Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1880-08-14
WOMEN AS BLAcKmAnERs.
Revelations Of their Methods by New
York Detective.

New York Graphic.l
Few persons have any conception of the
extent to which Matchmaking is carried on
in this metropolis, or of the bold and I'M
scrupulous operators who have reaped rich
harvests from timid and conscience.stricken
men, who, in an evil hour, may have COM
mitted some indiscretion, an exposure OF
which would bring ruin and misery to
themselves and their families. The black
mailer is the meanest, vilest, most treach-
erous, enterprising, intelligent, and patient
of the chevalier d'industrie class. That so
| few of them are brought to justice is the
fault of their victims. Their ways are
dark, and they seldom strike without ac-
complishing their end Women assume
the principal role in this nefarious bust
ness but so varied and difficult is the
game that sometimes half dozen men and
women are interested partners in a single
| operation. The woman who plays the
principal part is usually anywhere between
the ages of is and 40, is of necessity
comedy, dresses neatly but richly, is a fine
conversationalist, is coy and modest in de-
meanor, is as wise as a serpent, but by no
means as harmless as dove. The men
mark their victim, lay out the plans, per-
form their allotted share of the crime, and
receive their share of the spoils.
So know of instances of Matchmaking
operations in this city," said one OF the
| ablest and most trusted detectives in the
country to the writer recently, (which,
were | at liberty to give all the facts for
publication, would be the town talk for a
month. l have made their operations a
study, and | myself am astounded at the
weakness of human nature. These people
thrive upon the fears of men and women,
who, by the display of a little courage and
discretion, could have saved themselves
! from the exactions of their tormentors.
| By this | mean that by openly defying
blackmailers, into whose clutches they had
unfortunately fallen, they would have
foiled them. The first step in treating
with them at all is the entering wedge Of
| their misfortunes. | know leading mer-
chant OF this city, man whose character
is spotless, who has for quarter of a cen
fury been one of the leading pillars in one
! of the most aristocratic up. town churches,
and who is credited with being man OF
rare nerve and prudence, who for the past
fifteen years of his life has paid $50 monthly
to a woman whom he knows to be pro-
| fessional blaekmailer. You ask me why,
knowing her to be such character, he
consents to be so boldly and continuously
robbed. He is rich; the woman possesses
some tell tale letters written by him to a
third party, and rather than be exposed he
pledged himself to provide for her in the
manner | have indicated, and he will dc
SO as long as he or she lives.
81 know OF another case in this city
which has proved to be even more disas-
trous The victim in this instance, too, is
widely known and wealthy business man.
He became involved in an intrigue, and
was bounded by two blackmailers. to whom
he paid So, 600 as hush money. He event
ually succeeded in quoting them, but re-
fused positively to prosecute them, although
aware of their character, fearing publicity.
These fends--I can call them by no other
name-have been the cause of the wreck
of fortunes, the suicide of more than one
man, and of untold misery in many fami.
lies in this city. Only a year or SO ago a
wealthy Chicagoan, who had been in6is-
Greet, suffered himself to be frightened by
professional who had become cognizant
of his waywardness. He paid her thou
sands of dollars, neglected his business,
and finally, when utterly ruined, frankly
told her that he had made his last payment
to her. She threatened to expose him,
told him she would kill him, followed him
from place to place, believing that he had
still some money left, and eventually put
her threat into execution and shot him
dead. This is a matter of record. a
short time ago | was called on profession
ally by gentleman who wished my aid in
getting rid of man and woman who had
prosecuted him grlevously. He had met
them at one of the fashionable hotels at
the Catskills, and had carried on fiirta-
ton with the woman, who was young and
fascinating. OF course he had compro-
missed himself, and the result was that he
had been visited unexpectedly by the wo-
mans alleged husband, who demanded,
under pain of the fullest exposure, SIC, 600.
He gave the man his check for 81 900 on
one of the city banks, thinking that was
the easiest way to settle the trouble, and
was assured that there the matter would
end. A month later he received letter,
in which an additional sum of money was
demanded. Realizing that compliance
with his request would render him liable
to further assessments, he placed the mat
ter in my hands. | saw at once that he
had been tine victim of blackmailers, and
Immediately called on the outraged hus-
band, who had come down from Garrison's
that day. and was then waiting to meet my
patron at the Putnam House on Fourth
avenue. He grew highly indignant when
| informed him that he would not get an
other dollar, and threatened to eject me
from his room when | told him | would
send him to State Prison if he further an
noyed the gentleman. l gave him good
choking when he became SO unbearably in
solent, which so frightened the villain that
he has not been heard of since.
"There is not first class hotel in the
city," continued the officer, "that has not
been the scene of the operations of the wo-
man. blackmailer. She either secures tenn
porary quarters through references, some
of which are obtained by compulsien from
influential victims, or manages to gain free
access to the parlor through other lnfu-
ence. Here she singles out some suscepti-
BILE gentleman, coyly firts with him, and
subsequently astounds him with the intel
ligence that her husband has discovered
all, that divorce proceedings have been in
stituted, and that both will be ruined I'M
less prompt steps are taken to pacify her
lord. Usually compromise is effected.
not, however, until her victim has been
heavily mulcted through the fear that his
family and friends will discover his sins
should he resist payment, and figure before
the courts. A rich Texan who recently
had CALAMITY compromised an amour with
the wife of an outraged husband who had
commenced the old game of divorce pro-
ceedings, by giving $1,000 in cash and
notes for Sll, 200 more, discovered that he
had been fooled He went to the hotel in
this city where the couple were stopping,
and, putting pistol to the head of the
man, demanded the return of both his
money and securities. The man quickly
placed the valuables into the Texans
hands, and the latter departed.
''An old but highly successful plan of
blackmailers in this city is to watch GER
tain questionable resorts uptown and
shadow the visitors to their homes. Sub
sequently their victims are served with
subpoena to attend court as witnesses in an
alleged divorce case before referee, where
thav arc reouired fo testifv to the reDuta-