Waterbury Democrat., 1901-10-07
CAU0HT N A TRAP.

UliUulIl lH A ittiiss
 This Man Tried to Work Drug
 gist Duncan For $25.
 Claimed He Was an Agent of Law and
 Order League Witnesses and an
 Officer Were on Hand and He Was
 Caught and Locked Up for Black
 mail.
 An agent of the law and order league who says his name is l.. w. Belden and his home in Torrington was arrested this morning ill the ofnce of the Franklin house and is now de- tained at the police station under charge of blackman.
 Belden is an unusually good looking man of about thirty years. He is evl- dently a man of ineXperience in the af- fairs of the law and order league as his conduct following his appearance here yesterday indicates. Early in the forenoon he entered Duncan's drug store 24 East Main street, and asked to see the proprietor. Mir Dun- can presented himself and they with drew from the counter. The visitor then said that he and two others, agents of the law and order league, had obtained drink in the store earlier in the forenoon and that they had per- mission to settle the case without go- A. .fo,a al-fv to court Mir Duncan asked what amount would satisfy the man and it was agreed that S25 would suffice. 1t then occurred to Mir Duncan that it would be inconvenient for him to 'set- tie" just then and so it was arranged that he would meet his visitor with the money in the Frlnklin house this morning The visitor then departed.
 How Belden, if that is his name, passed the rest of the day is not yet known, but it appears that he made no effort to conceal the nature of the bus mess that brought him here. Last evening about 11:30 o'clock he was standing at the corner of Phoenix ave- nue and East Main street. when local sport approaching him, eyed him | in the presence of the one he sought. This done, he applied his right fist to Belden's face with such force that the latter was laid sprawling. The mo- ment he was on his feet again he was again knocked down by another blow from another young man. The marks of the blows he will carry with him for some days in the region of his eyes, which resembles half eclipse of the sun. This time Belden did not wait to ascertain what had struck him upon regaining his feet, but scoot- ed across the street to the store of the man whom he intended to blackmail. There his optics were administered to and he departed groaning
 | Meanwhile MT Duncan had obtained legal advice as to his conduct at the impending meeting with the agent of the law and order league and the ad- vice he carried out thus:
 This morning at 10 o'clock he met Belden as had been arranged. Ber- hard Reilly, drug clerk, was present. MT Duncans attorney and Special Of ficer Hickey were in ambush within a few feet of the agent of the law and order league and his victim. BeIden wanted $25, insisting he would not take penny less. Mr Duncan held out for S2O. There was a good deal of debate as to the price; in other words the druggist was forging the chains around Belden At length he agreed to accept $2O and to give a re- celpt for that sum. A check for S2O was accordingly written out and hand ed over to Belden, who gave a receipt which read as follows:
 Waterbury, Conn, October '. 1901. This is to certify that I have re- ceived this day S2O from John F. Dun can in full satisfaction for violating the Sunday liquor laws.
 l.. W. Belden, agent.
 These papers. check and the receipt having changed hands, Mr Reilly gave the signal for the appearance of Officer Hickey and MT Duncan's coun- sel, and before Belden had time to pocket the check Hickey had snatched it from his hands and pocketed it. Belden was amazed with the rapidity of events. On the way to the police station he asked would it make any
 
 not an agent of the law and order league and he was informed it would not. At the police station he was searched and pawn ticket for a gold ring and a gold watch, issued by H. 1 Jacobs & Go, paWnbrokers, 1O2 South Main street. were found upon him. He was destitute of coin of the realm. He will be tried tomorrow morning in the city court This court has jurisdiction 1 to send him to jail for six months and fine him $1OO or bind him over to the superior court The maximum pen atty is $5 ,OO0 fine or ten years in the state prison. or both.
 The arrest of this man bears out a statement made in the city court 3 l week ago to the effect that this system of snying tends to breed system of salackmaiI.