Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1912-08-01
Shared a Blackmailer Who Dared
to Invade Wall Street.
TRIED TO WORK JAY GOULD.
But tho Old Financier Was Not to Hs
Scared by a Black Hand lessr. and
His Partner Fixed Up Scheme That
Cleveriy Caught the Cuprit.


The late Jay Gould arrived at his of.
ice one morning in state of mind
There, he said to his favorite part
ner. flinging down letter which had
been addressed TO Mrs. Jay Gould Il
don't mind their writing their scurril- /
GUS things to me. but when they begin I
to send them to my wife it's got TO be 4
stopped What can you do?''
The partner first read the letter The
writer promised that he had lost great
doal of money specializing in Gould
stocks. eSpe' tally Missouri Pacific. and
required that he be advised how to get
back what he had lost and more be-
sides. Unless Mr.. Gould impaired to
him straight. bona fide money making
Gould. The manner in which he de.
sired the information to be impaired
was this: Every morning an advertise
ment should he inserted in the personal
column of certain New York news
paper advising him when to buy and
when to sell Missouri Pacific. The ad-
vertisement should be written in code
which he had devised so that he alone
would receive and understand the tip
II think can catch him." said Mr..
Goulds partner. 'Jast leave 1t to me-
Mr.. Gould was fer calling in Inspec-
tor Byrnes at once. but his partner
thought they had better wait until
they had laid a mine for the offender.
The partner. who had shrewd un-
Outstanding OF human nature. proceed
ed in an unexpected manner. 1t hap.
pened that MT. Gould's firm was very
active In Missouri Pacific and con-
trolled the stocks fluctuations On
the next day an advertisement was
inserted. rs the blackmailer had re-
quested. informing him agreeably to
his code 10 buy Missouri Pacific and
to watch for further instructions Mis-
souri, PYcific stock went up. few
days later anofher advertisement was
inserted telling him to sell Missouri
Pacific. And Missouri Pacific declin-
ed. Again he was told when to buy
N and again when to cell It. and when
this Ind been repeated number OF
times 1he partner was ready to spring
H the trap. He inserted an advertise
A ment which took the blackmailer Off
his guard. :fr read somewhat like this:
j Missouri Paciic.-The person who
mas been ires.eiving information to his
own profit about the movements of
this stock has moi kept faith with us.
He has been imparting 1t to others
For that reason it is discontinued"
That was not true There was not
the slightest reason to Believe that the
blackmailer had impaired his informa
ton 10 others: there had been even
no conclusive evidence Of his acting
on 1t for himself. as he would not he
likely to speculate on so large scale
as to be recognized In the stock mar
ket But even in II few hundred shares
at time Il man could make great
deal of money in II short time If he
knew beforehand infallibly when the
prize wenld rise and when 1t would
fall. MIR. Gouid's partner count ed
upon the anan's natural Impulse when
accused of having. by his own lack
of discretiur, slain aais goose. The i'm
pulse would he to deny that ne had
broken fcith. The chances were that
he would deny it by letter The trick
was to nail him AZ he ipai,ed the letter
Inspector Bysnes was now cal eta
into the case Tne accusing advertise
ment was printed on Sunday morning.
so that If the blackmailer posted a
letter during the day 1t would be all
the easier to catch him Inspector
Bynes stationed n man ut every mail
box in the postal district frem which
the original letter Of threat had been
posted TO Mrs. Gould Every man who
posted q letter anywhere In that dis
trict that Sunday was under suspicion
Before he was out of sight detec-
tive. under pretense Of posting one of
his own. had opened the box with his
pass key and had inspected the letter
last deposited.
And just before dark a letter ad-
dressed to Jay Gould was posted by a
well dressed young man. who ten min,
utes later was in the office Of Inspector
Byrnes protesting Indignantly and de-
claring his family connections He did
not know on what evidence he had
been taken Mr. Gould's partner was
summoned. and he opened the letter.
which was exactly the one expected
The writer warmly and truthfully de-
MED that he had impaired the Missouri
Pacific Information to any one and said
that therefore be should expect to con.
tinue receiving 1t as before
But the blackmailer was no more sur
prised when confronted by the letter
than Mr.. Gould's partner was when he
saw the blackmailer. for 1t turned out
that he was socially well connected
He was. In fact, the son of man for
whom one member Of the Gould firm
entertained feelings Of friendship. He
dad done badly with everything and
had at last resorted to blackmail His
threat to do violence to Mrs Gould
was empty. though there was no know
Ing beforehand that such was the case