Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1919-01-24
DEMANDS $1,000
IN LIFE THREAT.
Blackmailer Uses Telephone to Re-
quest Sum of Nicholas J. Coin
of Davenport

1t was an ugly. husky voice that
summoned Nicholas J. Coin, presi-
dent OF the Davenport Ice Cream
company and proprietor of the Dav-
export Loan & Investment com
pany, to theAtelephone several days
ago.
Il am the guy that spotted you
and your wife in Bettendorf the
other night Now, on Wednesday
Right, Jan %, you bring 81 900,
sied up in package, to the same
place that you passed me. If you
fail, you had better kiss yourself
goodbye" said the ugly voice on
the other end Of the wire.
Mr.. Coin informed the stranger
that he could not be frightened by
such a demand, whereupon the
wouldbe blackmailer threatened
him with all sorts of dire calamities
If he failed to show up with the
money.
Mr. Coin was on hand at the ap-
pointed time Wednesday night, but
he was not alone He had three
friends on watch at convenient
distance. All were heavily armed
and ready for any emergency But
no one appeared.
Mr.. Coin resides in a coy homo
on the hill above Bettendorf, near
the Mt Carmelite convent. On the
evening referred to in the tele-
phone conversation, Mr.. Coin and
his wife were on their way home
from Davenport They had Just left
the main thoroughfare of Betten-
dorf, where they got off the car,
and proceeded up the street in the
direction of their home. A strang-
er attracted their attention by
standing in their pathway and
looking at them intently THAT
man has a bad look and is up to
something" commented Mr.. Coin
to his wife as they passed on.
For the naxt several days a
strange voice kept calling up the
Cofa residence. Either Mrs. Coin
Or her sister, who is visiting with
her, being the only ones at home
at the time, would answer the
phone II want Mr.. Coin; where is
he? Where is his place of bust
ness?" the man on the other end
would inquire. Only an evasiVe
answer was given
Several days ago Mr.. Coin
CHANGED to be in the ONCE of the
Davenport Loan & Investment COM
pany, Of which he is proprietor. |
The telephone rang. who is this %"
said the voice. Mr.. Coin gave his |
name. Just the man I am looking |
for" came the reply. Then the de-
mand was made that Mr. Coin ap-
pear with 81 900 at the appointed
time and date, under penalty of |
death il he failed
1t was some evenings later that |
Mr.. Coin and other members of !
the family were awakened by the
rays of a f1ash1ight being thrown |
into the windows of their home. |
Mr.. Coin arose, secured his trusty |
'thirty-eighter" and went out onto |
the porch in search of the culprit |
with the ffashlight, but he had dis
appeared in the darkness. 1t was |
the evident purpose of the stranger
to further brighten the family |
through this nefarious method
Mr.. Coin called up officials of the |
Bettendorf company and related |
the incidents to them. He gave a
description of the stranger who |
had accosted him and his wife while |
on their way home. It is the opin-
ion of the Bettendorf people that it
is the same fellow who made two
unsuccessful attempts to extort
SIC, 900 from J. w. Bettendorf, pres
ident of the company.
In the case Of Mr.. Coin, how
ever, the stranger gave him a diff
ferent financial rating from that he
had placed on Mr. Bettendorf, and
reduced the amount from $4,000 to
$1,000. He also dropped the suit
case idea as a proper means of con-
veying the money and demanded
that this time it be placed in a
package
With a good description Of the
suspected blackmailer, Mr.. Coin has
hopes that he will be captured 1t
is the general belief now, and was
also in the case of the Bettendorf
episode, that the offender is a local
party. He is supposed to be making