Los Angeles daily herald., 1888-12-02
BLACKMAIL.
How the weekly Enter.
prise" Was Conducted.
WHAT ITS VICTIMS HAVE TO SAY.
One of the Staff Arrested in Los
Angeles and Taken to San
Francisco.

Officer John Parrott, OF San Francisco
took prisoner out of this city yesterday
regarding the charge against whom there
is an interesting story. The name of th'
man arrested is j. L. Duque and he ant
j. @. Green and w. w. Knott, of Sar
Francisco. have been indicted by the
Grand Jury of the Bay City for libel.
Residents of San Francisco will re-
member paper printed in Spanish and
English called the Weekly Enterprise
Up to few months ago it was published
by Mr.. Wadham, son of the Tax Collec'
tor of the city of breezes, and it was con.
sidered clean, honest sheet, and ac.
eordingly obtained fair share of patron
age. One day change OF management
was announced and from that time
on the policy of the paper appeared to
have changed entirely. Vindictive arti-
cles assailing the personality of prominent
people about town appeared from time to
time, and the sheet soon came to be
looked on as one of ill-repute. The gen.
eral opinion was that it was nothing
more nor less than q matchmaking
scheme, and this it proved to be.
Mrs. D. Howes dropped into lawyers
Office on Market street the other day and
asked for advice. She said that letter
had been addressed to her from the Office
Of the Weekly Enterprise, stating that the
proprietors were in possession of certain
facts in her career which if aired
would be extremely unpleasant for her,
and the note finished by stating that
$3.50 would ensure absolute secrecy.
Mrs. Howes said she wonld sooner pay
the money than have any trouble, but
the lawyer was averse to any such
proposition, and finally the following
scheme was adopted. Mrs. Howes was
to write to the Enterprise and state that
she would pay the money to any in
dividual who would call at her house at
a certain time indicated. The lawyer
would have some one in the room to
witness the transaction, SO that this i'm
portant piece of prosecuting evidence
would be procured, and thus it was
all arranged. The appointment was
made, and pupctual to the minute
man named Bilboy arrived and was ush-
cred to the parlor. The money was
brought into the room by Mrs. Howes,
but in the meantime Bilboy had discov-
cred that he was being watched, and at
the first opportunity took his heels. A
warrant was issued for his arrest, and
steps taken to indict all connected with
the journal.
HOST OF VICTIMS
Then appeared upon the scene. One had
been black-mailed to the extent of 81 100,
another had paid out $500, and one un-
fortunate individual said that four fees of
500 each had been imposed on him. AS
soon as the news of the exposure reached
the newspaper Office its staff proceeded
to make itself scarce in as quick and
efectual manner as possible. The
officers, however, armed with warrants
went hot on their trail, and as a result
Duque, the sixth of the outfit, was ar
rested in Los Angeles yesterday. He
says that he had nothing to do with the
libel beyond the fact that he made up
the forms of the paper, but the charge
is made that he is one OF the proprietors.
He came to Los Angeles directly the
crash came, and hearing that everyone
connected with the sheet was to be ar
rested, gave himself up to Chief Bene-
dict.
81 would have had him anyway" said
Officer Parrot, "for l was on his trail
with his description"
Duque was very nervous and evidently
felt his position keenly. He was modestly
attired in suit of sober black, and looked
as if he might be member of the work
ing staff of a religious publication. 1t is
needless to say that the Weekly Enterprise
is defunct, and those who know anything
about the matter say that its "enterpris-
ing" managers will wish they were too
by the time that the charges against them