Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-12-16
Doesn't Expect to Suffer on
BIackmaiIinu Charge.
CHEERING NOTES TO WIFE
Sends Cigarettes and Fruit and Bids
Her Keep Heart.
POLICE COURTROOM PACKED
Immense Crowd Eager to Hear Case,
Which Is Continued to Next
Wednesday.

Seldom. if ever, before in its history, it
center Of such interest as this morning,
wife. Flossie: his brother, Benjamin
| Knots, and Albert A. Armstrong, ac-
/ cused Of attempting to improperly obtain
5000 from Charles Rosenthal, was
| called.
| For an hour before the time set for
converting the United States branch OF
| the court long line began to crowd its
way into the court building and thence to
Judge Mullowny's courtroom. When AS
sistant United States Attorney Ralph
Given made request for a continuance
of the case the seats, aisles. hallway and
space around the court bar were fairly
packed and damned with curious human
ity eager to catch glimpse Of the pris-
oners.
Goes Over Till Wednesday.
Judge Mullowny set the hearing for
next Wednesday morning. The defend
ants were remainder to Jail in default of
$500 bond each.
jail van those persons who occupied
places of vantage at the windows and
doors craned their necks in the at
| tempt to get further look at the ac-
| they left the building.
formal charge Of blackmail was
lodged against the prisoners at J:3U
O'Clock this morning. The offlcial de-
scription of their offense alleges that
the prisoners 'unlawfully accused one
Charles kosenthal Of having commit
ted 9 certain crime and act Of conduct
| tending to disgrace the said Charles
kosenthal and subject him to the ridi-
Guile and contempt of society, with the
property from the said Charles Rosen-
thai"
The penal code provides as a maxi
mum punishment for the crime Of
tiary and thousand dollars fine.
Compliments Name Wrong.
Ut was not discovered by the police until
this morning that the name Of the COM
plainant had appeared in the warrant as
Harry Rosenthal, when it should have
been Charles Rosenthal. It was ex-
planned by the police that the warrant
was issued hurriedly and that no partic-
ular attention was paid to the first name
Of ROSenthal.
Today when Rosenthal appeared In the
Office Of the clerk of the Police Court
to swear out a warrant against the quar-
tet the name was correctly written
Charles Rosenthal." The necessary cor
-rections will also be made in the record
at police headquarters.
After Other Witnesses.
Rosenthal, the complaining witness,
and Joseph Levy, his partner, the only
two government witnesses summoned,
were not in court this morning. both hav-
ing been notified before the converting OF
court that the hearing would be contin-
ued. II Investigations now under way by
Detectives Cornwell and Baur, who ar
rested the quartet, are successful, 1t was
said today, several other witnesses will
appear for the government next Wednes-
day morning
An extended conference held in the
Office of the prosecuting attorney today
was followed by an announcement that
important developments may be expected
within the next day or so. Detectives
Baur and Cornwell are working this aft
ernoon to learn something more Of the
life Of James Knots and Armstrong since
they came to Washington to enter the
Bliss Electrical School.
Will Not Discuss Charges.
None of the three men would discuss the
charges this morning. They were nom
committal when asked questions leading
up to their arrest and subsequent state
ments attributed to them. According to the
police, every member of the quartet, how
ever. has made a full confession.
Knots and the girl engaged the apart
ment at the Cairo on the afternoon of
November q. Two days later. accord
ing to the records, they went to Rock
Vile Uhara fhov married They
lived in the place for a week or more very
quietly when, 1t was stated, Armstrong
appeared and then Benjamin Knots. The
former was seldom seen in company with
any member of the quartet except James
Knots, the pair frequently remaining
out late at night. The girl seldom left
the apartment except in the afternoons.
Game Has Been Worked Before.
''This is not the first time the game
was worked in this CITY," Mrs. Knots
remarked at the first precinct police sta
ton last night. She declared that an
other woman. one of her former COM
panions, had been implicated in the other
games. She declined to go into details,
however.
James G. Knots and Alfred II. Arm
strong occupied cells on the lower floor
of the building fitted only with iron cots
occupied comfortably furnished witness
rooms on opposite sides of the corridor
on the upper floor, q matron looking after
the woman and a policeman seeing that
the man did not get away.
Mrs. Knots finished smoking the last
Of three packages Of cigarettes this
morning shortly before she left the build
ing to enter the van to be driven to the
Police Court. Only few curious spec
tators were on the sidewalk to witness
the departure of the quartet. James
Knots kept his wife supplied with cigar
cites during the night, and he also sent
her fruit.
Messages Are Exchanged.
A number of messages passed between
husband and wife and between the BROTH
ers, but Armstrong did not seem to come
in for a share of the confidence Of his
former friends and associates They all
denounced him as the instigator of the
affair. and Mrs. Knots talked freely
about him and his dOings. Notes were
written on the cigarette boxes and cards
and oral messages were sent from one to
another, the police taking care to see
that the contents of the messages did
not interfere with their work on the
case.