The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1912-12-11
BLACK HAND NOTE
SENT TO WILSON
BY MOUNTA|NEERS
Trio Threatens President
Elect With Same Fate
of Roosevelt
DEMAND $1,000 BY
MAIL OR GET SHOT
United States Officers Fofy
low Trail to Mountain
Howell and There
Make Capture

NEWARK, ". J., Dec 1o.-Thrs1
rough and suIlen young mountainsss1A
who In their dugout In the wild highs
lands of New Jersey had dreamed -
Matchmaking the president-eiect OF tho
United States. were brought here Iat9
tonight by three jaded officers OF t1Ol
federal police.
That they did knowingly and Wilt
fully use the United States mails for.
furthering a scheme to defraud Mr.
Woodrow Wilson. of Trenton. ". ~
was the wording of the charge placed I
against them. What they had a04f
tually done, according to the od1cer1s
was to send seven letters to Mr.. wills
son during the last month demanding
that he deliver to them $1,000 unde4
threat. 9
The first letter reached tho. gov1
errors Office In Trenton on Novem<
Der 18th. The last one reached him
In Bermuda.
While Mr.. Wilson expressed no
alarm, his friends Immediately plane6a
the matter In the hands of PostoMco
Inspector Ccrtelyou at Philadelphia. q
On the day the FIRST letter was Re-
ceived deputy marshals, secret service
men and postoff1ce inspectors throu9h@
out the State were hunting the blAckA
mailers. 81
Meanwhile the persistent repetitiom
OF the threats went on. The first let-
tiers had made December 4th the time
limit for the delivery of the money!
but that day passed. and the nexe
letter extended the time limit to Ds~
cember 18th.
Watch Rural Delivery Box.
To Deputy United States Marshal
Louis q. Beekman and PostofficA Inc
spectors Francis Butler and Clinton
Iarabee had been assigned the most
important and difficult task OF keep
ing secret watch on a rural free de-
livery post box on q mountain rOa0
near Wharton, n. j. 1t was In thu
box that the money was to be LETT. 40
cording to the demands OF the blacks
mailers. is
II was In the desolate Wilderness
among the abandoned mines north Ok
Lake Hopatcong, and about fourteen
miles from Dover, that Beekman ana
the inspectors captured the three suS<
poets late this afternoon.
The prisoners are Warren Dunn. hi1
brother. Jacob. and zeeIey Davenport
typical poor whites of the hills.
Daring Detective Rusc.
They were captured by darin8
raid and brilliant detective rusc.
The letters had been erudeiy Win
ten and the word shoot" appcare0
always as SCOT: the word knew
as no" The inspectors had copdsgs
Of the writing.
Reekman. who was securing tbs
country while Butler and Lara0o4s
kept their ceaseless watch on the iaers
ter-box. In which q false bankrcS1S
had been placed, learned that three#
of the envelopes which had encloeo9s
the letters had been delivered by ru~s
raj delivery man to Peter Dunn, Wa
lives with his brother near wharton
He learned further that chuns
of the Dunn boys was Zeeiey DavoM~s
mort. who had been sent to prison 4qks
q hold-up two years ago, and who's
father had been arrested for lcouM@a
terfeiting In a little shanty far N1ks
the niountainsfde.
Then came the information tt
prominent citizens of Dover had -
ceived threatening letters demandlN
money. One was Fl. j. Mfsle. and t4
other was Theodore s King. Beekts
man got these letters. The wTtfMa
was the same as that OF the noe4Ms
to Mr. Wilson.
Visit Mountain Shack.
Monday night the inspectors 00~o&I
sfdered their evidence nearly cp40&a
plete. They set out from Dover IT,
an automobile. and went to DANoSg
ports tumbled down house.
climbed the pitch black mountain ru11
to the shanty. where the young MaMI
father had done his coming. a
Peering through the window IT,
saw Davenport and five other men
the place Shotguns were stan4ns
sgairst the walls 1t was six ArnAo0
men against three. but the OfncN&MS
had no intention OF making an a4s
tack.
They knocked on the door am4l
were admitted by Davenport. d
"Been loking all over for you,
Beekman cheerily. II am from GeN
gresham futile: I'm his secreens
He's interested in that matter q
pension for your father"
Yes, pop was in the war;. ~
Davenport eagerly. we got . CT
boy at home, and We need the Mcoo
bad" @
Writes the Letter. a a.
"wen now" went on the dArM
marshal, II think--I don't pro
ANYTHING. but think--if you'd Nx
letter to Congressman Tuttta
let me take ii to him. he woul4
1t up for YOU"
Davenport. suspecting nothin&
down at rickety table and wrO&M
! a piece OF paper Beekman give
But the writing did not seem e9
that OF the Wilson letters. S*
Now, II you had some frfeud0
write. too" suggested the deputy
the Dunn boys anywhere Ar0n
why. Jake's up there In the NJ
chopping wood" said one o.
men. But Davenport seemed
getting suspicious He w0uJAM
along.
Beekman. Butler and LAEahe~
on nine miles to I lonely er
the abandoned Ford mine
| they found Jacob Dunn, N1&
him the, story Of the pensl0M 4
action. AZ IArabee looseaa4