Los Angeles daily herald., 1889-07-10
ONCE TOO OFTEN.
Mr.. and Mrs. Harris Charged
With Robbery.
AMARRIED WOMAN BLACKMAILED
She COnfesses Everything to Her
Hus band and then Swears
to a Complaint.

One of the most sensational cases Of
alleged blackmailipg which has ever
occurred in this city was brought to light
yesterday, by the arrest Of the parties
and their subsequent arraignment in the
Township Court upon the charge OF rob-
berry. The parties to the transaction in
question are Frank M. Harris, his
alleged wife, Belle Harris alias Mays,
and Mrs. Margaret Miller, the wife of
George Miller, wealthy capitalist, who
came to this city about two years ago
from Kansas City, where he has large
landed interests.
For some time past Mr.. and Mrs.
Miller and the Harrises have been liv-
ing in private apartments, unknown to
each other except in q casual way, at
Mrs. Harvey's, on the corner of Fort
and Fifth streets and as Harris always
appeared to be an eminently respectable
gentleman of leisure, and his alleged
wife was invariably pleasant, though
noticeably reticent, no one of their many
fellow -boarders had any idea of their
real character until yesterday.
Owing to his numerous business trans
actions, Mr.. Miller was frequently de-
tanned in town during the greater part Of
the day time, and his wife, who is some
43 years of age, became acquainted with
Mr.. Harris; and this acquaintance is said
10 have eventually ripened into an init
macy of more formidable dimensions.
Harris is alleged to have frequently met
Mrs. Miller down town, and paved the
way to the elimination of the scheme
which eventually resulted in disaster to
all concerned. So we'll did he play his
cards that he thoroughly gained
the confidence of Mrs. Miller,
and on Saturday afternoon last
met her by appointment at fashionable
restaurant, where they lunched together.
Harris by some means inveigled his COM
panion into promise to meet him at the
Ramona, where he had engaged rooms
Nos. 81 and SO. Mrs. Miller returned
home, and after dinner, after her husband
had gone out, left word for him on his
return that she was going to visit come
friends, and would not be back until the
next day. When she arrived at the
Ramona, Harris met her at the foot of
the stairs and escorted her up to room
81. After partaking of some refresh
ments, Harris gave some signal, accord.
ing to the programme agreed upon with
his accomplice beforehand, and at that
moment a woman's voice was heard at
the door leading from room 81. Before
Mrs. Miller's scattered wits could grasp
the situation, Harris had opened the
door and admitted his wife, who,
with revolver in her hand, ran
toward Mrs. Miller and demanded the
immediate payment of $1,000 in cash,
swearing that in case the money was not
forthcoming, Mr.. Miller should be in
formed of the whole affair Overcome
by terror of the pistol, Mrs. Miller finally
compromised the matter by offering her
jewelry, comprising a diamond crescent
brooch, q solitaire diamond ring and
cluster diamond ring, valued in the
aggregate at 81 500, and after securing
these, Harris and his vile left her. Mrs.
Miller dragged herself homewards and
retired to her room, and on Sunday she
became 30 i'll, from the effects OF her
ordeal, that Mr.. Miller recognizing
that his wife was suffering
severe mental strain, insisted upon
an explanation, and gradually she
recovered sufficiently to make a clean
breast of the whole affair. After think
ing the matter over, both Mr.. and Mrs.
Miller determined upon bringing the
guilty parties to justice even at the ex-
pense of the publication of their unfor-
tunste share in the transaction, and on
Monday evening they called upon the
Chief of Police and laid the whole matter
before him. Detectives Jennings and
Bowler were detailed to bring the
Harrises in; and the latter called upon
the woman at her rooms and escorted
her down to the police headquarters,
where, when confronted with the de-
tails of her crime, she con-
fessed the whole plot, and &C.
knowledeing that she still had the
jewelry in her possession, returned to
her room with the detective and handed
it over to him. In the meantime Jen.
nings, who had been watching the house,
met Harris and brought him down, when
he also made confession, compromis-
ing Mrs. Miller's reputation, however, as
much as possible. Mrs. Miller then
went to the District Attorneys office, &C.
companied by her usband, and obtained
q complaint charging both the Harrises
with the robbery of $500 worth of di-
monds, which was sworn to and filed
in Justice Savage's Court.
After being kept in the Chiefs Office at
the Police Station until the preliminary
arrangements had been made, the pair
under the surveillance of detective Glass,
were taken before Justice Savage for
arraignment; and their examinations
were set for p. m. on Saturday next,
at the request of their attorney, T. B.
Brown, ESQ.,, bail being required in the
sum of $4,000 each to insure their
appearance.
This is said to be the fourth case OF
the kind worked by this couple during
their residence in this city; but in the
three preceding, the woman acted as the
bait, and lured male victims to her room,
when Harris played the part of the in
jured husband, with invariable success.
Harris and his partner succeeded in
obtaining the required bonds, Messrs.
Ed. German and Joe Bsyer having con-
sented to appear as sureties, and were
released from custody about p. m.
An incident in connection with the
disgraceful affair occurred few
minutes before s O'Clock last even
ing, when Colonel Miller and
Harris met on the sidewalk in
front of Mrs. Harvey's house. where
both reside. Mr.. Miller made some
remark, which Harris resented, and a
lively fistic encounter followed, during
which Col. Miller received a blow upon
one of his eyes. A telephone message
was sent in to the Police Station and
T o,,o~sob .-oo ad