloons and Cucumbers.
The Journal des Conndissances Medical