The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1881-11-15
A BAD BLACKMAILER
THREATENS THE LIFEoF JAY GOULD


Dle attempt 10 plUCkLlAll JWS bOu'A HN9
Just been frustrated, and the blackmatler
captured in very clever way, The first
appearance of tho blackmailer was in u
letter to Gould beginning US follows;
"JAY GoULD: Sir-lt is my painful duty
J to inform you that within six days from
the date Of this letter your body will have
returned to the dust from whence it came.
| therefore entrcat you to make your peace
with God, and prepare for the fate which
awaits you, This is no wish Of mine to
take your life, but nm inspired and in
structCd by the all living God to do SO MS
public necessity, and for the benefit
Of the community at large. You
must undoubtedly be aware that
you have been d rogue OF the first
water all your life; that through your artful
cunning and deceit you have robbed thou
sands OF people OF their birthright You
have had no mercy. You have robbed the
rich and the poor, the father and the father
less, the widow and the orphan, indis-
criminately, oftheir last dollar, and through
your villainy have brought ruin and dGs.
truCtion upon thousands OF families. All
this you have done under q cloak by cir
CulatiOn false reports, bribing newspapers,
making false statements, committing per-
jury, and by artfnl cunning and deception.
In laCt, you have robbed both great and
small, Hnd now the Lord saysyou must pay
for all; that your death Is public necessity
In order to save thousands OF others from
pain and destruction"
There was good deal moro Of the same
sort ofstuif.
Jay Gould WIS not overcome with fear
and trembling when he read the letter. lie
reasoned that II any person had deter
mined to kill him the assassin would not
have taken so much pains to warn him in
advance. The ferocity OF the letter
seemed plainly assumed for blackmailing
purposes.
The matter was Immediately put into the
hands OF the police. Inspector Byrnes
caused tho following personal to be pub.
lished In the Herald:
"lf the person who sent IN anonymous
communication signed Victim, to prom
inent Wall street operator, complaining OF
his losses in stocks, will call at his office or
state where an interview can be had,
everything will be arranged to his salts
faction"
This notice was published on three con.
secutiye days before any reply was receiv.
ed. At length, on October 81, another let
ter was sent to Gould's down town address.
Tho writer this time had changed his tone
completely. lie said that he had lost
several hundreds OF thousands OF dollars
through stock speculation. He implored
Gould to aid him In regnining some part OF
his fortunes otherwise he intended TO kill
Gould and then destroy his own life. The
letter was sent to Inspector Byrnes, who
published the following personal next day:
Correspondent from Texas can receive
advice on one security that will make good
all lie asks for and name his own way Of
communicating. have no desire to have
II personal interview"
10 this the unknown writer replied that
he was mo fool, and that the only way to
communicate with him or to aid him, was
through the personals lie had requested
that personals should DO addressed to "a
man from Texas" lie sent n list OF seCuri-
ties, which he said he would like To buy
on Il falling market, and lie wished advice
In the personal columns. The Inspector
on November I'd, published the following:
Texas correspondent must not look for
much more decline. Select SOME other
manner OF communicating. This Is at
traCting too much attention. Would rather
give check" The unknown writer then
sent long list OF securities, with cipher
words to be used in personals, OF stocks to
bC purchased by him. lie wanted Gould
to advise through personal advertisements
unI IN uiVutftt hNt tUnpflu Ut,V, ln,,,,,U n,,,t
"dOwn town." whether stocks were to 20
up Or down. The Inspector, TO gain time,
published personals on successive days. Of
which the following are specimens:
"My friend will greatly Oblige by stating
how heavily you propose to deal. This
important | should know before advising.
Why refuse money!"
'My friend may have sent two, but only
one received. Repeat his first. cannot
recommend either Of the two you mention.
Why not take some other meansOf commits
nicatingP You can select your own way
Will give the advice before Tuesday, II you
send word how heavy you go in, and name
u satisfactory way Of communicating"
"My friend can receive the advice by
Wednesday, at the latest. Let mo give
privilege to protect the operation, SO that
all tho rest Is mine, as some accident may
interfere with my plan, or let me make the
operation and give YOU the result How do
know but that you may give tito others"
Every day, In answer to personals, the
unknown correspondent sent letters. His
cpistles were threatening and imploring by
turns.
While the correspondence was going on
II was noted that all the letters written by
the blaCkmAiler we're sent through station
L. Mr. Gould consented that all letters
coming through Station j. should be de.
livored to Inspector Byrnes. Boxes OH
street lamps In the district where the sta.
ton Is were watched for several days and
nights by detectives, but II was not possible
to detect the rogue In thnt manner without
the assistance Of the postOillce authorities.
The Inspector procured map OF the Ell.
tire district lust Thursday, and formed
plan by which he believed the blackmailer
could be captured. lie applied TO Post
master Pearson for the services Of flity let
ter carriers for one day. After consulting
with Postmaster General james, Mr. Pear.
son agreed 10 furnish the required
number Of carriers to net under tile
Inspectors orders to-day. Accordingly,
Nv Nll tHtlA llJul tIllb nlty ltllSI
carriers, In citizens dress, assembled al
Station Il. They met there an equal NUN.
Der Of detectives, who had been Instructed
carefully as to the work to be accomplished.
The plan Of operation was as follows; A
, defective, accompanied by a letter carrier,
proceeded to street letterbox, and loitera
ed about within one hundred feet OF II. In
this manner each Of the letter boxes was
. watched by a carrier and a detective,
When any person approached the box and
put a letter In, the carrier started for the
box, while the detective kept close watch
on the person who deposited the letter.
. As soon as the carrier reached The box, he
opened IL and glanced at the address.
. Ii was arranged that II any envelope was
. found addressed to Jay Gould the carrier
| should raise his hat as signal 10 the
. officers, and the person who put the letter