New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-12-14
HOUNDED TO HIS HOME.
B4LL4NTTNE PLOT BARE.
BIackmaiIers Threatened to Expose
Him at Parker Dinner.


disclosures came to light last night in the Bal
iantine suicide case which may prove tnAt H.
er+ n BaIiantine. who killed himself last sat
-. ,,eb, az his home in Newark. was the VIC
tim OF one OF the most diaoohcai
plots ever conceived
E,roro an authentic source Il is learned lh"'
TsaIlantine early this fall, while IN Ci@i -,
Vile Va became drunk in saloon
drinking with some supposedly casuai acqu I1
ances When nearly unconscious from I4"O-
ha was taken to a room over the saloon ps Oii.
of his conopanions who undressed MIN anu Pei'
him to bed
At this point two men. who proved 70 NC '.'0
confederates of this companion, burst into the
room and holding revolvers to Ballantine'
head. forced him to sigE papers which gave inc
three blackguards such hold him that he
committed suicide rather than suffer the hu-
initiation of dsproving publicly the charges OF
which his traducers accused him.
Ballantine. when he came to mis- senses ana
realized of what he had been the victim nearly
went wild with shame. The blackmaiers re-
IentIessly followed up their advantage with de-
rnands for money which Ballantne met from
time to time rather than risk dragging his fam
fly into the public print. Finally. the demands
upon him became persistent Che had by this
time been mulcted of nearly S60000I that he
FASTENED to New York and laid the whole story
before Carl Fischer Hansen, his close friend and
attorney. who just the point of pro-
ceedins against the blackmaiiers when Ballan-
tine, bounded TO despair took his own life
Carl Fischer Hansen. when seen last night.
SAID that professional etiquette forbade his dis
cussiRg the Matchmaking charges, but was free
70 say that he had charge of the case for the
family. and intended to ferret out the reports
To this end he is in constant communication
-Iy,ra -R-z1Ta
Va, and reports from that city are that all Of
the blackmailers are already under arrest.
The most astounding part OF the revelation
was the fact that the blacknailers had followed
BaIIantine 10 his home and a club in this
city, and had even backed up a demand for
money by a threat TO expose him at a dinner at
tended by number of his friends.
Carl Fischer-Hansen, when asked about the
money which the blackmai- ers had le- eivod from
BaIlantine. said last night that far ne
had been able to discover the dead man had
given checks and notes for nearly $4,000, but
Of this amount the only actual cash which the
blacknlailers had received is $1,000 which was
paid over in Charlottesville
From other sources it is learned that Ballan-
tine came TO New-York on November - and
was in consultation with Carl Fischer-Hansen
at the Manhattan Club. Two of the blackmail-
ers followed him from Virginia, and Of them
was stationed outside of the Manhattan ClL5
while he was INSIDE Like relentless demons,
these men watched every movement Of Ballan-
tine wherever he went
One OF Bauantine's friends who arrived last
night from Virginia, mad the following to say:
Rob Rallantine was the victim Of the foulest
plot ever perpetrated against a man. The dead
man a heavy dnnher, ana was, in fact
rarely sober for any length of time. He was,
however one of the most generous men VINO
ever lived. Through his kindness indeed. he
had lavished a large part OF ms income upon
others. He was worth S2,000,000 and had about
100000 year. He was cheated and mulCted
on ali Sides but was beloved by al who knew
him | know of several instances in which he
wrote checks of $4,000 in payment for cigars
when he was under the influence Of liquor, and
these checks were cashed and paid without
murmur. Among his generous acts Will men
ton the paying Of the tuition and expenses of
dozens Of students at the University of Vir-
GINA as well as at other schools Of education
He was the Good Samaritan of Charlottesville
and the news Of his suicide and its cause struck
the town like a thunderDolJ. All social activity
has been called off and the whole town is in
mourning. I would not be surprised to hear
that the blaCknaiiers had been lynched by the
angry populace-
The arrival Of Ballantine was at time when
Carl Ffscher-Hansen was handling the Bauer
murder case and Mr.. Fischer-Hansen said last
night that he told BaIlantine to go home to
Newark and stay there quietly until he had time
70 take up the blackmail affair. BaIantine went
to Newark, as the lawyer advised. but last Fri
day he visited 8Ir. Fischer Hansen at his office.
at No. 346 Broadway. He told the lawyer at
this time according to a trustworthy report.
that the blackmailers were bounding him in
Newark. and that he had decided that he must
either commit suicide or go away somewhere
under an assumed name The latter course was
discussed at length. and an assumed name was
chosen and arrangements were made whereby
Ballantine7 would be able to forward letters to
mis- mother
Last Friday night there was to be a dinner for
Judge Parker. of Newark, at the Waldorf-As-
toria. at which the brother-in-iaw and brother
OF Ballantine were to be present. 1t was the
wish of Rallantine to attend this dinner The
blackmailers got wind of this, however, and
threatened, unless Ballantine paid them large
sum. to go to the dinner and expose him before
bis friends and relatives. On the advice of his
lawyer, however. he attended the dinner, and
made an appointment with his lawyer for the
next day.
It is known that Ballantne, while living in
Newark after coming from Charlottesville re-
ceived letters from many of his friends in Vir-
-