Williams news., 1907-10-12


 is contemplating an investigator of the Perrin-Benscn contracts, Et thinks he sees golden opportunit! to blackmail MT. Perrin. ard he makes two distinct atte mpts 10 dc so. First. he has cruised the Teha ma county lands upon which Mr Perrin is placing forest reserve scrip. and he has the cruisers minutes in his possession, which l'elong to MT. Perrin. and for which he has paid Shell, and as he has been on the land within the Iast thirty days, he is the only man ir San Francisco. under the law. who can make the non-minera ffida wits. He therefore sends for Mir. Perrin to come to his house and there, in the presence of his wife. dema nds that MT Perrin sign a contract to pay him $7 ECO, or he will turn these minutes over tc other timber operators wfo desire this land. MT. Perrin refused to be blackmailed. told him to "crack his whip" "putthe blackmailing con- tract in his pocket. left the house.
 Sixty or ninety days after the event narratt d hove. Shell brought bla ok maiii g suit for $25 eco against MT. Perrin. When he left his employ he had retained all of Perrin's private papers in his possession. Among these papers were copies of the Benson contract. so he says, letters, telegra ms, maj s. field nott s, cruisers minutes, etc. While this suit was pending he caused his wife to write. for he was l forced to admit it was in her hand writing when on the stand, an anony nous letter to Mir Perrin and mailed 1t 10 him at Williams Arizona. in which, under the guise of friend he advised MT. Perrin to secure possession of all the SC pa pers in his (Snell's) possession
 as they were likely to cause him trouble. Gle did not know that Perrin had, himself, voluntarily turned these papers, or copies oi them, over to the government)
 Suspecting that this letter was inspired by Shell. MT. Perrin sen' friend to interview him, knowing that he would. in all proba hility
 make a definite proposition. and he did. He told this party if MT
 Perrin would pay him $SOCO ir settl. ment of this suit, that he
 would turn over all these pa pels ir
 his possession. and that he would
 not appear against, but for him. ir case an indictment grew cut of the
 Benson contracts; that he knew
 Mir. Perrin had committed nc
 wrong but that he needed him tt
 prove it; and that unless he did dt
 90. he would fight him. ard hi children would fight Perrin,
 children as long as they lived.
 Of course, Mir. Perrin again re fused to be bla ok mailed. and later Shells suit was thrown out of court
 After this Shell entered the secre service of the United States on,
 uf Detective Burns sleuths. and ul to the date of the trial of this ease
 was drawing $50 per month
 With the exception of two defeated and disappointed litigants Of Fres f no, California. Mir. Charles P. Snel was the only witness introduced by the prosecution against Perrin ! When placed on the stand Snel } swore that when the first agree
 ment with Benson was signed, MT Perrin requested me 10 go to tn California hotel and get certain documents, and that while I va ] out of the room Benson asked NIT
 Perrin for check for $5 GOO. to h ! used by him as "grtase money
 when he went to Washington That when Mir. Perrin took out hi l check book and was writing th } check. he (SnelD stood up an,
 advised him if he signed the. checl ? and gave 1t to Benson. he was sur . to go to the penitentiarv; and tha : Mir Perrin paused in his writing l. and remarked: "Mr. Shell. von vii ' please attend to your own business
 and when I want your advice } will ask you for it." and concludes
 writing the check. That thel p Benson arose, and pulling a lon f knife from his belt. said: "Yount i man. if you put your mouth in m, ! affairs again. here in my office. ? will cut your g-s out" As [ matter of fact. at no time durin s- he signing ot this contract, did : leave Benson's office for an f purpose whatever. 1 was ther every minute of the time Nh ,. Perrin and Shell was there. and Q rovnoipad xritb Spoll ,t tbo oH o