The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-07-07
Boys WELL LAID
PLANS FAIL HIM
Blackmailing Scheme Directed
Against Montgomery Man
UNGER is IN CITY JAIL.
Young Man Confesses to Police and
Says Gambling and Bad COM
pnny Brought About His
+ Downfall

Montgomery, July 6-(Special. AFTER
failure to secure $4,000 on a Matchmaking
scheme, directed against Bernard Frank,
wholesale dry goods merchant. Morris
Unger.e19 years of age. is In the city Jail,
all his well-laid plans lying a wreck about
his feet. He admits the whole thing and
says it grew out of desire for money,
following heavy losses at dice and at
horse races
Unger, according to his own confession,
undertook to force Mr.. Frank to give
him the money on a threat that he would
tell that he Crank burned his own store
some time ago, in which fire the losses
ran to $225,oOo. The proposition was to
keep quiet If the money was paid, but to
divulge alleged information which he said
he held In case of refusal. At that the
insurance people were to be notified and
Frank. with the testimony he would be
able to give, would have to go to the
penitentiary.
Seen at the city jail, Unger says he just
got broke and needed the money. He hit
upon the idea but wanted to go along
and say things about Frank He charges
that his downfall is due to gambling and
bad companions. Unger Is a son of S.
Unger, a baker, and his folks are well
thought of In the city.
Letter to Mr.. Frank
The first letter received by Mr. Frank
was dated June %, but postmarked June
tn hot
the mailing or delivery by the postof-
flee. The envelope had the address, Mr..
Barnard Frank, Lee Street, Montgomery,
Ala" In capitals on the type writer
were the Instructions, ITO be delivered
only personally to Mr.. Frank" 1t was
numbered 17S0 by the postofflce carrier,
and stamped Special Delivery"
The second letter, dated June 20, was in
an envelope addressed very much the
that 1t was to be opened only by Mr..
Frank, while the other said delivered to
him only On each envelope had been a
number of stamps, but they had fallen
OFF, as IL they were badly stuck with an
inferior mucilage. On the back of the
envelope to the first letter was the word.
Personal" written In several places
Both were ordinary 101k white envelopes
Letter No. l starts out by saying that
on the night of the fire 1--WE" took shell
ter from the rain close to the store and
could see everything going on The letter
asserts that the fire was not caused from
stroke of lightning, but that "thcx"
found there a five-gallon can of oil Also
that they took the trouble to find out
where the oil was bought. Regret is ex-
pressed that he must be put to trouble,
but the writer wants the money; In fact.
needs IT,
Plan to Get Money
After going to show how in their
opinion, the insurance companies can be
put on the track, the writer, or writers,
saying that they are reliable and can
be believed, come down to PROPOSE
ton as follows: Leave your office at
1890 and go to Gilbert Trunk Co. and
purchase small grip Then from there
go to the bank and draw In currency
from check that you have already
made out, $4,000. Place 1t In the grip. BY
80 be in the Exchange lobby Walk In
the Commerce street side with the small
grip. Take a seat on a lounge next to
Pepperman window and wait until 1:@
Then man with a handkerchief, hold
Ing 1t over his face as IL he had a
toothache will walk in the same way you
came. You are to give him the grip and
ask no questions
Further instructions are that Mr.
Frank is to wait there until o'clock
and there will be no more of It, 1t is
stated that the men. after getting the
money, are to go to Reno, New, to
live. 1t is also stated that there will
be the partner of the writer and two
men. who. while knowing not what they
are there for. are men who know how
to shoot guns. He was to come alone
with the money. Hiring detectives or
showing the letter was to be the sig
nal for his downfall. Failure to come
is to bring out mice long piece In the
morning Advertiser on the morning of
the 29th.' There Is a lot of other stuff
about Mr.. Frank knowing the letter to
state the truth and arguing that 1t is
not a case of blackmail but merely an
effort to have him divide up some of
the money he received The recipients
are to get away to Reno at once and
make no trouble. They are to make
trouble II the demands Of the letter are
not carried out.
Letter No. 2 Comes
Delay Of the mails made It impossible
to make the Exchange hotel engage
ment. SO a second letter. dated June %,
came along. Like the first it had a
Montgomery date and postoffice stamp.
1t begins by saying that the mistake Of
dating is regretted, also that they were
leaving for Pensacola. and the check
was to be sent to the American Ma
tional bank there. to the credit Of NJ
B. Mason. If the check was not on
time the insurance people were to be
told at once.
Chief Of Police Taylor. having been
Informed all along of the case at once
sent Detective J. p. Ayant to Pensa-
cola, with instructions to make every
effort to secure the guilty ones Mr.
Avant remained there two days with no
results. In the meantime close watch
was kept here. but nothing came up
until Tuesday. when Mr.. Frank was
called on the phone A voice. saying It
was in Pensa cola. asked why he had
not sent the check. Mr.. Frank replied
that he had ssnt and was In full ac-
cord with the idea. AS a matter Of
fact the check, duly certified, had gone
on as directed by the Matchmaking let