The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-02-21
How the BlaclmdiI Syndicate Works

ANEW YORK, Feb. 2O.-"The Casual
Introduction Black
mail" There is no public announcement
like this, but that New York does possess
blackmail syndicate is declared by
a number of responsible people. Within
the month three men of wealth, to
avoid disagreeable disclosures in court,
have made settlements through their
lawyers with women. In each case
the woman was met at a fashionable
hotel, where she occupied expensive
apartments. Each women was hand
some, exquisitely gowned. had cha
peron and maid, and gave every
outward evidence of being wealthy.
In each case the man who was made
to suffer was a visitor to the city. Two
of them were married men, here on
important business. The other was a
foreigner, whose social positiona abroad
and whose commercial relations in this
country would have been effected had
he been subjected to- the scandal of
lawsuit owing to "a fiirtation7 and esca-
pade with a worpana of questionable
character.
These cases have been shown to be
precisely alike. The. other day law
yer who represented one OF the vic
Tins declared that if his client could
afford to go into court and expose the
game there would be a sensation be-
side which the FayHe Moore case would
have been a mere incident He said
further:
Il have good reason for believing
there are several women, young, beau
tifuI and well educated, bright and
vivacious, who are, making a regular
business of going to the SWEETEST hotels
to live for week or two or three, pos
ing as rich orphans but having in view
no other purpose than to trap wealthy
men, strangers preferred, into COM
promising positions, and then, on threat
of exposure, forcing them into q set
tlement. What is startling about the
affair Is the evidence which / have OBJ
tanned that these women simply are
employees or partners in small way of
a band of INSCRIPTIONS men who
finance the deal and cap the game
along.
The Handsome Young Woman.
IF my information IS correct, and
have every reason to believe it is, for
get 1t from the detectives we en-
ployed In our case, this Is one of the.
ways in which the game is worked
The men find a young woman who is
handsome enough in face and figure
to attract attention in any assemblage,
and who is clever enough in speech
and mind to play the part, and then
they coach her more carefully than
any actress is coached for an impor-
tant production. Not few women
are natural-born adventuresses, and
not few are willing to play any
game, no matter what the character,
for big stakes; but there are not many
who fulfill all the requirements OF the
rascals who are behind this swindle.
In the first place, the girl must be OF
gentle birth, or at least have enough
of the veneer of refinement to fool any
but the most critical of judges. She
must be patient, artfui, and have lots
OF nerve. She must have had expert
ence. She mustn't be susceptible-ex-
cept on the surface must play with
her victim as q skillfuI angler plays
with fish, and-she must obey or
ders.
when the engineers of the game
get such girl they have a prize with
which they can make a small fortune
before she becomes known and the no.
tells bar her out Once a girl of this
sort is obtained for the play and Is
carefully Scn0oleu In her part, the rest
is plain sailing. The. men who are her
confederates, employers, or partners, or
whatever you wish to call them, fire.
quent the swell hotels of New York.
They know everybody and everything
worth knowing They watch the COM
ings and goings of wealthy men as
carefully as the bankers and the brok-
ers watch the fluctuations Of prices
on the stock exchange. They have a.
speaking acquaintance with some of
the best men in New York. One Of
the gang, I am sure, Is member of
several fine clubs. They make few
mistakes, and they know the virtue of
waiting for a ten-strike and not scat
tertng their ammunition.
These men have made 1t a business
OF studying the men of wealth who
come to New York for short visit to
put through a big deal or to pass a
few weeks in the metropolis. They in
vestigate the financial status of these
visitors-at least, such OF them as
they look upon as likely candidates
for their care; learn their habits and
weaknesses; get introduced, If possf-
bic, to the most likely victim Of the