The San Francisco call. [volume], January 10, 1909, Page 2, Image 2

About The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913

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A. L. DRUMMOND.
I?hoto by Ncidig.
BLACKMAILING is the learned protessionoi
the underworld. Thousands practice it. Its
revenues are enormous. And in New York
city alone its victims each year are numbered
by the thousand. Therefore if I had only a simple
story concerning this If common crime I should not
tell it. But the narrative I shall relate has not its
counterpart in all the years of my professional expe
rience, nor in anything I have ever read. It stands
alone.
On April -IS, .1898, a prominent attorney of X«w
York called at my office. He said he had a wealthy
client who was in great trouble. He had met a beau
tiful young woman ih a fashionable restaurant. They
became acquainted. He asked permission to call at
her home. She said he might do so the .following
Thursday at 5 o'clock.
The wealthy merchant kept the appointment: The
woman lived in a brownstonc house in West Etghty
third street A servant with red hair opened the door.
A gray haired woman, apparently more than 70. sat by
a window in the sitting room patiently plying a
needle. The young woman whom he had called to see
was in another room. She was dark, pink cheeked,
trim figured. Her gown was of the same black-—unre
lieved by touch or color — that she had worn when
he saw her dining in Oie place down town.
The man remained in the house an hour. In two
weeks he came again by appointment and remained
another hour, the -same servant letting him in. the
same aged woman sitting quietly sewing. And then
he went no more to see Mary Schmidt, the young
German girl — for such were her name and her na
tionality, respectively, according to her story.
In seven months he was astonished to receive at
his office a letter from .the. young woman. First, he
was amazed that she should know his name and his
place of business, as he had told her neither. Next %
he was astonished at the contents of the note itself.
She must see him without fail the next afternoon,
He was there at the minute. As he drew near the
door he the red haired servant dusting the win
dows. Once in>idc the house he saw the older woman
in her accustomed place engaged at her accustomed
task. The "woman in black"— for I shall henceforth
refer to her as sueh — was in the tame room in which
she had received him on the two other occasions.
But this time she was not in black. She said she
must have $500 immediately. And, womanlike, she
then asked when she could have if.
The wealthy man happened to have brought with
him just that amount, and gave it to her on the spot.
"But 1 want you to. tell me something," he said.
"Mow did you learn -my name and-mj' place of busi
ness?"
"By the merest accident,** she replied. "A short
time after you called here 1 was walking down Broad
way with a gentleman. We met you and he stopped
to talk with you while I went on a few steps and
looked into a shop window. When he left you I said
to him: "The face of the gentleman to whom you
spoke seemr- strangely familiar to me. Isn't he Mr.
So-and-So of Fulton street?" 'Oh, no.' he replied, 'he
is ," and he told me your name and address."
The merchant's curiosity on this point apparently
satisfied, he took his departure.
Two months later came another imperative -letter to
the merchant's office from the woman in black. Like
the first letter, it said she must see him the next
afternoon. Thursday, at 5 o'clock.
And again he obeyed her. The same red haired
servant let him in. The same woman was sewing.
Only the merchant's young woman friend Had
changed. She. no longer wore a light, loose fitting
gown, trimmed with pink. Again she was the woman
in black.
She must have $15,000 before noon of the next day.
For herself? Not a penny of it. For another. She
would depart at once for her .old home in Germany,
where dwelt her aged parents, "who believed her hus
band had just died. And the money she would deposit
in a bank and expend only for the support and edu
cation of the individual for whom she, not requested
it, but demanded it.
All this the merchant heard, and more. More, be
cause when he said he did not believe he could raise
a penny in excess of $10,000 in so short a time as 24
hours the whi.te haired woman turned upon him with
such a volley of rebuke and denunciation as he had
never heard. He should be ashamed to treat a poor
young German girl so. He was no man. He was
a villain, a rascal!
The woman in black was not vehement. She was
only firm. To the merchant's first statement that he
did not have $15,000 in cash she told him to sell
some of his stocks and get it. And when he said the
most he could give her the next day was $10,000 she
firmly refused to take anything less than the sum
FOREIGN STUDENTS IN AMERICA
IT is only of recent years that American colleges and
universities have been patronized by* foreigners Jto
any considerable extent, but of late the number of
such students Has increased very rapidly. The tide
which has flowed from America to European seals of
learning is beginning to turn. The enrollment of;for
eign students in colleges throughout the United States
this fall is much greater than ever before. Thc-ma
jority of these foreign students come from \u25a0". South,
American countries, but with an increasing propor
tion of late from England and the Continent. -
Foreign students are usually attracted by the-spe
cial arid technical course offered in America.. The
fame of the Massachusetts School of Technologyhas
spread, for instance, over both continents. The dental
and veterinary courses of the University of Penn
sylvania attract many more. The school of forestry
at Cornell, again, has an international reputation,
while many of the special courses at Harvard' are well
considered abroad. The law course at Columbia 'ex
erts a similar attraction.
