The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-08-14
What to Do When Falsely Accused of Crime
The Thing Falsely Murder Theft Burglary Any
Other Felony Is Say Nothing and Send for Lawyer,
By HENRY BRILL, Attorney at Law. New York.

time wrote letters to her. Most Of
them were of so technical a business
nature that they might have been
published to the world without at
tracing the slightest attention. He
met her only two or three times and
then in the presence of some one else.
But there were some half dozen Of
the letters which he sent to her upon
which a sinister construction might
have been placed by the evil minded.
None of them contained a single OBJ
jectionable word or phrase, but they
mentioned the payment of certain
sums of money, which had passed
! through his hands, without explaining
! the wherefore, and each letter closed
| with an expression of interest in the
woman to whom they were written
an expression that upon it's face meant
| nothing more than a chivalrous gen.
tleman's desire to be courteous to one
whom he was striving to assist. That
any other construction could be
placed upon it the Mayor never sus-
pected till some time later.
Threatened Exposure.
One day there came to his Office a
! person who insisted upon seeing the
Mayor alone. This person produced
copies of the letters in question and
| announced that they would be made
| public unless the Mayor paid over sew
eral thousand dollars within a week.
| The Mayor had never had such an ex-
| peflence before and naturally was sur
| prised, puzzled and somewhat alarmed.
He knew that his course had been ire
proachable, but he didn't know how to
| prove it. The publication of the let
! tiers, no matter how thoroughly he
| should clear himself, would make a
mark on the public mind which could
/ never be effaced. For q moment he
| thought of paying the money, but only
| for a moment
Without betraying any surprise, he
asked that the copies of the letters be
! left with him a few days. To his sur
prise this request was granted. He
took the letters to Thomas H. Byrnes,
| then an inspector of police told him
| the story, and after some reflection
said he wanted to have the woman to
! whom the letters were written arrest
ed for attempted blackmail. He real
lied that this would be a desperate
course, for if ever the woman were
tried on the charge the letters would
| have TO come out.
Ryrnes scot Busy"
Byrnes listened, read the letters and
got the Mayor to let him work on the
| case in his own way for four days.
After that he said it would be time
enough to bring legal action. He also
made the Mayor promise absolute ST.
| leilCe III the meantime.
Byrnes got busy" at once. Inside
of forty eight hours he had secured the
record of the woman, which proved to
| be that of an old offender, though she
| had never been caught. For twenty
| four hours longer he had her Swallowed.
Then he sent for her. She went to his
office with apparent fearlessness and
| apparently without suspecting why she
had been sent for.
Byrnes had little to say, but he
spread before her a written account of
her life, which was so damning in its
details and of such merciless accuracy
| that the womans seeming unstuded
| composure deserted her Instantly. She
became almost hysterical.
What do you want me to do, in
spector?" she asked. tearfully.
Sign this he replied, laconically.
what If I refuse?" she asked. after
reading the paper offered, and finding
that it would place her completely in
the inspectors power.
Then you will be arrested before
you leave this place on a warrant
charging you with attempting to black
mail the Mayor"
Brought to Time.
She hesitated, but finally, with
storm of protest, wrote her name at
the bottom of the paper.
Now, bring me the Mayors orig
inal letters inside of an hour"
Again there was a storm of pro-
test. but again she yielded. Next day
he inspector gave the letters to the
Mayor, but the document signed by
the woman was deposited in the po-
lice archives.
Sometimes when falsely accused the
best thing to do is to see the police
and say nothing to anyone else
| Redress for a man falsely accused of
| blackmail lies in prosecuting the
| blackmail in a criminal court and
securing his conviction. Redress for
false accusation at the hands of the
representatives of the law consists in
bringing an action for false imprison-
ment against the officer or officers
making the arrest and securing a
money damage. The law generally
| says that the state itself cannot be
held responsible for false imprison-
ment. Similar redress may also be
obtained from any one who has given
| evidence leading to a false arrest. But
the chief satisfaction lies in your conf
ing out of the fiery ordeal unscathed
and with your name and honor bright
and clear.
Copyright, 1904, by Guy T. Visk-
niskki.)