Morning journal and courier., 1882-04-08
THE ATTACK UPON CHARLES FRAN
IL. ", ~. ~. LIZ. n

CHS ADAMS AND HIS FAMILY.
The attempt to extort money from the
Hon. Charles Francis Adams and to black
mail his family was very bold and cunning
ly-dev1sed crime. For two years past Mr..
Adams, who is now seventy-six years old, has
been failing in health. He has of late with
drawn entirely from active and social life,
and his memory has become SO impaired
that, while he can talk quite well of occur
rences long passed, he retains little and con-
fused recoIlections of anything recent. AS
he is a man of perfect routine of life, his
family have put off having him attended by
anyone in the streets, fearing that a con-
seriousness of it on his part would agitate and
disturb him, and SO hasten his decline. He
accident had ever happened to him. Appar-
emily gang of operators, who make a--busi-
ness of preying on elderly persons, somehow
became more or less cognizant of these facts,
and worked him for plumber.
When the check given by Mr.. Adams came
to light it was intimated that the person who
took the check from him was willing
to come forward and tell the whole story if
guaranteed against immediate arrest. Two
men appeared and they called themselves J.
S. Morrison and J. F. Norton. Morrison
acknowledged himself to be a professional
banco player and said Mr.. Adams had been
spotted as a good subject for plumber. He
(Morrison) had then joined him on the street
near his house, as he was leaving to take
walk, on Tuesday, March %, at about II a.
m, pretending to be a son of an old political
friend of Mr.. Adams. Making himself ex-
tremely polite, he had asked permission to
accompany him on his walk, and had by de-
grees beguiled him to place on Boylston
street, where his gang operated. On one
pretence or another he had then induced
Mr. Adams to enter the house and room in
which the game of banco was then going on.
While there, he said Mr.. Adams seemed to
be confused, and not to know what was
being done; but he was finally. induced to
sign and indorse three Blackstone for S17,-
500, one for 800, and a third for $780,
the largest one only of which had been pre-
sented for payment. Morrison frankly said
that he didn't think Mr.. Adams knew at all
what he was about; that he fMorrison) had
pretended all through to be his friend, and
that finally he had left the house and walked
home with him, quieting his agitation, and
telling him that the thing would be all right,
and leaving him at his own door. A confed-
crate had then watched and seen Mr.. Adams
presently come out of the house, accompa-
.S,cll l., lol1a
emily quite serene, and go off to drive. 1t
was concluded, therefore, that he had made
up his mind to let the checks be
paid, that the game had succeeded,
and the plumber was safe. The man
then went on in perfect confidence to de-
scribe how he had done this repeatedly be-
fore, expressing perfect willingness to be
brought face to face with Mr.. Adams, and
his confidence that he would never deny the
story or disavow his signature. Norton, it
was professed, had not been present in the
banco room. He had simply advanced Nor
rison money on the check. His only interest
was to get that money back. At the same
time he made no pretense of not being a con-
federate in the banco business, and the two,
with an efrontery which was absolutely
astounding, referred to their numerous trans
actions in this kind of paper" as they
called it, giving even the names of victims,
and describing how, after sufficient amount
of struggling, they always submitted and
paid up. Finally they intimated their per-
feet faith that Mr.. Adams family would sub
init and pay up in this case. They would
never allow such a scandal to be made pub
lie.
But the rascals had made q mistake in their
reckoning. Mr.. Adams at first could not re-
member the occurrences related, but by skill
full questioning enough was obtained fran
him to show the substantial accuracy of Mer-
rison's story. He could, however, in no way
be induced to admit that he had signed any
checks. 1t was determined to prosecute the
scoundrels to the extent of the law, regard
less of publicity. Preparations were accord
ingly made and the chief conspirator was
arrested just as he was leaving Boston on the
Boston and Albany railroad. No efforts, it is
said, will be spared to ferret out the rest of
the gang to which he is supposed to belong,
1t is matter for general congratulation that
the Adams family have not made any COM
promise or shrunk from their painful duty.