The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-04-08
PLOT IS CALLED APRIL FOOL JOKE Atlanta Black Hand Plot Not a
 Success BOY HELD TO GRAND JURY Asa candIer Declares That He Does Not Want to Prosecute the Boy Who Sent to Him for the
 Big Sum.
BOY HELD TO GRAND JURY

Atlanta, April 7.-David Johnson, Jr,
 the 18-year-old youth who threw local
 and federal officers into a state of ter
 TOT for week by writing Black Hand
 letters to Asa G. Candler, has again re-
 vised his story. Now he asserts that he
 was merely playing an April Fool joke
 on MT. Candler, his Sunday school
 teacher
 Johnson wrote two letters to Candler
 demanding that the f1nancier leave $35, 900
 in large bills under the steps of the
 church-both attend the Inman Park
 Methodist. The first one contained minute
 instructions as to the placing of the
 money at the spot designated at dark,
 on Monday evening. The penalty for fall
 ure was to be death in a horrible form for Candler and his entire family. Candler
 notified the police and federal authori- ties and plans were made to capture the blackmailer. A second letter received a
 day later reminded Candler of the time,
 place and amount of money demanded
 and repeated the threats. Candler pre- pared a package resembling money and placed 1t where the letter told him to put it. Officers watched all night Mon day and well into Tuesday, but no one appeared to get it. On Tuesday, however, Candler was called over the telephone
 and asked why he had not left the money as ordered. He claimed he had. The
 man demanded then that he place $35,OOO in an envelope and drop 1t off a car at a certain point in the suburbs. Candler | claimed he could not get that much and the man agreed to accept 5000 as par l tial payment.
 | Candler again obeyed orders, but he
 had recognized the voice as that of his | favorite Sunday school pupil. He did not reveal his discovery to the detectives, however, for he Is very fond of the boy. 1 As he neared the spot wnere he was to | drop the money, he met young Johnson mounted on a mule. He talked with the boy, asked about his parents and passed on.
 For two hours young Johnson rode around the spot where the money sup
 posedly lay, never taking his eye off the spot. Finally he dfsmounted and grabbed the fake package. As he did so two de- tectves seized him. At first he denied
 the authorship of the letters, but when
 Candler appeared he broke down and said
 he had been forced to write the letters Dy LWO blIdu6c A iittio iNtci llo confessed that he got the idea from read ing dime novels and that he alone was
 responsible for the letters.
 After nights rest he now asserts that the whole thing was an April Fool joke
 which he let go too far.
 'I do not want to prosecute that boy" !" I said Candler this afternoon. He has | slept in my house in the same bed with l my sons and I am very fond of him. ] l cannot conceive why he did it. He is a | boy of the most exemplary character and | had the respect and good will of every l one."
 l Young Johnson's father says the boy I did 1t to get money to go to see a girl I town in Georgia. He will be prosecuted l both by the federal authorities and the l state authorities for mailing threatening 1 letters and for attempted olackmail 1 Johnson was arraigned before United | States Commissioner Colquitt late today | for a preliminary hearing Johnson waived examination and was bound over | to await the action of the federal grand jury Bond of $10OO was made and he was released.
 The case was set for hearing in the | circuit court May 10, next The specific | charge against Johnson is sending letters | through the mails with intent to de- | fraud. | The boys father is heartbroken over l the case and Mrs. Johnson has been con | fined to her bed since the news of the
 arrest of her son reached her.