The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-01-15
THE SMITH-MURRAY co.
BLACKMAIL KING
HELD FOR TRIAL
, IN $4,000 BAIL

"a.
Tomlinson, alias Don Collins, was di-
rectly accused yesterday Of being the
head of the ''B1ackmail Trust recent
ly uncovered by the Federal authori-
ties. The accusation came when he
was arraigned before United States
Commissioner Houghton on a charge
of conspiracy.
Fourbi11on, whose arrest on last
Wednesday on suspicion of tampering
with coin boxes led to disclosures of
the gangs activities was discharged
by Magistrate Corrigan in the West
Side court but was Immediately re-
arrested on a Federal warrant. This
was based on an affidavit made ,by
Frank l.. Garbardino, head of the
Philadelphia branch of, the\ Depart
ment of Investigation. 1t was charg-
William Butler, arrested in Philadel-
phias to extort money by means of the
Mann White Slave Law.
This man. said Assistant District
Attorney John G.. Knox. to the COM
missioner, lis the head of a conspir-
acy which has blackmai1 as it's OBJ
ject. If ordinary bail were fixed. he
might leave the country
Made the Bail Very Large
These charges are the worst that
have been brought before me in
many day." returned the Commits
sfoner. He then fixed bail at $4,000.
Tourbillon was represented by Ed
ward J. White Of the office of Lewis
stuyvesant Chan1er.
The affidavit on which the warrant
was based stated that it was against
public policy to make the names Of
the victims public at this time. But
the Federal auth critics added that
they had obtained the names of at
least a dozen wealthy men and
- he
blackmai1 net and some Of them had
agreed to put aside their personal
feelings and prosecute.
Mrs. J. Bolton W1npenny of Phi1a-
de1phia, who says that the gang tried
to get $4,000 from her by the asser-
ton that there was a white slave
case against one of her sons, came
to New York yesterday in an effort
to identify Tourbi11on as man who /
had approached her. Mr.. Knox said |
afterward it would against public
policy to tell whether she had pick
ed out Tourbil1on.
Was Not Marshal Winpenny
Marshal Winpenny, who is connect
I'd with the Attorney Generals office
N Philadelphia, yesterday afternoon
said it was not he, but one of his
or Others, whose name was used in
he effort to extort money from his
mother. - /
believe that one Of my brothers was
involved in a white slave case and
would be prosecuted unless she paid
money to them,'' said Mr.. Winpenny.
She told them she would not pay /
hem without first consulting me.
Then they went away and my mother
e1ephoned me, and by prompt action
IN the part of the Federal authori-
les we were enabled to capture one
nan.
.'There were no white slave case
kept in the imagination Of the
'1ackmailers. My mother positively
Identified the man arrested. We felt
he owed a duty to the public to ex-
'ose and prosecute him."
Mr.. Winpenny referred to the man
rrested in Philadelphia. Agents of
he Department of Justice said in
last night that dragnet
vas out in seven different states for
ther members of the gang, which
ow appears to have numbered about
wenty men and women. Six of these
re definitely known and at least six
persons are being trailed
)ne woman in a city in Western
northumberland to be Pitts
urgh-is being followed. In Bos-
On, Philadelphia, Wilmington and
baltimore detectives are at work i
Did Other Crooked Work
Assistant United States Attorney
-noX SAID bhaC l11ofL1dt1ou h1o peeh
eceived that the gang had been
utility of other forms of swind1fng
esides that which led to the arrests.
is believed that before the inquiry
ended it will have gone into the
usiness of fake overlapping and the
ales of large quantities of stock OF
oubtfu1 value.
The reluctance of victims to testify
as been the chief obstacle to the
ederaI agents work. But now that
ames have been obtained these per-
ms will be subpoenaed and the truth
rawn from them.
Several persons sought to identify
ourbiIlon when he YVES in the West
ide Court Prison. That some of
lem succeeded is regarded as almost
srtain from the fact that he was
rested on the greater charge. It
expected that the names Will be-
,me public at the hearing set for