Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1886-06-09

ing at an alarming extent. But
few years since, it was a common
saying that crime was confined to
people. 1t was always a
to make such a declaration.
The statistics of Paris. in 1884, place
the number of people tried in the
courts of the city for high crimes at
4, 4,227, of that number 3,014 could
read and write.
THE MURDERS
in Paris during the winter have Of
ten reached to three or four a week,
and in nearly half the cases the task
of finding the perpetrators seems to
be hopeless. Many of them have
been under circumstances of singular
atrocity. Husbands have killed wives,
wives have killed husbands, lovers
have slaughtered mistresses, mothers
have slain their illicit offspring, while
murders for theft and as
for revenge have been
common.
THE KNIFE AND PISTOL
are far reader weapons in refined
and cultivated Paris than in the most
lawless of mushroom cities on the
border. But what seems
to alarm Parisians more than any
thing else, since it indicates a mean
er and baser degree of turpitude than
ordinary vulgar crime, is the increase
of blackmailing.
BLACkMAILISa
has become fine art, and threatens
by its extent and powers OF organi-
zation to dominate the city. There
is the master blackmailer and his
subordinates always working in col
lusion. They exploit every imagin
ary lead which is supposed to con-
ceal shameful secret. One is the
skeleton closet which is said to exist
in every household. The chief writes
to the head of the family, You are
hiding from the public such or such
a secret, by revealing which you
would be ruined. l know all, but
my silence is valuable. If you show
this letter to the police you are lost. )"
THE DISCARDED MISTRESS
in Paris is otter a very undesirable
person to deal with, since she has
bad habit, when her lover is saout to
marry, of threatening vitriol or an
exposure to the proposed fether-in-
law,
THE GREEK,
or cheat at cards, is a veritable
mine for the blackmailer, who, when
he notices fraud at play, approach
es him and says, '.Divide, or 1 will
denounce you" The Greek calls
this kind Of blackmaler ''blocdsuck
er."
GAMBLING CIRCLES,
which are numerous in Paris, are the
scenes of great scandals, which often
lead to their being closed by the po-
lice. To these the blackmailer obtains
entry, and, by threatening exposure,
secures surprising results. Two per
sops are said to have made an excel
lent living out of h sin gle club for
the past five years.
THIEVES BLACKMAIL
other thieves. They accept first
part of the plunder and then make
frequent demands afterwsrd, threat
ening to reveal the crime to the au
thorities. A curious story is told
bearing a close relation to this form
of the crime. A member of an hon
orable family at Lyons was employ
ed by a merchant supposed to be
equally honorable. The young man,
whose pleasures do not appear to
have been extravagant, appropriated
ninety cents belonging to his employ
er, who, pretending that he did not
wish to disgrace the clerks family,
asked him to sign two checks for
$4,000 and S10,000respectively. The
young mans family would have paid,
but the matter coming to the atten-
ton of the police the merchant was
arrested and brought to trial. Black
mailing by means of commercial
agents or agencies or those who pre-
tend to be such are common. Coach
men, garcons of hotels and restau-
rants and class of self styled jour
nalists have habit of watching the
given by indiscieet la
lies to their gallants and then fur
names and details to the
blackmailers, who often succeed in
the victims profusely.
STRING BEANS.
The man who has been once i'm
prisoned and desires to reform is
called in the argot of the thieves of
Paris ''string beans" He leaves pris
On, goes to some place where he is
and secures honest employ
nent. Scarcely, however, is he warm
in his place when he is confronted
oy one of his old associates, who de
nands a douceur as the price of 81
lence, a request to which he usually
yields, or he gives up his situation to
seek another in another department,
only to meet the same obstacle again
little later. Between the surveil-
ance OF the police and the persecu-
ion of HE old associates the reform
'f first offender seems quite as
lard as Victor Hugo has painted it
n Lies Miserables. or as we see it
rom time to time portrayed Oh the
stage. But the forms of the crime
re numberless. There are certain
If the class who, having remarked in
ome respectable person a real or
offence against good taste
II good morals, pretend to be con-
ected with the police and threaten
us arrest unless he pays literally.