The public ledger. [volume] (Maysville, Ky.) 1913-1968, 1916-01-28
WHITE SLAVE BLACKMAIL
Wealthy New Workers. May Expose the
"Gang" That Infests tho
Metropolis.

New York, January 2S.-The white
slave blackmail, the latest thriller for
New Workers, may be brought out
from the dark closets of many New
York families today. For many months
past, wealthy men and women have
been blackmailed numerically, ac-
lcording to the federal officials, and the
government attorneys will try to pro-
duce these rich New Workers in court
to-day to prosecute the alleged leader
of the white slave blackmail" gang.
Don Collins, or Robert A. Tourbil-
lion as he prefers to be called, was re-
Gently brought before U. S. Commits.
sioner Houghton, and he is held under
$780, 900 bail to face the governments
accusation today of being the head
and shoulders of the worst gang of
blackmailers in the country" The
formal charge is conspiracy to obtain
money by fraud and extortion, his ac-
complete being, according to the gov
eminent officials, william Butler, who
was caught in the federal net in Phil
adelphia a few weeks ago.
Several wealthy New Workers gave
information to the Department of JUS
tice that they have paid thousands of
dollars in hush money" under threats
of arrest under the Mann White Slave
act for travelling with woman across
state lines. Philadelphians also fur
nished similar information and Collins
was arrested.
The assurance of the government Of
fcials that the compliments are all
eminently respectable men has led to
Speculation as to whether these veal
thy New Workers and Philadelphians
will appear today to identify the lead
err of the gang" and tell the circum-
stances under which they were mulct-
ed. Some very interesting testimony
IL bound to come out, If the complain
ants appear 1t is known that several
of those who furnished the original in
formation are not willing to expose
their names to the unkind remarks
and stigma of white slave case. AS
sistant District Attorney John C. Knox
has threatened to force these victims
to testify by serving subpoenas upon
them.
The expose of the white slave
blackmaiw was begun recently in
Philadelphia, when Mrs. Susan G
Winpenny. a highly respectable soci-
ETY. woman, identified Butler, the al
legged accomplice of Collins, as one of
three men who called upon her last
year and demanded $4,000, under
threat of arresting her son on a charge
of white slavery. In the face of much
inevitable notoriety, Mrs. Winpenny
aided the government detectives and
told the full story of the attemp to
blackmail her. 1t is said by the secret
service men that fully 100000 has
been mulcted from prominent people,
but none Of them would go so far as
the Philadelphia woman.
| According to Mrs. Winpenny, Butler
and two other men called at her sum-
mer home last June. They said they
had followed her son, Marshall Win
penny, and a young woman to Wild
wood, ~ j., and had records of the
times the young man and young wo-
man were there. They asked for S.
900 to FIX the chief" She pleaded she
did not have the money available, and
they agreed to accept $4,000, saying it
would be hard to satisfy the chief"
with that small amount. They show
ed warrants and badges, which have
been proven to be limitations.
Mrs. Winpenny testified she finally
put them men of. saying she would
consult her son and that, If he desired
her to pay the money to keep him out
of trouble she would do so. She re-
ported the case to the federal author
tiles. but the men learned of what was
going on and failed to return for the
bundle"
According to the federal authorities
three of four pretty young women are
associated with the gang. They Gre
ated evidence against susceptible
wealthy men and also against physi-
clans who were blackmailed under
threats OF malpractice prosecutions.