Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-12-04
SDAEE ROMANCE WAIT GAELS fALPUBC SERVICE BILL THREAT TO
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OIL in Approval Letter
Black Hands Alternative of
Failure to Receive $3.50.
POLICE WATCH ALL, NIGHT
Concealed in Brooks Station, Where
Money Was to Be Put.
coLEMANs ARE TERRIFIED
Burrville Merchant Fears That Ven
geance May Fall as Promised
by Letter Writer.

Unless you place $3.50 in the rafters at
Brooks station by 1l:l5 o'clock SATURDAY
night. December 3, your youngest son
Will be murdered
This declaration. contained in letter
signed Black Hand" has for several days
Kept c. A. Coleman of BurrviIle. d. c..
and his wife In fear and trembling for
the life Of their little boy.
Although the letter warned Mr.. Coleman
not to seek aid from the police In this
matter, as the hour specified for plscing
the money in the rafters Of the nearby
station drew closer. the fears OF the Cole
mans drove them to the police to ferret
out the mystery and for protection. The
mother was nearly crazed with terror Is
time wore on.
All-Night Watch Vain.
And SO Sergt. Mccormick, mounted
policeman Of the ninth precinct, and
Policeman Giles spent last night keeping
the closest kind OF a lookout over the
rendezvous set by the writer OF the
sack Hand" letter and over the Coleman
!am1Iy. Up to an early hour tbs morn
ing Policeman Giles. crouched in the raft
ers or Brooks station, had seen no sign
or the letter writer, nor had the Coleman
boy been molested.
But the anxiety Of the colemans for
their son sa.ety still continues For the
mysterious letter, lett at their home sew
eral days ago. asserts that il Oould be
OF little avail to inform the police of
the threat against the boys LIE, because
1t might be days before the writer would
go to the rafters to seek the money de-
manded, but II the writer failed to find
the full sum when he looked for II the
swift. '
Coleman is a prosperous storekeeper
at burrville, which Is just LeyOnd Ben
ming. and is considered by his neigh
bors a wealthy man. He operates a
grocery store and coal and wood
The Black Hand letter is written. ap-
parently. by an educated person. The
writing is clean cut and the diction Is
good. In this the letter differs from
the majority of BLACK Hand epistles.
VIII oh. as rule. have been found to
be the work OF flliterate persons.
This feature has tended still further
to increase the fears OF the Colemans
for their son. They believe that the
letter Is the work OF a determined
man who. because OF his education
will be better able to carry out his
threat.
Suspect Under Surveillance.
That the Colemans have money Is wall
known throughout the neighborhood in
which they live. Although they them
selves believe they have no enemies who
would seek to harm their son, they sus-
pect that the letter was sent by man
In that vicinity.
They have not the slightest idea that
the letter is what 1t purports to be, from
the BLACK Hand society, 'or any branch
OF such an organization. The man who
Is suspected is under surveillance.
For hours last night Policeman GILES
crouched in the rafters Of the station,
watching to see IL any one would come
looking for the package OF money. A
decoy package, made Of blank paper cut
in the shape of bills. had been placed
cunningly in the rafters to tempt the
letter writer should he put in an ap-
pearance.
But there was never nibble at the
bait Giles had his vigil in vain.
Since the police were notified by Cole
man of the endeavor to extort money
from him, several men have been de-
tailed to look into the matter and
careful Investigation is under way. They
are determined to run down the letter
writer, IL possible, and to make an ex-
ample of him.
Not for many months has Black Hand
letter been received by any one living
In the District Of Columbia.