There arc more than one Hundred foreign students
enrolled this fall in the Massachusetts "School of Tech
nology, and upward of two hundred in several.depart
ments at Harvard. It is expected. that more than two
hundred- foreign students will "attend Columbia .this
year, there are more than fifty- at Princeton,^ while
fully ten per cent of all the students "at the University
of Pennsylvania are foreigners.
Many of the foreign • students » tHis year, come . from
Australia and New" Zealand. The number of Jap
anese students is rapidly -increasing. all
of the Central and South' American 'countries are
represented, as well as European" countries, while
True Detective Stories
THREE -WOMEN AND -A MAN
A.L. Drummound, Formerly Chief of the U.S. Secret Service
demanded, though she would give him two or three,
more days to raise it all.
Thus matters stood when the merchant, head
a-whirl, left the house. Then the man did what all
rich men do when they are in doubt about anything—
consulted his- lawyers. Ajid his attorney, after hear
ing "his story, -came to me.
"Does your client believe," said I, "that this woman,
has a just claim; against : him?" ;
"He has no doubt of it."
"What Have you advised him: to do?"
"Well, at first I advised him to take his wife for a
trip to Mackinac island, remain with her there a few
weeks, and during their stay tell her the whole story.
Thenl thought Iwould come over here and ask .you
what you thought about it." .
"Has he bought his tickets?"
"Yes; they're going tonight."
"Can you see him before he goes?"
"Then advise him not to tell his wife a word,iand
I II go to work on the case.
. That was Saturday, if I remember correctly. /The
first thing 1 did was to send a man to watch the house.'
At the end of the first day he reported that -the place
seemed to be closed. 'The shades were all drawn, and
no one had entered or left. I asked him ;if he could
geta room across the way so He could, keep up the
watch indefinitely if necessary -without^ attracting jat
tention. He inquired at a hotel opposite andiengaged
the front room on the' second floor. ; \, .;\u25a0 :./:'. •
Sunday, Monday, Tuesday -and .Wednesday "f two of.
my men relieved each other in watching - the \u25a0 house
night and day, but the shades. remained. drawn and no :
one left or entered the house. About 4 o'clock" Thurs
day afternoon, however," a ; red- haired'jwoman came
down-the street, entered the front door with aVpass
key. and as soon as she could remove Her -..wraps; be
gan-to "dust the windows. -liw few; minutes : a gray
haired; woman went in the house. And : lastly came
the woman in, black."- Later a man came— and went.
A few minutes before 7 o'clock the \ gray" haired
woman came out. One of my. men followed her.y She
took^fiyc ; different streetcars— doubled back ''arid . ' forth
On her'coufse, as if to throw off pursuersV-ahd finally
entered- a 'splendid residence/a little ;ak)ve"Oric Hun
dred and: TwentietH street West. Fifteen' minutes
later, the,' red haired woman went into the: same 'house.
. The; woman in black ; did not .. leave the .Eighty-third
street.' 1 "place until nearly half-past "seven. -jLike the
aged/ woman, she .went home by a circuitous route,
arid \u25a0eventually^ e'ntef edfa residence in' the .vicinity -of
One Hundredth street AVest.
.}'^When. these; facts^were tclephonedit6fme:l .put^two
iwatclrcach"; house, making six7men:inuaii,jin
\u25a0 eluding^ the ;two on watclv in Eighty-third "street. For
"the following six/days^the watchers; in* Eighty-third
.street saw. nothing— shades, drawn; "--nobody l; around:
;The 'men- "watching:^the ;-' House near : One'; Hundredth
street reported \u25a0: they.: had t seen the >voman in\black at
a" window;and once; on the porch! They also reported
that; alvery ' fine LookihgV.well dressed \ businessman left
the house each morning and returned each evening,
a little 4 year old girl meeting him at the door arid;
calling him "papa." « \u25a0>>
On Tuesday, I ; think, a carriage drove up to the
door and the woman in black drove away. One of
my men tried to follow her on foot and by streetcar,
but lost her. The next day she went out again, and/
this time he had a bicycle. He followed her to a
large downtown •store, took.notice of the clerk who
waited oh her and after her departure said to him:\'.
"I was almost on the point of speaking to Mrs. - — -
while you were, waiting on .her, but, as she did. not
recognize me, I guess she has forgotten whoJiam.
My sister used to "work for her in her home in Sixtieth
street, and I have often- spoken to her." _ ' • ...
"That isn't Mrs.?; — — V.' replied the clerk; '"that's
Mrs. . , and she lives ——/'/and he gave the number
of her home in the street near One Hundredth.
When this was reported to me 1 knew beyond the
possibility of a doubt the name of the woman.Jn
black,, since the name given "by the clerk .was the
name' of the. family i who, . according to the directory,
lived in the house. I) looked up the marriage, license
records and definitely ascertained that the man who
left the house each morning and returned each night
'was her husband. ,, The birth records' showed the'littlc
girl to be their daughter.', I had also definitely learned
the \u25a0name- of the red haired and the gray headed
women.
