The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1893-08-18
ATTEMPTED BLACkMA|L.
S. F. HolbroOk, Formerly of this
City, Victim in nOst
Remarkable Case.
At the Point of a Revolver He
Is Forced to Sign Four
Notes for $4,000
Each.

Il
a lengthy account of what appears to
be an aggravated case of blackmail,
in which S. f. Holbrook, formerly of
this city,iS the vic tim. Fred Chamber
lain and a woman named Mrs. dublin,
were the parties to the plot, it ap-
pears that Mr.. Holbrook, who is about
70 years of age, was enticed in to a
house in Minneapolis by a woman,
taken to her private rooms upstairs,
confronted by man who passed for
her husband, and for an hour put to a
torture that cannot find it's parallel in
the authenticated criminal history of
the West.
The story as it comes from Mr.. Hol-
brook appears below. At first he was
inclined to hush the matter on
account of the unpleasant notoriety
it would bring, but his friends to
several OF whom he told the story,
would not consent. Last night until
after midnight the mayor of the city,
the lieutenant governor Of the state,
and other prominent citizens, worked
on the case, in the end bringing a
confession from the woman and in
ducing the man, Fred Chamberlain,
to disgorge some of Mr.. Holbrook's
jewelry and money, taken from him
at the house while the attempted
blackmail was in progress. The
woman says the plot has been un-
der way for weeks, and that it was
understood between her and Cham
berlain that HOlbrOOk was to be
brought into the house, placed in a
compromising position, before witness,
if possible be bled for all the money
that could be scared out of him. The
! jewelry and 81 in cash, and several
promisory notes, which Mr.. Holbrook
signed with the wrong initials, are all
the blackmailers secured.
MI. Holbrook is director and men,
Der OF the finance committee of the
bank of Minneapolis and also has
charge of the .offices in the building.
According to his story, it was Aug.
IA when he received letter from the
woman in 1.-THE case, Mrs. dublin. 1t
was handed into his office in the bank
building just before the circus parade
made it's appearance on the street:
"Mr. Holbrook: Will YOU please
call at my house on your way to
dinner. l want to see you. Mrs.
dublin"
On his way to dinner he stopped at
the house and was met at the door by
Mrs. dublin, who apologized for not
being able to see him at once and
asked him to cali again on his way
back down town at p. m.
1t was near O'Clock when Mr.. Hol,
brook raped at her door the second
time. Mrs. dublin opened the door
and asked him to come In. She stat
ed that the rest of the family had
gone to the circus and requested Mr..
Holbrook to be seated. She then be-
gan the conversation and made
some advances, which Mr.. Hol-
brook states he did not encourage.
In the course of their conversation,
she told him, in an altogether incl
dental way, that some time pre-
viously she and one Fred Chamber
lain had been married in Milwaukee.
The ceremony was secret one,
she said, because her husband was
not in very good financial condition
and wished to better it before inform
ing her relatives Of her marriage.
Chamberlain was travelling man,
she said. and would be home in about
Is days,
Mr.. Holbrook was sitting one side
of the room and Mrs. dublin was Sit
ting in another chair facing him Sud
denly the form of man appeared in
the doorway.
''My husband!" shrieked Mrs. Zub-
lin, as she rushed to the door and
tried to shut out the intruder. But
the intruder was not to be shut out
and forced himself into the room. He
was big husky fellow and appeared
to be in towering rage.
what in the - are you doing
with my wife," he exclaimed, strid-
ing across the room to where Mr., Hol-
brook was sitting.
"We were talking" said Mr.. Hol-
brook
You lie, you gray haired old ras-
Cal, said Chamberlain, land I have
caught you in pretty fix. l want
you to know that I come from the
west, where we don't try such men as
you. we just kill them" And as if he
were about to suit the action to the
word he drew big re Yolver.
Up to this time, Mr.. Holbrook had
not been inclined to feel that his po-
sition was a perilous one AS he
looked down the muzzle of a big 49,
calibre revolver, however, he began
to believe that he was in the hands |