Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1884-08-25
Ward as a Black mailer.

MAhlS0 Use Of THREATS ~ GET OUT OF JAIL.
In relation to the suit recently brought by Mr..
Wm H. Bingham, against Frederick Ward for the
avowed purpose OF OBTAINING the young hnancier
In Ludlow street Jail, the New York Times says
that a gentleman thoroughly cognlzant OF all the
tiatiOnS follows:
senator Thurman told me month or so ago,
that whoever was chosen President in November
would make stupendouS political blunder II he did
not make Ferdinand Ward Secretary OF the
Treasury, as he was without doubt the most sue
Is not only inancier, but his methods, as revealed
since his Imprisonment, show him to be colossal
cOnSpirator as Well"
The facts in regard to Mr.. Bingham's suit are
these "Mr Bingham put In about $51 900 OF his own
and much larger sum belonging TO relatives and
friends. When Mr.. Tappan brought his suit, re-
ham. realizing that the assets OF the firm were abb
solutely nothing, concluded not to engage in any
litigation looHing toward the recovery OF his ad-
vances. He did nothing until he ascertained that
Ward was negotiating with Mr.. Tappan for the
withdrawal of the suit for $500 600 brought by Mr.
Tappan against Ward which negotiations il sue
cessful would result in the release OF Ward
1.-The manner OF bringing Mr.. Tappan to consent
to Wards release was the boldest that can be con-
dashing and reckless SPECTATOR he has been
thought, but a cool, calculating schemer who had
from the start realized that detection was certain
and had taken every precaution to protect himself
and at the same time get away with the doodle
Through his associates Ward represented to those
acting on behalf Of Mr.. Tappan that it was useless
to keep him in JAIL that he had saved nothing out
OF the wreck, and that during all the relations
which had existed between them he had preserved
every scrap OF correspondence which had passed
between them. not only that relating to business,
but that on purely social matters also. There were
many things In these notes that would, 1t Is said
seriously compromise MIR. Tappan II their contents
should become known. Mr.. Tappan, 1t Is said,
peremptorly declined 10 b. driven by these threats
into consenting to Wards demands, stating that
there was absolutely nothing In the correspondence
that could Ia any way damage him.
"Mr bingham feared, however, that Mr.. Tappan,
whose health Is at this time very precar0uS, might
he 1hd0ced 70 compromise the claim in some way
and permit ward to escape and consequently he
lblnghaml concluded to bring his suit and keep
Ward III the tolls lie also wants TO bring the suit
TO show that Notwithstanding Wards threats he
cannot get away With his piunder. That he has
Sucn nOard somewhere is manifest from the short
duration OF us operations and from he methods by
which ne mas attempted to coerce Mr.. Tappan. and
further Dv 1act which think has not yet been
made public. On the morning before his failure
Ward went to the Marine bank and by some sort of
representation to Fish obtained 1900 600 in secur-
Ties, which have disappeared entirely without any
thing TO show what became OF them. Altogether
these latest developments tend to show that the
failure. instead OF being such, was gigantic con-
spiracy entered into by Ward and his confederates
who have called threats into play when they found
Misrepresentation would not answer their pur-
poses have been informed that Ward has Dur.
sued the same plan OF methOdically preserving and
ming away all the correspondence between himself
and the large victims in his schemes that he did
with Mr.. Tappan, and that he has relied on this to
force silence and buy their consent TO his release
whatever ntigations may be brought"