The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1909-07-02
BIZ HAND
NEAR SELMA.
Postoffice Inspectors at
Work.
HUNT FOR THE AUTHORS
Letter Received by A. D. Mitre, a
- Syrian
Hitre was Commanded to Place sun
Of $500 At q Givea Spot, with
Thrsat Of Bodily Harm to
HIS Family.

Selma, July 1.--(Special )--Several
postofice inspectors were busily en-
gagged here today following every clue
which might lead to the arrest of the
authorSor authors of q Black Hand"
letter. which passed through the local
office yesterday morning and which
yesterday afternoon was handed back
to Postmaster Scott. who Immediately
notified the postal authorities with the
result that several inspectors reached
Selma last night and this morning and
Immediately started to work upon the
case.
The BLACK Hand" letter was receiv-
ed yesterday morning by A. d. Mitre,
q Syrian, who conducts small dry
goods store on Washington Street. As
result OF the letter Mitre. with his
small child, left Selma yesterday after
nocr, going through the country In
buggy so as to escape the vengeance
of the writer of the letter which he
received in the morning.
1t was stated today that William
Mitre brother of A. d. Mitre. and
who conducts a dry goods store on
Franklin Street, also received Black
Hand letter yesterday morning.
Whether he did or not cannot be learn
ed as Mitre and the postal authorities
are silent and will give out no infor-
nation.
The fact that BLACK Hand" letter
of a threatening nature had been re-
ceived by local merchant only be-
came known this morning. The con-
tents of the letter which A. ID. Mitre
received is not made public. but
threats against the man and his fam
lily were made, IL the demands were
not complied with.
In the letter the author demanded
that at certain place on Thursday
night Mitre leave $500, and that after
he had deposited this amount to i'm
mediateiy leave the spot He was
warned that IL he did not comply with
the request Of the author that he or
some member of his family would re-
ceiye bodily harm.
The place. named by the author Of
the letter In which Mitre was demand
ed to place the $500 10 not known. as
the postal authorities will not divulge
II. The inspectors will watch this
place tonight, hoping that the party
or parties who wrote the letter viii
visit It to see II the money has been
deposited there by Mitre. II such par
ties do visit the place they will be i'm
msdfately arrested.
Mftre Leaves Town
After receiving the letter yesterday
morning A. D. AIitre was very much
frightened, but kept the contents Of
the letter to himself. During the at
tefnoon he visited Postmaster Scott,
who Immediately notified the postal au-
thorffies and who counseled Mitre to
say nothing about the letter or to pay
no attention to the demands made by
the author of 1t. But the contents Of
the letter preyed upon Mitre and get
ting a horse and buggy yesterday af-
ternoon he took his little child and
drove through the country to Benton
where he was this morning.
4 The letter IL stated to have been
written in a scrawling hand as II the
puthor did so to disguise his writing
AT the end of the letter there was
drawn a BLACK Hand" The address
upon the envelope was of the same
scrawling hand that the latter was
written in. On the left hand corner
of the envelope there was drawn rude
1y a Skull and Cross-Bones."
Some who heard of the BLACK Hand
letter today, believe that the letter was
written to Mitre as a joke by someone.
But the Post ONCE Inspectors seem to
think otherwise and will use every ef-
fort to apprehend the author Of the
letter or those who are concerned In
having mailed 1t to Mitre A. D. Mitre
and his brother William. have been res
adents of Selma for about twelve years.
quiet citizens. and 1t is not thought
that they have made any enemies while
living Ia Selma.
Tho BLACK Hand" letter which was
received by Mitre yesterday morning.
brought to light today the fact that
last week Chief of Police Walters also
received a "Black Hand" letter. The
letter which Chief Walters received,
though, was evidently written by a me-
gro, and he paid no attention to 1t. The
writer of the letter to Chief Walters
threatened to kill Police officers Blan
ton and Barker is they were not re-
moved from the force Officers Blan.
ton and Barker have not been killed or
removed from the force and nothing
further has been heard from the letter
writer.
whether some member of the foreign
colony in Selma Is responsible for the
"Black Hand" letter which Mitre re-
ceived yesterday, cannot be determined