The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1922-10-28
POISON PEN LETTERS
FLOOD FOREST HILLS
Blackmail Gang Turned to
Husband When Other Man
Said They Lied.
ASKED IF WIFE MUST GO
All Reject Proposals and Ac-
cusing Typewriter Mes
sages Follow.
ASKED IF WIFE MUST GO

Poison pen" letters, attacking the
regulations Of a young married woman
and a much older man, and apparently
written by expert blackmailers, have
recently flooded Forest Hills, Queens.
Ninety per cent. of the guests at
| Forest Hills Inn have received them,
IS per cept. of the families in the Gar
ddns and Tennis Place apartments and
about fourth of the other families of
the suburb. The letters have been sent
not only to the closest friends OF the
persons assailed but to strangers and
to many tradesmen. whose names were
seemingly taken from the telephone
book.
haitian substations on Friday and Sat
urday last and distributed from the
Forest Hills post office on Saturday
and Monday. Most of them were post
marked October 21.
The man whom they accuse says that
they are the work of blackmailers who
by telephone and letter. beginning four
weeks ago. threatened to EXPOSE" him
IL he did not pay 5000. He replied, he
says, that the charge they hinted at
was false and that ne would not give
5000 or cents for blaclsmail
Start In on Husband.
After failing TO make any impression
on him they started on the young wom-
ans husband when he returned from
trip abroad, about two weeks ago.
From him they demanded by telephone
from public pay stations in New York,
financial assistance" without mention
ing a sum. He told them nothing they
could say or do could effect his faith
in his wife or the faith of those who
knew her, and he defied them to do
their worst. The deluge of letters fol-
lowed
A differently worded letter was
mailed to the guests ut the Gramatan
Hotel Bronxville. where the man
named in the letters now lives. A clerk
ut the hotel got one, read 1t, and then
sent all the others back to the post
office unopened.
The Forest Hills husband, who is a
New York business man. has hand ed over
his letters and other evidence to his at
tcrneys and told them 10 take whatever
action they deem advisable. The other
man, who Is also in business in New
York. said last night that post office in
spectors were at work and that he would
turn over to them to-day the letters he
had received. One of the letters that
come to the husband before the broad
casting of the poison pen" outbursts
vas written on stationery of a well
known New York hotel There is u
theory that the gang, consisting Of sew
eral men and ut least one woman. make
n practice OF hanging about hotels, get
ting acquainted with the habits Of guests
who seem to have money and playing for
those who would rather pay than be
scandalized, even though innocent.
The Letter.
The letters about which all OF Forest
Hills Is talking were written By multi
graph machine. which gives the effect OF
q very cieanly typewriter communica-
tion-almost the effect of print The
paper is of fair quality and Of the size
ordinarily used for business typewrlting.
There is no date, SALVATION or signature.
Forest Hills Is misspelled with two RS
and the word presence" is written
"presenec" as If the person who typed
Continued on Payo Seven.