Wichita eagle., 1889-04-02
TRAPS FOR MEN.
Pretty Blackmailers And Their
Dupes.
Some of the Many Schemes by Which
Female; Confidence Operators Sue
coed in Bleeding Victims Who
Fall Into Their Clutches.
IN. Cor. Troy On. y Times. !


a woman of scarcely twenty-three years of
age. She was soberly dressed, and when she
raisedher veil modest little face and pair
of jet black eyes twinkling beneath black
eyelashes were seen. With her kid -gloved
hand she smoothed back the hair from the
ugly bullet wound in the temple of tho
dead man, and when she was leaving left
q bunch of lilies on the box. She came
and went as unostentatiously as a sister OF
charity. This woman was Annie Green
vile, who, in connection with Pliny White,
the king of confidence men, was the un =
seen power that drove the merchant to his
grave. Sergeant Frink, of the Central
Police office, said Annie Greenville had a
heart of iron and was tool in the hands
of White. White would never leave man
while there was dollar in him. He was
heartless, treacherous, and cruel.
1t is perhaps an ungallant thing to say,
but in New York and large cities gen.
erall. beauty and blackmail have come to
be associated to such an extent that the
only safeguard for a susceptible person is
to steer clear of good-looking stran gers
altogether.
This blackmail is trade that can only
be piled successfully in the great populous
cities, as there the possibilities of detee-
tion are reduced to a mere nothing, 1t
takes an adroit rogue to be q first class
swindler, hence women, who have more
tact than men, are always chosen to do
the fine work of entrapping the victim.
Once il ihe tolls, the plucking is done by
the male coufederates and is usually an
easy and safe process. Their methods are
many, curious and novel. The latest and
most novel is one recently come to light.
A beautiful and accomplished girl
sought employment in a down-tow busi-
ness establishment run by a father and
son. She managed to entangle both, and
get up an escapade with the young man
which cost him a very tidy little sum be-
fore the end was reached. He wrote her
affectionate letters, made short excursions
round and had lovely time generally,
until one fine morning an elderly ruff.an
stepped up, claiming to be her father. The
idiot was only to glad to disgorge literally
on the spot. Then the ex-charmer threat
en- ed to sue for the recovery of her letters
and balance due on some furniture; to
avoid scandal he paid up handsomely.
Finally, fearing he was to be bled to death
by these vampires, he appealed to the po-
lice. A single visit with promise of ar
rest sufficed to settle the whole business.
A neat trick is for pretty blackmailer
TO enter the store where there are great
many clerks. Once in the store, she plies
ell her feminine arts on the chosen victim
Gone who holds pretty good position, and
whose circumstances she has learned
something about), and engaging him in
conversation, lets slip some stray remark,
which she emphasizes with her eyes. 1t
he smiles and retorts in the same vein, a
point has been gained. After that the
conquest is not difficult. A visit or two,
a matinee, an opera night, and then some
fine day my lady sails into the store like
some Spanish pirate bent on plumber. A
hurri ed talk; the man looks glum, but
hands the money the ensnarer has de-
manded. After that she rends him regu-
Iarly, only at shorter and shorter inter
walls, until something "goes bust" as the
saving is Either she gets in jail or a big
scandal breaks out, or possibly he defes
her; but as rule he hasn't the pluck to
do that, and in many cases the pay pro-
cess goes on for years.
A well-known editor of much brilliancy
and sagacity on the metropolitan press
was badly done for some time 40 by a
pretty little widow. She first called on
him, and her woful tale, backedi by her
girlish face, enlisted his svmpathies in her
cause. Then came requests for theatre
4,
the compliance in which he generally sent
a gallantly worded note. On the strength
of,these letters and a confederate it cost
him 81 900 ins-tv of three months. He was
too sensitive to public opinion to hand him
over to the police, and had not a friend OF
his stepped in and grappled matters with
an iron hand he probably would have been
O. victim to-day of either her greed or lies.
Hereis another case: A Broadway mer-
chant who makes a speciality of silks and
setins has dark room fitted up in his
store where he can show the effect of gas
light upon his goods. One day he escort
ed a lady to this room to show fine piece
of satin under the gas jet. Hardly had the
door shut upon them than she tore off her
bonnet and sacQue and fiinging her arms
about his neck shrieked at the top of her
voice. The clerks rushed in and saw the
boss str ggling with a beautiful lady
whose clothes were half torn off her back.
Here was pretty kettle OF fish. 1t cost
$500 to hush the matter up, but he refuses
to enter that room with lady unless ac-
companied with a cash boy now.
There is no limit to the resources of the
business, and, like Mulberry Sellers eye-
water. ''there's millions in it" They
have been known TO invade private we'd
ding and come Off successful. Women
Invariably are the principals Men sus-
pect men always, but they are cons um-
mate fools enough never to suspect q
handsome woman. The glamor of her
face, the witchery of her eyes, and the
soft ripple of her tongue is too much for
their senses. and their suspicion is lulled
until too late to be OF any value. One
meets these women every where-at the
theater, on the cars, in the street. The
summer boarding-houses and seaside re-
sorts are favorite stamping grounds for
them. Saratoga is full of them II season,
and not long since / knew Of one who en- .
tertained two clergymen-one Bishop in
the Episcopal Oh urch-with their wives
at a coy dinner. OF course the guests
had no idea of the true character of the
charming" hostess, and perhaps some
day, when l write up her brilliant but
checkered career, they will rub their dear
old ecclesiastical optics.
The Emptiness OF Life.
pAi- NrS
Your journey from Chicago has probably
fatigued you"
well, yes; and then | feel terribly dis
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