Pawtucket tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 1890-189?, 1891-12-11
N|PPED IN THE BUD.
Workers of the Badger
Come to Grief.
TWO BOLD BLACKMAILERS.
Interesting Story of Their Exposure
and Capture.
TWO BOLD BLACKMAILERS

NEW HAVEN, Dec. 1l.-There is much
rejoicing in police circles here over the
capture OF Sidney Coe and his bride of q
month, Emma l.. Coe. on the charge OF
blackmail. Coe is cream-colored negro,
about IS years old, and his wife is good
looking mulatto woman Of 25. They have
been working the old badger game with
great success and have mulcted some half
dozen or more prominent and wealthy cit
izens out of sums raging from 500 TO
5000 each
Letters Were Sent Out ~
by the woman 70 men who were known 70
possess money and high social position,
inviting them TO meeting at her house on
some pretext or other, and while they were
there the husband would enter greatly ex-
cited and accuse the visitor Of impro-
priety and demand hush money, under
penalty of exposure. Almost invariably
this demand has been complied with, and
the victims have felt grateful to escape
even thus lightly.
The police don't know just how long
this game has been carried on, but a few
days ago a prominent State street wholesale
grocer, j. d. Dewell, informed the depart
ment that he had received strange letters
from woman that looked very queer.
Superintendent Smith of the department
set about ferreting ont the case, which
last night
Reached u Climax.
Thursday Mr. Dewell received the fol.
lowing letter, which he turned over 20 the
police:
se DAVENPORT AVENUE.
do hope yon will come to SEQ me tomorrow
evening ats am alone In very quiet place.
Yous, etc,
EMMAL. Coz.
Acting on this letter the superintendent
of police detailed Detective Cowles and Or
GERS Good and Hackett to entrap the con-
spirators. To do this effectually, Cowles
disguised himself in false whiskers and
made up as "A counterpart Of Grocer Dew
ell, who was known TO the Goes by sight,
At 7:30 last night he knocked at the Coe
domicile. The other officers concealed
themselves near at hand until wanted.
Cowles was admitted by Mrs. Coe, who,
in his clever disguise,
Nistook Him for Grocer Dewer,
and so addressed him. She took him into
prettily furnished chamber and seated
herself on the bed, while the detective sat
in a chair near by.
Then an interesting conversation en-
sued, ana at crltlcal Juncture, sucn as
had worked so successfully In so many
other cases. the woman directed the con-
versation on extremely delicate topics, and
II was at this point that the irate husband
sprang through the doorway and demanded
to know why the sanctity Of his home had
been thus invaded.
He claimed he had but just returned
from New York, having had word from q
Masonic friend that a secret meeting had
been arranged between the grocer as he
supposed the detective to be, and his wife.
He Threatened All Sorts of Vengeance,
even to an exposure in the local papers
and direst social ostracism. and finally
ended a long and threatening TRADE with
demand for 5000 spot cash or its equiva-
lent collateral in settlement.
The detective, true to his part, begged
and pleaded for mercy, but In vain, and at
this juncture he gave the signal agreed
upon with his brother officers who sprang
hastily into the room and put both Coe
his wife under arrest.
1t is expected that the hearing will re-
veal some very interesting disclosures.