The Hope pioneer. [volume] (Hope, N.D.) 1882-1964, 1912-04-04
A we'll SET TRAP

ID WILL OF IOHI
Shared a BIackmaiier Who Dared
g invade Wall Street.
The late Jay Gould arrived at his Of.
nee one morning in state Of mind.
There" he said to his favorite part.
ner. ainging down a letter which had
been addressed to Mrs. Jay Gould. II
don't mind their writing their scurr1l.
Gus things to me. but when they begin
to send them to my wife it's got to bs
stopped. What can you do!",
The partner first read the letter. The
writer promised that he had lost great
deal Of money speculating In Geuld
stocks, especially Missouri Pacific, and
required that he be advised How to get
back what he had lost and more bs.
sides. Unless Mr.. Gould impaired to
him straight. bona nde monsy making
information be would destroy Ars.
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 certain New York news
paper advising him when to buy and
when to sell Missouri Pacific The aA-
vertisement should be written In code
which he had devised. 30 that he alone
would receive and understand the tip.
II think can catch him." said MIR.
Gould's partner. ".Just leave 1t to me-"
Mr.. Gould was for calling In Inspec-
tor Byrnes ut once. but his partner
thought they had better wait until
they had laid mine for the offender.
The partner. who had q shrewd un-
derstanding of human nature. proceed
cd In an unexpected manner. 1t hap
pened that Mr.. Gould'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-
cd. Again he was told when to buy
It and again when to sell it. and when
this had been repeated number Of
times the partner was ready to spring
the trap. He inserted an advertise.
ment which took the blackpatler OF
his guard. It read somewhat like this:
Missouri Paciilc.-The person who
has been receiving information to bis
own profit about the movements Of
this stock has not kept faith with Vi.
He has been tmparting 1t to others.
For that reason 1t Is discontinued"
That was not true. There was not
the slightest reason to believe that the
blackmatler had impaired bis informa-
tfon to others: there had been even
NO conclusive evidence Of hls acting
on it for himself. as he would not bs
likely to speculate on so large q scale
as to be recognized In the stock mar.
ket. But even In a few hundred shares
at time man could make 4 great
deal Of money In short time IL he
knew beforehand infallibly when the
price would rise and when 1t 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 thA 5etter.
Inspector Byrnes was now called
into the case. The accusing advertise
ment was printed on Sunday morning.
20 that II the blackmailer posted q
letter during the day it would be all
the easier to catch him. Inspector
Byrnes stationed 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 4 letter anywhere in that dis
trict that Sunday was under suspicion.
Before he was out Of sight q 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 q letter ud>
dressed to Jay Gould was posted by 4
well dressed young man, who ten min
utes later was In the ONCE 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 tho 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.
dnue receiving 1t az before.
But the blackmailer was no more sur.
prised when confronted BY the letter
than Mr. Gould's partner was when he
saw the blackmatler, for it turned out
that he was socially well connected.
he was, In fact, the son Of man fos
whom one member Of the Gould arm
entertained feelings Of friendship. He
had done badly with everything and
had at last resorted to blsckmail. His
threat to do violence to Mrs. Gould
was empty. though there was no know.
In hofaroho nd fhot s,,oh <h> o>.>