The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-04-28
BLACKMAIL PRISONERS WIFE.
YOUNG WOMAN ~ THE TOLLS or
Notorious DELDEN PAIR.
Letters Written In Sing sing by smuggleT
captain give Hint 20 ThieVinB Ser
want -Slenth MokennA scents case on
Park HOW-F1nds IL In Post once.

10 discovery OF hAfuhearted enoft 70
oIackmail the wife Of prisoner by work
ing on her love for her husband, who n In
ning sing There we're some people around
foice Headquarters yesterday who hoped
mat Inspector O'Brien would realize that
Mchenna'H discovery was not all luck
but they we're doubtful.
mchennA was one Of three men who were
sent down 10 Park row 10 look for pick
pockets In the crowd which spends the
afternoon watching tho baseball bulletins,
ms companions followed two pickpookets
on down BeekmAn street, with a general
view to finding out what they we're up to,
Along came q woman whom McKenna had
seen at headquarters at one Of the morn
ing exhibitions Of the faces Of the wicked
which have been part OF the days pro-
gram there from far back In police annals.
he had only seen her once. but she wasn't
hard TO remember. She looked 60 years
Old was slouohy and had a sniveling Il
oidnt-do-it-honest-rnister- sort Of look
Mokenna followed her into the Post
Ofhce. Near the elevator the slouchy
woman was bounced upon by trim, slender
young woman. There was a quarrel right
away. McKenna walked into Il.
What's tho nlatter7' he asked.
Why, this woman robbed me last win
ter. said the young woman. I haven't
seen her since
The slouchy woman tried to run away.
Mckenna held her He explained that he
was policeman. Then the young woman
told her story, She was Mrs Irma @. Hart,
and her home WAS at 1884 Fulton street
Brooklyn. Last December she hired the
slouchy looking woman, who was Sarah
Beden, a. a servant. Sarah Belden had
LETT after two months, without any warning
an Mrs. Hart found that about ti5O worth
OF ellVerwafe and gold watch were missing
Mis-, Belden seemed very anxious TO get
away from McKenna IL was no place TO
talk over matters, there in the Post Office
she suggested, She assured Mrs. Hart that
she could explain everything. and there was
no need to bring the police into il. She
began 10 hint that IL Mrs. Hart insisted on
making fuss the consequences would be
herself. ~
McKenns priokedup his ears, he wanted
to know why a Brooklyn crime was being
fought out In the New York Post Office
Why, he asked was Mrs Hart in New York;
Mrs. Hart didn't care TO tell. Mrs. Belden
encouraged Mrs. Hart In refusing TO coll
In her anxiety TO get away Mrs. Belden con-
fessed, Mokenna says, 10 the theft Of the
watch and the slverware and showed i'm
patience because she was not arrested and
hurried on TO a police station. McKenna
stayed right there and demanded TO know
why Mrs. Hart was there. Then Mrs
Hart told some more.
man went to her on Wednesday morn
ing, she said, and said that he was a repre-
sentative OF a New York law firm. He
said that he knew that Mrs Hart 3 husband.
Capt. Stephen n Hart, was serving a two
year term in Sing Sing Prison on convio-
ton for smuggling by the Federal authori-
ties. Hart had been skipper Of the schooner
Acacia. The fellow asserted that the
prison authorities had found out that
Capt. Hart was sending letters 10 his wife
by the aid OF guard named
Spencer, and that as a result Spencer was
under arrest and Capt. Hart was In solitary
in a dark dungeon on a bread
and water diet. he was only allowed TO see
daylight for one hour in six days and would
undoubtedly die in q few week.
The lawyer said that he was oble. by
means OF pull he had at Sing Sing. to
get prison physician 60 certify that Hart
ought TO be in the hospital, and 10 bring
about Har's transfer from the dungeon
o a comfortable hospital cot ana Keep
him there for the rest OF his term. The
lawyer said that there was nothing i'm
he case for himself, but that he was a
nend Of the guard, Spencer. II would take
u 900 t. bride the physician
Mrs. Hart, who was all torn TO pieces
With grief and fright, walled that she
lsdl't 81, 900
Have you $500" asked the man.
She had not. All she had In the world
vas 500 in the Seamen's Savings Bank.
he man said he would try 70 SEQ il the
hing could be worked for such a paltry
UNI. But he must have a dol lar 10 nav
or telephone tolls TO OssininR TO arrnnee
latters' Mrs Hart gave him the. dollar,
nd he went away. He was back carly
esterday morning. Everything was al
Ight, he said, except the final arrange
lents. He got 81 20 paw telephone tolls
J perfecting these final arrangements,
Ie also made Mrs. Hart swear TO this az
davit
l., Irma Gertrude Hart. being duly sworn.
o hereby certify that | have never at any
me. received any Legitimate letters from
~ husband. stephen y. Hart, at present
lnhned In State Prison at Ossining, New
ORR.
Mrs. Hart confessed that she swore ~
iis before Notary Mansfield Hunt in Brook
N, though she knew when she swore 10
that II was false. The lawyer man told !
N that u was essential TO her husbands /.
elfare that she should. Then, yester- |
ny at noon, she had come over 90 Man
attain 10 draw her 500 from the bank
I'd meet the lawyer at the Post Ofice.
sftN' AlNAA al htlAltlA = IIblebtH tIlAl she
as faint and III and one or two efforts 10 3
reak away by force, MCKenna said he .
ould wait and see the LAWYER" A thin. .
lex appearing young man in black came I
? TO Mrs. Hart She nodded and
ckenna grabbed him and took the
hole crowd 20 Headquarters.
There the lawyer was recognized n,
NEST Belden, a thief and forRer. who
I'd served terms in the Emira Raforma-
~, In the Kings county jail, in New York
ate prison and also In the New Jersey
ate prison. He robbed his employer
j. Tiernan Of As Wa ] street, In 1859; no
rindled II. O'Neill a Co.. dry goods NOR
ANTS, In 1891; he was caught with Sarah
4, Belden, his wife, in a robbery Of a house
here she had been a servant in Jersey
ty in 1901. and both Of them had been
ntenced 10 the State prison at Trenton
7 two years and a half Belden and his
fe we're taken before Magistrate Moss
the Tombs court and were locked up In
fault Of 81. 800 bail.
Mrs. Hart acknowledged to McKenna
AZ she had received number OF letters
I'm her husband which had not been
IN by the prison authorities and she sun
sed that Mrs. Belden had found this out
ring her term Of employment in the house.
'hennA saye that when he arrested Belden !
; lawyer" turned on him and said:
say, don't be IN such a hurry Wait ,
I'll get this 500 and III split Il with YOU. /
~ collars is better than credit for an
est, isn't iti'