Connecticut western news., 1881-11-30
AN OLD BLACKMAILING CASE.
The Attempt to Extort Money from
 William B. Astor, Over Thirty
 Years Ago. .....l... .F


 William B. Astor, Over Thirty
 Years Ago. l..t
 The attempt of Colonel Welles to blackmail MT. Jay Gould recalls an at- tempt made in the year 1849 to obtain $50,000 from William B. Astor, the father of John Jacob Astor and William Astor. Early in March MT. Astor, then living at No. s4 Lafayette place, New York City, received @ long letter signed D.. K. Eastwood. It began with the sentence: "Your life depends on your complying strictly with the directions of this letter." The writer said that his father had been mechanic and part ner of John Jacob Astor (the father of William B. Astor, to whom the letter was addressed) from 1914 to 1877 in the manufacture of spurious coins and counterfeit money for trading purposes. The writer said he knew that all the spurious money manufactured had been paid off in the India trade and to the fur-traders of the north. His father had kept an account of this money, which amounted to $2,S0O,00O, and was all made in the three years previous to No vember, 1877. MT. Astor had com- pleted all the transactions, but the manufacturing was done by the writer's father and uncle. They were given $198, ,000 by MT. Astor and were to have each 8 sixth part of the remaining $2. .6O2 900, which was put in MT. As tors hands for safe-keeping. A state- ment of all the transactions, made out by the writer's father and signed by his uncle, had been deposited in the hands of his sister, lest the fraud might be ex- posed. .y... z.. .-...ta .s,... -
 His uncle had died suddenly in Phil adelphia while procuring metal for the manufacture of more spurious coins, and the assertion of @ physician that he had been poisoned had so alarmed his father that he determined to leave the busi- ness, but before he had done so he died suddenly. Among the papers his father left was memorandum of some prop erty MT. Astor had bought for him. The paper said that if anything should happen to him Ohe writer), MT. Astor would call on his wife and turn over to her both the property and the money due her husband from the business. He had never called, and when his mother went to see him about it he de- clared he knew nothing of any money due her. "She then" the letter pro- ceeded, "got the papers containing the accounts of the manufacture of spurious money, and when came of age showed them to me. We were both astonished. I said that MT. Astor had caused the death of my uncle and father, and that [ would be revenged. I obtained $10,- 900 once from your father, but that is gone." The writer sad that a large sum of money was due his father from MT. Astor, and added:
 "I have furnished you and your rela- tives with tenants and servants, and everything is now ready to cause the immediate death of yourself and family and destroy large amount of your property; and it is entirely out of the power of this community to detect or apprehend the why or wherefore, or to obtain any evidence to prevent what is set forth and will take place unless the | following is complied with in strict ac- cordance with the directions: .. "Now, sir, you are strictly forbidden giving any information to any one in relation to receiving this letter or in- vestigating this matter, and also asking any questions of any one for informa- tion, as it will be of no use to you or any one else while you live. As am intimate with you and your family and your relatives. I shall know of it in case you do, and you will only know of the result by seeing and feeling the consequences, which will be too late to recall. Now, sir, my demands of you are as follows: On Tuesday morning, March 6. 1849, wish you to stand at your office door on the outside, with a well-sealed package containing $50, ,OO0 ] in current funds of New York City, in bills of from $50 to $500-none larger. And at the time above mentioned 8 per- son will call upon you and ask if thls is MT. Astor. If your answer is yes, he will hand you 8 package At that moment you are to hand him the above package containing $5O,OOO and say nothing except that 8 gentleman will
 call upon you for it. The person who presents you with the above package knows nothing of this transaction
 neither does he know me, nor the per. son giving him the package to give you
 and I shall never let him know who am, and he will never know the con. I h0 hot Vuin rn0nixyf
 the package from him which you art
 directed to give him."
 The letter was signed B. K. Eastwood I A few days later, M arch 6, the follow ling letter. similarly signed, was sent tt
 Mrs. Astor: -
 "Afrs. ". B. Astor: a-. .h
 ''I wrote a letter to your husband, de mandlng of him $50, ,000, and stated tt
 him the cause of my doing so, which h.
 can explain to you. He can also ex plain to you what is to take place. Bu
 previous to what is to take place yol
 will receive 8 published statement o
 what took place and all the transaction between John Jacob Astor and my fath CT, unless you cause the $50, 900 to b paid, and then there will be no furthe difficulty. If you do not, it will be tn cause of you and your whole famil.
 losing their lives. If you do comply on the morning of March 9 state as fol lows in the morning Herald of tha ) date: $50, 000-The person having ad vertised for $50, GOO can have it by ad dressing A. R. D., this office After see the advertisement I will instruc you in what way I will receive tn money" .. About the same time MT. Astor re ceived letter purporting to have beel written by one of his tenants. Tn xrritar sa;d 4haA zxro ,,o,.ros,n had oaeo.,I