East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1912-01-15
Sends Letters to Two Well
Known Ladies Demanding
Money.
HOMES THREATENED; FIRE
Mrs. Give Cheshire and Mrs. John
Stockman Frightened by Ominous
MissiveS-Police Lay Trap But Fail
to Catch Culprits-Think school
Boys Guilty.

Threatening to destroy the homes
| of Mrs. Give Cheshire and Brs. John
Stockman IL compliance were not
made with their demands for money,
| members of black hand gang have
| succeeded in causing considerable un-
easiness among those acquainted with
the attempts to extort money. Let
ters were received by each of the two
ladies last week but the police have
Kept the fact secret in the hopes of
being able to apprehend the culprits.
Mrs Cheshire received the first
letter in which she was ordered to
leave $50 in gold at water hydrant
at the corner of Wilson and Garfield
street and day or two later Mrs.
Stockman received a similar letter,
evidently written by the same per-
son and in which the same spot was
designated for depositing of $35. Both
demands were emphasized by a threat
to burn the residences of the recip-
tents upon failure to respond.
The letters We're turned over to the
police and Chief Kearney stationed
an officer for several days and nights
near the hydrant mentioned in the
hopes of apprehending the black
hand men when they came to ascer-
tain If their intended victims had COM
piled with their demands. These eff
forts proved fruitless, however, for
no one appeared to get the bag of
washers which had been left there.
Probably School Boys.
Chlef kearney is of the opinion that
the letters were the work of school
boys for the handwriting is of the
vertical style now being taught in
the public schools. Investigation,
however, has failed to throw any light
on the identity of the culprits and the
chief announced this morning that he
would pay substantial reward for
information leading to the arrest of
the guilty parties.
The Letters.
The Cheshire letter bore the sigma
ture B. H. s., presumably meaning
Black Hand Society, but the Stockman
letter was unsigned. The letters ap-
pear here in full:
Pendleton, Ore, Jan. s.
Mrs Cheshire, personal.
We want you on Wednesday, Just as
the clock strikes twelve without de-
lay to put. $50 in gold at the bottom
of that hydren on the corner of Gar
field and Wilson streets.
If the contents is ever let out of
your family or if the said money is |
not there at the appointed time, we
will burn your house sooner or later. !
So you better do as we say
B. H S. |
P. S.-Place it at the bottom of the |
north side of the hydren not in a
purse.
The StoclIman Letter
Mrs. John Stockman, Jan, 10. 1912.
We want you to place $35 on the
north side of that large hydren at the !.
corner of Garfield and Wilson streets,
this must be sin gold and placed
there before o'clock Thursday, Jan.
IL, 1912, and if this is not there then
or If you tell anyone we will burn
your home inside of two weeks. Now
this is small sum for your
house and maybe your life. IF you
don't do this you will pay dearly.
Put money in paper and place at
hydren.
Both Mrs. Cheshire and Mrs Stock
man live on Garfield street not far
from the corner designated and both
being of nervous temperaments were
badly frightened by the threatening
letters.
This is the first black hand attempt
which has been made in Pendleton for
about year, or since Mrs. Rose
Campbell, the milliner, received a
etter demanding money. The writer
Of that m;ssive was never found but
The police were SO vigilant that he
never carried out his threat if he ever
Intended so doing.