Los Angeles herald., 1909-08-06
DEATH IS
MENACEOF
ASSASSIN
Three Prominent Citizens
Receive Warning Notes
FORMER MAYOR WORKMAN
ATTEMPTS CAPTURE
LEAVES IRON WASHERS INSTEAD
OF GOLD AT INDICATED SPOT
E. w. Barrett and Warren Wilson Are
Two Other Victims Selected by
Man Who Leaves Threatening
Letters at Front Doors
LEAVES IRON WASHERS INSTEAD
OF GOLD AT INDICATED SPOT

DEMANDING sums aggregating
100000, the refusal of which will
result in murder, assassination
and the blowing up of the homes of the
victims by dynamite, a BLACK Hand
organization has delivered letters to
former Mayor William H ("Uncle
Billy'D Workman, S57 South Boyle ave-
nue.; E. w. Barrett, capitalist, 542
South Boyle avenue and left warn
mig at the home of Warren Wilson.
owner of the Los Angeles Journal, of
517 South Boyle avenue. Mr.. Wilson is
now travelling in Europe and did not
receive the letter.
The three letters now in the hands
of the police are all written in German
and bear no signature, but the hand
writing is identical and the substance
of the communications is practically
the same.
The letter addressed to E. w. Bar
rett gives him until August to de-
posit $4,000 under some brush at the
corner of Hollenbeck drive and Boyle
avenue.
The one intended for Warren Wilson
gives him until a later date to deposit
like amount.
Workman Tries a Ruse
Last week "Uncle Billy Workman
was ordered to leave his $4,000 at the
Boyle avenue rendezvous, but the
sturdy and undaunted pioneer refused
| to be intimidated, and on the final
night of grace allowed he went in his
automobile to the spot designated by
the blackmailers and placed a sack of
! iron washers under the brush pile
there and hastened away. having in the
meantime instructed detectives to be
on the watch for the messenger sent to
get the money.
In some manner the detectives were
foiled. During the night the sack of
supposed gold was removed from it's
place of concealment. but no person
was seen to approach the spot.
The naming of the same place of
concealment in each letter is no proof
of this being the work of a crazy man,
for the writer in each communication
affixed terrible and immediate penalties
as a result of the disclosure of the
contents of the communication. The
spot chosen for the hiding of the
money demanded was arranged with
remarkable foresight and craft.
ConceaIment Was Easy
To the north the thick growth of
trees and the shrubbery of Hollenbeck
park afford excellent facilities for con-
| cealment, while the open nature of the
ground Immediately surrounding the
| spot where the money was to be placed.
would make it possible for man to
skuIk in hiding and observe all that
| took place.
An abrupt rise in the ground at the
! southeast corner of Hollenbeck drive
and Boyle avenue forms a miniature
plateau, and there it might be possible
for a night prowler to conceal himself
in the weeds of this unsettled portion
of ground and observe the country
from every direction, and yet be able
to have a safe means of retreat to the
east or north,
On the west side of Boyle avenue a
line of high sign boards throw deep
shadow of gloom at night and there
also it would be possible to observe
l
and remain unobserved, and If anyone
could gain access to the grounds of
the Santa Fe hospital, several blocks
to the southwest, he could watch the
exact spot indicated in the letters from
safe distance from the nigh build
ing there.
Only Quick Dash Needed
Abysmal blackness enshrouds all OF
the territory Immediately adjacent to
the corner and anyone who came to
carry away money could dash to the
spot and back into the blackness in an
instant.
When seen at his home yesterday and
confronted with details regarding the
Black Hand plot, Uncle Billy Work
man reluctantly admitted that he had
received a letter of the kind described
and eventually conceded that he had
left a bag of iron washers at the rem
devious. At the memory Of this the
face of the grim old pioneer slightly
relaxed and he appeared to grin
"Yes, and If anyone goes fooiing
Continued on Page Two