Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1891-07-02
ATTEMPTED BLACKMAIL.
TWO MEN ATTEMPT THE GAME
ON CASHIER SMITH.
The Result is They Are Arrested and Placed
in Jail-The Charge u Serious One.
How They Were Detected.

| A bold attempt at levying blacklna;i was
/ made upon A. B. Smith, cashier OF the
! Merchants national bank, yesterday fore
| noon. The result was not exactly what was
| anticipated, however, and the Two fellow S
| are now playing checkers with their noses.
| Shortly after the bank opened yesterday
| morning two men entered the bank and in
| quired for Mr.. Smith. They were shown
! to his compartment behind the railing, and
one of them, who afterward gave the name
| Of Harry Chapman, said:
1--WE would like TO see you privately for a
few moments: This place is rather public -
1t is private enough for me-" said Mr..
| Smith, especially in talking to strangers -
WELL" said Chapman, 1--WE have been
watching you and this is the result With
That he took two leaves out of a note book,
which he handed Mr. Smith. One of them
contained some notes in pencil, the other
being written in ink and evidently tran-
scribed in full from the pencil notes. The
following is copy of the ink-written notes.
with the exception of the names Of the la
dies, as it Is not necessary they should be
dragged into the affair:
TUESDAY. June 30. 1891.
there at 900 and went TO bank cor Main &
9th street; did not leave there up to pm !;
went over to Smiths house; Tucker st !;
was successful in finding room and board
Telegram was received by her while there
and although doing my utmost found it iins
possible to find the senator. Received pos
tive PROOF OF 1t being an designation house.
The woman now in possession of the house
claims to be a Mrs. -; went to lunch
3 p. III. Saw Smith talking to party (male)
after leaving l trailed him TO 1905 Main
street, a small building with two signs, one
dressmaking, the other furnished rooms,
after inquiries found her name to be Mrs.
- and having passed under the alias OF
M m M Df, -ptn +,,ai,
HARRY c.
Mr.. Smith glanced at the notes, and as he
did so one of the men said: ''These CON
tain something very damaging to you How
much is 1t worth to you TO have it
suuelched.
Mr. Smith reached down in the drawer of
his desk and got out his gun Leveling
it at the astonished men, with the remark:
You arc the men have been looking for. ]
Sit where you are until l can get policeF
man. He then had one of the clerks tele-
phone for an officer, and Officer Kits re-
sponded.
During the interval Chapman protested
1t was mistake, that he only intended to
warn Mr.. Smith, but that gentleman could
not see it in that light and will prosecute
them to the full extent of the law. Chap
man and his pal, man named Abrams,
were placed in the county jail and will have
their preliminary trial Monday.
From all THE GAZETTE reporters could
learn from various sources it seems that
Mr.. Smith has been expecting some such
break for the last two days, and that deep
laid conspiracy had been formed to get him
implicated in divorce suit, possibly
as correspondent, in which, while &C
qualnted with both parties, he has nothing
to do. These people found in some way
that detective named McKane was work
ing upon the divorce case in order to get
evidence OF damaging nature against the
woman and that they concluded
they could ensily bluff Mr..
Smith into paying them for
their silence under the pretense of working
for McKane, and that this matter, which
was evidently gotten up as though to be q
report to the detective, who was in Dallas,
to be given him on his return was one
that Mr.. Smith would be only
too glad to buy in order, to secure their 81
lence.
As to Mr.. Smiths movements that after
noon and evening, it is only necessary to
say he left the bank between and O'Clock
and went to the Elks' club room TO dinner
AT dinner he met a friend, q physician,
and about - O'Clock pei the. two, ae-
drove out to Lake Como. They remained
there until the concert was ended,
returning to the city between 10 and II
O'Clock. The whole thing is ridiculously
absurd, and while it does not worry him it
is rather annoying to have his friends max
ing remarks about his being .'shadowed''
and being considered sufficiently ''soft'' to
be worked by olackmailers. However,
they have in this case, barked up the wrong
tree, and the aesult evidently is not what
they looked for
Il you wpt
Your groceGies deliDefed promptly
Trade with UH & Dingee,
Wholesale @ letail grocers.