The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-04-08
|BLACKMAIIER
 CALLSIT JOKE Atlanta Boy Will Be
 Prosecuted. TRIED TO HOLD UP cANDLER Government Wm Teach Lesson ts
 Youth. Gesrsis cspitslist P.ssieA over cs.- aset sf His sunday ssheel Pspii
 wAs w.Assa te ssesi -gi sss,sss. . ? aas 7.l ss s|sa fg "A Q f-

Atlanta. April 7s--David Johnson. IT,. the 1s-year-oid youth who threw local and Federal ofElcers, into, a state of terror for a week by writing Black Hand letters to Asa c. Candier. has again revised his story. Nov he as-, serts that he was merely playing an April fool joke on MT. Candier. his Sunday -schoo teacher. 'sss g si.
 Johnson wrote two letters to Candler. demanding that the fnancier leave ts5,0o0 in large bills under the steps of the Inman Park Methodist Church. The first one contained minute fnstruo- tfons4 as to the placing 1.-the money at the spot destgnated. 1t dark on Monday evening. The penalty. for failure was to be death. In . horrible form for Candlcr and his entire fam fly Candier notified the police and Federal authorities and plans to cap ture the blackmailers were laid.
 A second letter, received day later. reminded Candier of the time. place and amount of money demanded. and repeated the threats. Can6ler pre- pared a package resembling money and placed 1t where the letter told him to put It. Offcers watched--.Ail night Monday and well into Tuesday. but no one appeared to ret t. On Tuesday. however. candier was called over the telephone and asked why he had not left the money as ordered. He ciaimed he had. The man demanded. then. that he place ssS.ooo in an envelope and drop 1t on a car at a certain point 10 the suburbs. Candfer claimed he could not get that much and the man agreed to accept s1.000 as partial payment
 Candler again ohsyed orders. bat he had recognised the voice as that Of his favorite sundsy+schooa pupil He did not reveal his discovery to tho detectives. however. for he ts very fond Of the boy. As he neared the spot where he was to drop the money, he met young Johnson mounted on . mule. He talked with the boy. asked about his parents and dapssssd on.
 For two hours young Johnson rpde around the spot where the money sup- posediy lay. never taking hts eye off the spot. Finally he dismountedv and grabbed the fake package. Az he did so, two detacttyess Reix&d Nun At Erst hs denied the huthprskSP of the lst- ters. but when CADdtsr appeAfe4 he broke dassn ana said l,e had been fprc- d 10 write the letterss hy two stfaa8s he got the Idea from reading dime novels and that he alone was responst- hle for the letters. A
 Alter q nights rest he now asserts that the whole thing was an April fool joke. which he let go too far.
 "I do not want 10 prosecute that boy" said Candler this afternoon. He has slept in my house in the same bed with my sons. and am very fond of him. I cannot conceive why he didsit. He Is a boy of the most exemplary character. and, had the respect and good will of everyone" % tf4
 YounE Johnson's father says the hoy did 1t to get money to go to see a girl he is in love with, who lives in a distant town In Georgia. He will be prosecuted both by the Federal and State authorities for maiiin@t threaten ing letters and for attemped biackmatt
 Johnson was arraigned before sUnft- ed States Commissioner Coiquit late today for a preliminary hearing. He waived examination and was bound oyer to await the action of the Fed. eraI grand jury. Bond of t1.0eo wes made and he was released. sN s'
 The case was set for hearing in the Circuit Court, May 10. next. The spa- cific charge against Johnson is send ing letters through the mail with in- tent to defraud.. M
 The boy's father is heartbroken over the case and Mrs. Johnson has been confined to her bed since the news of the arrest of her son reached her