The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1906-12-21
NEGRO DEMANDED
MONEY OR LIVES.
TRUSTED CHAUFFEUR TRIED TO
BLAckMAiL HY olABoLicAL
METHODS.
MAD DESIRE FOR MONEY
Led Him to Threaten to Disgrace
Woman and Also Her Death
Planned to EFFORT $4,000
From Employer.

New York, Dec 20.--If the charges
that were made In the Harlem police
court against Joseph Page -are true
Ihe is the most versatile man OF his
Lace in the state. Page on the sui
/ face Is tall. good looking. well
4dre sed, smart young negro, looking
\ With his clear brown skin and his
black moustache more Ike an
Arabian than an African Unt.l last
night he was employed to drive auto.
mobiles OF Alberto De Verastegui, IA
resident Of Dobbs Ferry.
| The remarkable allegation is made
against him that while acting IN that
capacity and enjoying the confidence
| of his rich employer Page has for two
months past been wagiug a.. syitc-
! matte and heagtless campaign OF
blackmail against Mrs. De Veraste-
CUTS sister Mrs. Thomas c. De Mar
tino wife of mining engineer. OF
No 81 Liberty street 1t il charged
by Mrs. De Martino, who Is now on
the verge of breakdown as result
of her experiences. tnat for weeks he
has been prosecuting her with threats
upon her life and her reputation, anil
that finally in an effort 10 compel the
payment Of $500 he aimed revolver
at her head and sworc that he woIIl
murder her.
So great was her terror of the
smooth-spoken. dapper young darker
chauffeur that the woman feared To
reveal her snfferings even after the
display of the revolver, Finally, her
husband being ou. OF the country,
she told her brother ln.law
Life Price Was 5000.
Within an hour or two after caus-
lug the arrest of the negro Mr.. De
Vera tegni learned from the prison-
cr's wife that he was ~ taya been
the nAyt victim--that he was rs have
been killed seemingly BY accident ufi-
less his wife paid Il secret tribute OF
$4,000 as the price OF his life.
Before the arraignmsnt OF the ne
gro Mr. De Verastegul added rev
chapter TO the Of Chauffeur Pages
money-Tak'ng plans
THE last Matchmaking letter of all
came yesterday to Mrs De Martinto,"
he said. up to thai time all the
threatening letters that my sister In
law got came from Page himself But
this one was in woman's handwrit
ing and signed Lucille Page" the
name Of Pages wife.
''In this letter Lucille Page warned
Mrs. Dc Martnto that unless $500
was sent to her by Thursday Of this
week she would publicly accuse Mrs.
De Martinto of alternating the affec.
tions OF her husbanj. Page Tho letter
concluded with these words: Pay this
money or | will cause you To lose
your husband. your children and your
friends. Rendered despera bv this
crownng insult my sisterin-law came
TO me with the whole story"
Mr.. De Vcrs-tegui went on 30 say
that as soon as eh had learned how
Mrs. DE Martirto mad been perse-
cuted by Page he hurried to his home
at Dobb's Ferry. taking with him the
Lucille Pege letter This was last
night
Il had fitted up coy quarters for
the man and his wife over my private
garage" he continued, "and went at
once to their rooms. confronted Lu-
ellie Page. told her that her husband
would be punished and accused her
of wri ing the threatening letter OF
ye terday. She owned up at once.
saying she knew absolutely nothing
against the good name OF any mem.
Der of the household but that she had
been forced TO write the letter to my
S ster-in-aw by her husband. She tjld
me he compelled her BY threats 10
write to Mrs. De Msriinto demaD1ing
the $500.
Hs OisboliesI Plan.
"Shc also told taat after be eNtert-
,d that amount from Mrs. Martin q.
Page expected to get $1,000 from my
sifc by threatening to cause NV
icath According to the vouBn's
tory. Page meant to tell my Nifo
hat he would get m in my auiofno-
bile on one OF the bluffs oyerlsOting
he Hudson river. start the machine
or the cliff and then leap out. Ieav-
ng me TO be killed by tn fal unless
he promptly raised the money for
i'm.
4 would never have suspected
Page OF being 50 desperate and de-
ermined a bIacknailer. He was in
elilgeat, quiet. orderly and respect
III
Mrs. Dc Martirio lives with h5r
hree children In a fashionable apart
aenf at No. e0e West One Hundred
nd Fort.eth street Her husband IS
} Peru On mining husincss. She ts1