The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-03-25
PARIS BLACKMAILERS
NEWSPAPERS IN THE GAY CAPITAL
FesTER THE PRACTICE.
Reporters Poorly Paid and Hungry
Employees Driven 40 Exact Hush
Money from the Victims.

Paris Letter in New York Press.
You have heard. In New York. OF the
equanimity with which the journals OF Paris
receive brides. There was a notorious case
recently In that OF Jacques 81. Cere. a Ger
man posing as a Frenchman. and Partisan
correspondent OF a New York newspaper. IL
was as aggravated an instance as German
cupidity and French methods OF journalism
could affort. That. by the way-that of Paris
lis the Journalism which almost every
American comes here from Europe AID de-
clares is the ideal journalism. In no country
except France has ~blackmailing become a
high art How it Is worked" is a curious
study One OF the boulevardiers gave some
points the other day. in a cafe In the
Rue de la Paix. on how blackmailers brought
into disrepute a serious and honorable voca-
ton. 1T is peoples indiscretions." he said.
mot their crimes. which make the business
OF the blackmailer easy and lucrative"
Paris newspapers pay small salaries. For
what New York newspapers pay s.. tbs
Paris journalists pay for news matter only
s.. 1t is the defense OF the Partisan re-
porter that he cannot live on his salary alone
He is to Journalism what the shyster Is to
law. Being far from brilliant, he has to get
money as he may. "A man with an empty
stomach" said the boulevardier. lis not like
ly to be too particular concerning his honor.
Any man will steal bread when starving"
Besides, to give the rascals their due,
they run certain risks. Par example. a
S Ssse MONSTER | aass R z! ae n know sSsac at , Ss sssi
know the paper. Well, ne was dining-or
pretending TO dine-at the Cafe r. one
Of a well-known Deputy come in accom-
panied by a young fellow not much older
than herself. The two OF them assembled
private supper rooms. ". was all excite
ment Monsieur ie Depute was absent in
a sns SOUTH ss 1;sa hs xns Ssa Herr . rs,y wss E income sSanaa,;
| golden opportunity for extracting blackmail
to an almost unlimited extent. He waited
people came down. She was excited. ne
solicitous lest she should take cold. Pacing
her opera wrap round her shoulders most
carefully. When they had gone X. ques-
! toned the waiter who had served them.
The gentleman had asked not TO be dis
turbed, and the lady seemed extremely at
tached TO him. What had he witnessed2
Oh, it did not do for him to be indiscreet-
He was not going TO risk losing his sltua-
ton by telling. " was satisfied. Here
should madame and monsieur dine at the
cafe next evening or again IL would be
worth Jacques's while to let him x-) know.
guess. me dispatch" resumed my inform
ant. 'of a letter Informing young madame
that that her asd visit sst 70 n the s cafe ,s 1as a s'sss "a me me
private supper room would have 10 be made
public, unless she liked TO compromise the
again. and %inciosed the copy Of the pro-
ceived a. letter from the lady. asking him 10
lie. He did so. and was shown into the hus-
bands study; What passed ,, ! hean n1.d rEom "a;
received the choice of being shot or caned,
and he discreetly chose the latter: He issued
from the house IN the avenue Champs Ely
sees a sorer IL not a wiser man.
I'm this case the mysterious escort was the
woman's younger brother. A dinerent end
ing had the lndiscre sIss,s Of a y1an svs Ml rs "a, de
marriage. She had made a brilliant match:
her family were elated. On the night before
de G.. was found dead on her dressing room
floor with a facon OF morphine empty beside
her. She had had a misfortune. poor girl.
PARENTS and she had hoped-been. success
fully hushed up. Letters found in her escr1-
toire showed that some one had discovered
the scandal and vas attempting TO blackmail
her. demanding an impossible sum as ths
price of silence.
scroundels' hands by want of frmness. Ny
self? Oh. yes. l lost my first position ow-
ing to a blackmailer who wrote accusing
me and offering manufactured proofs al
the same time, OF dangerous political ten
denotes and gross misconduct i don't think
the editor was working for believed the
man. and / was dismissed.
You would scarcely believe IL. bu. some
of the srnf'o- Derers are positively SUBJ
ted by these ~blackmaIlers: OthsrwiS
they (the b<cAansIcfsD would have "a
medium for the insertion OF their para
graphs. Let US see.' ne took up a low pa
per. Yes; here IL one: Who. all Paris
Ohis is artfuD Inquiring. was the hand
some cavalier with Nine. r.. at the opera
And would Mons b.. absent. poor fellow,
on business in Nantes. lie delighted 10 have
witnessed the petit scandale?" In a das
or two madame will receive a letter in
timating that a more plain-sooken and
icsely Identifying paragraph will appear
unless she likes TO compromise-that IL. PAY
handsomely. II there Is anything In the
suggestion she will. a thousand chances ID
one, pay. If there is nothing. unless she Is
an unusually firm woman, she VIII 10 the
same.
lone or two papers l could mention are
supposed TO be run by a blackmailI1g syn
dictate. one OF the members OF which has
boosted that a we1i-known cleric paid no'
lower class Of actresses who have rot yei
either quite lost their characters 1T be
come Indifferent to scandal src paying vic
tins. Whilst I was temporarily editing q
paper some FIVE years ago . prominent &C
tress, who Is proDrietress OF a awe.. b.
none too respectable. restaurant. Offered M
sl.0oo il I would suppress some poiioe pro
ceedings."
Vanity. no less than indiscretion. support
the Partisan biackma!ler- New Yorker
who are prone TO criticise their newspaper
should be tharkfui that they are AT an,
rate honest. and their writers well paid.