New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-11-14
JAY GOULD

>rc,TtoN-GAINING TINE BY PElSoNA'0 i
,rrrrR-CA ARRIERs AND FIFTY DEiEC'i'io w
ruE wATcm-IHtIR SUCCESS AND D. ho"A"D
WFILEss CONFUSION. oc,
7 Howard Welles, formerly OF NO. "o'
Fifth-ave., was arrested yesterday Tor a'teahP'-
ing TO extort money, or ITS equNMeh', iiO"i
Law Gould. by means of threatening le'telS,
II was learned that all the letters were hldlio"
for Station L, and yesterday nifty uetee''N0'
and fifty letter-carriers watched all tie ,au,p
most boxes in the district. Presently ic't0i
was posted which a letter-carTler louhu !"
directed to Mr. Gould, and at sisl'i u"
tective arrested Welles, who had oTopPe"
in tbe box. The man is well connected III
This city. lie says he wants 10 XIII nlrn90Ni
now.
HOW THE RIACKMAILER WAS CAUGHT.
,,,, rrper LETTER TO JAY GOULD-THE AFFAIR
PLACED IN TIE DETECTIVES HANDs-sPEciahN
LETTERS AND PERSONAL ADvERTIsEMENIS-
PLANS TO CAPTURE THE BOGUE-oNE HUNDRED
MEN WATCHING FIFTY l. TIER BONES
The Editor of The HOU Street Acos late In Ihe
afternoon OF October II received an envelope coi-
tanning an ANONYMOUS note and a sealed letter au-
dressed to Jay Gould The note was brief ana con,
toined tbe simple leouest that the editor would
deliver the iucloscd letter TO MI Goulu,
The communication had been maileu
at Station Z, in Elghth-aVer ao"u'
neon The editor sent the letter TO MI ""u'u
Office. with the accompanying note. The letter adj
dressed to Mr. Gould was an anonymous conhluhi-
cation of n surprising character, and evidently had
becn written bv person of intelligence and educa-
cation II contained some errors III punctuation ana
snelIing inconsistent with its general character rs
If The writer had attempted to conceal his identity
in mart by Stimulating ignorance. The phrases useu
were not unlike those used by tine assassin Guteau.
The letter read as follows:
wIYDsoR HOTEL, Oct 10, 1851.
SiR II is nv painful duty to inform yOu that within
six days from the date of this letter your BODY VIII nave
Won make your peace with God and prepare
for fate which awaits You Ihs is no WISH 4I niue me
to take your life, but am inspired ana rtquese9 ~ te
AIivfng God 10 do so public necessity ana Tor tne
benefit of the community at large You must
undoubtedly be aware that YOU have Dcen Vsc o &
first water all your life, that through your aft cunning
bTthTgbt You nave had no mercy. You have robbed
fhe rich and the poor the father ana the atheres He
dollar and through your vany have brought ruin aud
destruction upon thousands OF families. Al thls
false reports brOing newspapers, making false state
Inents, committing perjury and Dy aIHd u cunning ana ana
small and the Lord says You must pay for all mat
sands ofotR of ohers from pain and destruction.
Your death viii be easy for purpose shooting
ySp Is taroqS sSat Is the not Instant death w give
coup dc grace with the second shot that your death
fbi ia tbreatening letter nor for stockobbing pur
poses for do not own single share qi toeKS 10 GI any my
will OF God and He has chosen me 10 carry this out lie
has applied to me in dream and req ed me to slay
You as public necessity and in doing las assured
me that it is by Divine PROVE. i that am
q public benefactOr. and / have sworn and taken
solemn oath before the ALiyng God that will putyou
saded to have shot you last Friday yesterday
,vben saw Won with Dillon and Sage. had my pistol
al pncie "A
nv ear saving Hold give him time to repent, lest
Now make your peace with God and prepare for the
fare awaits you, and may the LORD nave mercy on
your soul am only the agent OF Ihe lord Tue LoT9
appeared TO again last night and SAID Jay Gould
must surely die" and when reasoned with tie Lord III
IC dream told MIN my life would also be required and
ygouId be Hanged The Lord assured me thdt no hdrn
would become OF that the rope was not made neither
the hemp grown 70 make he M t Iopc 10 ds e VII
and that He would dellverme out or the nads J my enc
mica This is by the express VIII ana command OF God
mat am chosen put you TO death, and have sworn
before the Au-Ilvmg God, the great Jehovah and Re
md kissed the Holy Bible that | will carry
it ont within six days days from TINS a., Gaii II IL
rieet your late al any moment and may God nave mercy
Oh GSSmud sS not have an opportunity within six
dave will surely do the first opportunity that occurs
Law Gould was not overcome with fear when
he read the letter. He reasoned that If any
person had determined to kill him the assassin
would not have taken so much pains to warn him
in advance The ferOcity of the letter seemed
ing to prevent any serious annoyance from
the unknown writer, however, Mr.. Gould
consulted with his broker, Washington
L. Connor and empowered him to take steps to
have the writer of the letter captured and punished
Mr.. Connor visited Police Inspector Byrnes and
showed the communication which Mr.. Gould had
received.
DETECTIVES CALLED N.
The INSPECTOR immediately undertook the task of
detecting the man. Mr.. Gould's Office and house
were watched for few days by detectives in the
expectation that the writer Of the letter would com
nit some act intended to iDtlmidate him. On
October %, with the consent of Mr.. Connor, the
Insoector caused the following Personal to be
published in Ike H9dId:
II the person who sent anonymous communication,
signed "Victm," TO prominent Nast operator, com
paining Of his losses In stocks, w call at ms ONCE or
state where interview can Dc had everything Will be
arranged TO his satisfaction.
This notice was published three consecutive
days before any reply was received. At length, on
October 81, another letter sent to Mr.. Gould's
downtown address The writer this time had
changed his tone completely He said that he had
lost several hundred thousands of dollars through
stock speculatlous. He Implored Mr.. Gould TO aiC
him in regaining some part of his fortune, otherwise
he wrote he intended to kill Mr.. Gould, and theI
TO destroy his own life The letter sent to In
spector Byrnes who published the following Per
s0nal the next day:
Correspondent from Texas can receive advice on ont
security that viii make good all he asks for ana mann
his own way of communicating. 1 have no desire L
have personal interview
TO this the unknown writer replied that he wa
"no fool" and that the only way to communicate
with him OF to aid him was through Personals. II,
had requested that the Personals should be ad
dressed 10 man from Texas" He sent a list o
securities which he said he would hike to buy on
falling market and he wished advice in the Per
sonal column. The Inspector on November 2 pub
Iished the following: