New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1907-07-13
DEAR At THIRTY. CENTS.
Reply of Salvation Army to Letter
Demanding $4,000 for Poem.

Interesting DEVELOPMENTS are looked for to-day
when the cases Of Solomon Robitscheck and Ben
nett SlverbIatt, Of Lowell. Mass. ere heard by
United States Commissioner Hayes, in the Federal
Building In Boston. The men are charged with
using tho United States mails in scheme 10
blackman the Salvation Army 10 the extent OF
10000.
1T was about the middle OF May" said Ransom
Gaygill. at the national headquarters OF the Sal
walton Army, that we received letter post,
marked at Lowell, May H. addressed to General
William Booth and signed 'Robitscheck In which
tho writer offered 10 Sell poem Wnch ne lhcIoseu
The latter was of decidedly sCurrilous nature
rejecting upon the motives OF our organization
the officials at the head Oh IL ana the fa'A anu ~
of the army In general
The writer implied that. while the organization
claimed credit for doing great WORK. II was
selfish in its charities. and not entitled 10 SYM
pathy He went on to say that he had INTENDED
10 publish the poem, but now offered II 10 US ioF
ssO 600 instead believing we would be saved by
purchasing 1t, the odium ana scahod WHICH us
publication would otherwise entail
LAS the general was in Europe. the letter was
turned over to me as manager OF the Reliance
Tnd,na comnany the commercial branch OF tho
ARMY TO whom all business propositions are re-
ferred 1 replied to the letter. saying "oulo io'
nav 30 cents for the poem.
thousands Of copies would be SOLD AT nve CENTS
each which would net him proht OF s9 Ao ,t n
"a correspondence was kept up through June WIN
the design of having Robitscheck come to new
work. He was shy and would not WISH US linen
I'VE heard from Lowell that the poem was on sae
g., +ba streets of that city few weeks ago the
case was placed in the hands of Chief Inspector
Lawrence Letherman. of the Postoince DephlL-
0ant In BOSTON, by Captain Arthur f. Armstrong.
of our Lowell branch. g, .
"R ohttscheck wrote about week ago saying ne
,vae through dickerng and had turned the analr
over 10 his counsel, Bennett SlverDlatt' WIN Whoi
on 1urther negotiations must be conducted .
The next move was a decoy letter In whlcn II
,yas arranged that all parties should meet at sll-
,rorblatt's office. IN Lowell, on wednesday aiteF-
noon. The arrests 1olloWeu. -. ,.. -
Insnector Letherman decided to take his prisoner
,iaaiOn
until to-day in $1,000 ball - 49,,
roth men are Jews. and for several years nave
baer, CONSPICUOUS among the people OF their race IL
7 oueu Robitscheck who is about forty-nve years
nId has achieved prominence by reason OF MS
denominations to the press of New Ensland ad-
ocatiDp certain reforms OF a general hunanl'
+orian nature He has also posed as poet
IIe &c unmarried, short In stature and possessed
% more than ordinary intelligence According e
tba charges of tho federal authorities, IL woulc
ennear that Robitscheck was the principal In the
alleged conspiracy. -, , T., ~,
everblatt is a young lawyer, well known In hl'
,rofeseIon both in Boston and Lowell. He was
horn I'm Russia thirty-three years ago and has
bean in Lowell for sixteen years He was educated
IN the public schools there, was graduated IRON
+ha Roston University Law School andS was al
,oitted 10 the bar in 1905.