The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-06-12
TRAPPED TRYING
TO BLACKMAIL
CUNARD LINE
Negro Demands $4,000.
Threatening to Blow
Up Liner.
TRAIL STARTS IN
CITY HALL PARK
Signal at Hale Statue Indi-
Gates Willingness
to Pay.
ARMED DETECTIVES
ON SPECIAL TRAIN
Throw Out "Fake" Package,
Then Leap Off and Catch
Suspect.

Out OF the throng OF persons in City
Hall Park at 30 o'clock yesterday after
noon man stepped toward the Nathan
Hale statue and placed his hands on the
base. He remained In that attitude for
three minutes. finally removing his hat
with his left hand and then turning about
and disappearing In the throng
The acts Of the man were a signal that
the Cunard Steamship Company would
pay $4,000 rather than have one of its
ships blown up by dynamite. They were
the prelude to the spectacular hunt and
capture OF Joseph Burton. 10 years old, a
negro. Of 1877 ,Duffield street, Brooklyn. at
West View. near Bogota, n. j.. at 80
o'clock last night by about twenty New
shotguns or revolvers.
Burton, who is accused OF attempted
grand larceny and extortion and who ac-
cording to the police. has confessed that
he alone engineered the plan OF trying
to obtain $4,000 from the Cunard off,
Gals. was nabbed just after he had picked
up package, supposed to contain the
amount in bills, from the tracks OF the
West Shore Railroad in West View The
package had been dropped from the rear
car OF the Buffalonian. an express train
that left Weehawken. y. j.. at s O'Clock.
Special Train EoIIows.
The preparations for the capture of
the alleged blackmailer were exceedingly
elaborate. A special train followed the
Buff ilonian closely. with men in read ness
/ to jump from 1t and follow the man who
should take the package from the tracks.
Burtt1's arrest followed three weeks
Of energetic work and planning on :he
part OF Second Deputy Police Commits
sioner Rubin and Police Inspector Faurot,
who worked out the details by which the
spectacular arrest was made.
The would-be blackmailer is said to
have written three letters to the Cunard
company. demanding money. The frs;
was received by officials OF the company
more than three weeks ago. 1t was
addressed simply to the Cunard Steamsh. u
Company and demanded $4,000. The
writer who wrote a fairly good hand
and seemed to be we'll educated, threat
oned that unless he received the money
. ne WOulu CuuSt Ollt VI the company \
ships to be blown UP by placing many
sticks OF dynamite in the coal bunkers
The first letter suggested that II the
company was willing to make the pay
ment an advertisement should be placed
in a Sunday newspaper. The letter was
turned over to the company's counsel,
Henry de Forest Baldwin. who at once
communicated with Mr.. Rubin. An effort
was made to insert the advertisement in
the newspaper. but 1t was refused be-
cause of its strange wording.
Given Full Directions.
Within few days a second letter was
received by the Cunard officials directing
! that an agent OF the company should
| leave Weehawken on the Buffalonlan on
last Friday. carrying the money, and
should stand on the rear platform OF the
| last car, ready to hurL> the package off
| at a given signal. The signal was to be
a blue light flashed along the railroad
track. The writer said that the signal
would appear at some point between
weehawken and Buffalo and directed the
agent to be on the alert for It,
No attention was paid to that letter
and finally a third was received yester-
| day. 1t contained the same demands
| and the same threats ana directed that
a man, carrying the money should leave
on the Bufralonian last night. The writer
also directed that II the money was to
be taken on tho train the agent should
| be prepared 90 receive as a signal three
| blasts OF q police whistle. 1t directed also
| that II the money was to be paid an agent
OF the company should stand before the
| Nathan Hale statue and remove his hat
Rubin and Faurot arranged the details
/ of the trap and sent Detective Raftus to
| give the signal at the statue. Two pack
| ages supposed to contain the $4,000 were
made up Acting Police Captain Jones
who is a rife expert and crack shot. took
charge Of one. He was assigned to stand
on the rear platform of the last car OF
the Butfalonian and he took with him O
rife. Inside the car were eight New York
| detectives. all armed.
| Tho special train was made up for tive
purposes. In the first place 1t was feared
that the blackmailer might mistake the
| train and fail to give the signal at the
proper time. Accordingly a detective witt
| the second package stood on the rear plat.
form OF the last car OF that train. In
that train wero nine more New York de.
tectlves. including Detective Gi,dea. and
three railroad detectives.
In the second place these men were &c
be prepared for a signal for the train
ahead IN the event that the package was
dropped from the arst train. Then the