Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1912-03-07
A WELL SET TRAP
Shared a BIackmaIer Who Dared
to Invade Wall Street.
TRIED TO WORK Jay GOULD.

But the Old Financer Was Not to Ee
Scared by Black Hand Letter and
His Partner Fixed Up Scheme That
CleverIy Caught the CuIprit.
The late Jay Gould arrived at his of
fee one morning in Il state of mind
'"There." he said to his favorite part
ner. flinging down a letter which had
been addressed to Mrs. Jay Gould. Il
don't mind their writing their scurrl-
GUS things to me. but when they begin
to send them to my wife it's got to be
stopped. What can you do?"
The partner first read the letter. The
writer promised that he had lost great
deal Of money specializing in Gould
stocks, especially 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
Information he would destroy Mrs
Gould. The manner in which he de.
sired the information to be impaired
was this: Every morning an advertise
ment should be inserted in the personal
column of a certain New York news
paper advising him when to buy and
when to sell Missouri Pacific. The adj
vertisement should be written in code
which he had devised so that he alone
would receive and understand the tip
II think l can catch him." said Mr..
'Gould's partner. "Just leave it to me-"
Mr.. Gould was for calling in Inspec-
tor Byrnes at once, but his partner
thought they had better wait until
they had laid mine for the offender
The partner. who had shrewd un.
yderstanding of human nature. proceed
ed in an unexpected manner 1t hap
pened that Mr.. Goud's firm was very
active in Missouri Pacific and con
trOlled the stocks fluctuations. On
the next day an advertisement was
inserted as the blackmailer had re-
quested. informing him agreeably to
his code to buy Missouri Pacific and
to watch for further Instructions Mis-.
souri, Pacific stock went up. A few
days later another advertisement was
inserted telling him to sell Missouri
Pacific. And Missouri Pacific declin-
1t and again when to sell it, and when
this had been repeated a number of
times the partner was ready to spring
the trap. He inserted an advertise
ment which took the blackmailer off
his guard. 1t read somewhat like this:
missouri Pacific-The person who
has been receiving information to his
own profit about the movements of
this stock has not kept faith with us.
He has been imparting it 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 to others; there had been even
no conclusive evidence of his acting
on it for himself. as he would not be
likely to speculate on SO large a scale
as to be recognized in the stock mar
ket. But even in a few hundred shares
at a time man could make great
deal of money in short time if he
knew beforehand infallibly when the
price would rise and when it would
fall. Mr.. Gould's partner counted
upon the mans natural impulse when
accused Of having. by his own lack
of discretion, slain his goose. The i'm
pulse would be to deny that he had
broken faith. The chances were that
he would deny it by letter The trick
was to nail him as he mailed the letter.
Inspector Byrnes was now called
unto the case. The accusing advertise
ment was printed on Sunday morning.
so that If the blackmailer posted
letter during the day it would be all
the easier to catch him. Inspector
Byrnes stationed a man at every mail
box in the postal district from which
the original letter of threat had been
posted to Mrs. Gould. Every man who
posted 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 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 he 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
had 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
Mr.. Gould was not easily Modified. He
Thought an example should be made Of
one Of the few threatening letter writ
ers Wall street had ever caught red
handed. The pleading Of the young