Sentence:  No one, however, would have anything to do with him, as Mr. Keeson's orders in those respects were very strict&thinsp;; he had often <WSD>threatened</WSD> any one of his "employés" with instant dismissal if he found him in company with one of these touts. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  To make a threat against someone; to use threats.