\u25a0 The elderly woman I found to be the mother of the
other. two.- '•..\u25a0.'\u25a0•'.' ''\u25a0.'\u25a0'. * : -. -{'\u25a0\u25a0 .'." \u25a0._.'. '"\u25a0/. '\u25a0 . '\u25a0-. ...
The woman in black was the wife of the president
of a large/corporation. -We found, among 'other
things, that he^owned -more than a •hundred different
piecesiof;rcal estate in ; Manhattan. :
r The ; red haired woman who played the part of a
THE HAiWK
Tudor Jenks
;
F~VERY morning}when I rise
*--lisee Him- cruising Jn the .skies. '\u25a0 i '•'."
High andjlow^tojajidfroi 1
Sailing, swooping-4-see him go,
Now'fast^noWi slow,f|^^
The ? pirate T of' the: air \ is \he, v
Every '{course; to - him; is free.?'
As '\u25a0\u25a0_his shadow, chills, the: ground."'^'v}}:
Klces>tKeihare\withvtirnorous^bound-7rJ,
Thus thc'merch'antmanfofVoid : „."
Kled theidirci black:£flagT unrolled;;
For the \u25a0 hawk;must slay;and "• slay,^ I
TqjHyejby; murderjischis^way; - . "
Armed i" he rgoes; with^talonsj kcen,v
With^ihobked'-beakfHis^ej'es-between,.
To._strike, v ito;Hold, sCtoit"ear*andJrerid..,-;
From; sucHt a\ fate,'ye igods,"defend
The tremblingfcreaturej\}in;the grass ,"' .:
ThatTshrink*ito'"let;the: quick-death "pass!
But": as'l the"'pirate''Had his lass,
The hawkihas*his;fand\o"n •;the/fnes t
AwaitsJtheTma'te f:he|loyesVthe.best,y
Nestlings!rtoo^ithere are to: rear,'. 1.
For whoni-thevmoorsJmust*live in fear,
Away: he^sails^vtill;f growing; dim,; -/•.
Hel fades "on Ith'e* horizon's rim. - :
servant in the house, in Eighty-third street I also
found; to;be the wife of a wealthy man, who was the
president of a large. corporation. Both sisters lived in
the finest style, having. horses, carriages and numerous
I next -learned of a man who was* a cousin of the
two women. I visited him myself, making no secret
ofmy identity or of my purpose in calling iupon him.
He readily admitted the relationship, and added:
"I don't want ; to help send my own relatives to
state's prison, , but the fact is my' aunt and her two
daughters are the wickedest women in New York.
And. the worst of it is the old woman is as bad as her
daughters. The red, haired one even tried once to
blackmail me, but she couldn't do it." \
I still lacked, however, one bit of evidence that I
wanted— -a specimen of the handwriting of the woman
in black-— I mean a specimen made. at her reaj home,
near One Hundredth street, to compare with the let
ters written to the merchant from Eighty-third street.
I was keeping up the watch on the house and early
the next week came the opportunity to forge this last
link in the chain. ..
:A : messenger boy was called to the house, received a
note. and away; he whirled on, his wheel. At least he
started to, do so. One of rhy men caught him at the
first'eorner. •
" "Give me back that letter," he said, rather brusque
ly; ."my wife made a mistake, I think, in directing it."
The boy Handed over the note. It was not sealed.
'It was directed to a well known Fifth avenue modiste.
Without changingfrhe direction, my man returned the
note to the boy, who proceeded to deliver it. I ob
tained ,the note, 'however, the* same afternoon from
the person" to; whom it was sent. '
Then' I . called up the lawyer and asked him how
.soon he could get his client back to the city. He told
me he returned the night before. 1
"Have him at ; my? office tomorrow morning,'' said
I.' "Andfyou come : along, too."
'\u25a0'. WHeri' they came I Held -before the merchant the
\u25a0vyoman'i in black's letter to the 'dress maker. . •
"Do you recognize that handwriting?" said I.
I thought jhe^woulddrop^in^his tracks. .
>\"Mary : > Scnmidt,"-|was. all he ; could say.
.-Then I'told^the story of all: I had learned about the
strange: occupants of the ; house 'in Eighty-third, street,"
merchant: visibly becoming stronger. -as,". the facts
• were' related'; to: him. . At 'the! close I said to , his
lawyers ,- \u25a0 . ' -, \u25a0' :'\u25a0' '; ' • •\u25a0 '
"Advise your, .'client : to write a letter \u25a0. to this woman,
;teliing ( her;he is now ready; to pay her the $15,000 and
asking when; she .will see him.'-'*
The" letter, was -written and in the- shortest possible
.time: the reply came back: * v
.'•Thursday "afternoon ; at. s .o'clock." •
fat -"the 'Eighty-third street house took
: ;place;iThufsday;aftern6on;at;s; o'clock. ,
.^AridaiT; hourj before " th*e time set my; men,* who were
>, watching ; fa t • the \ uptown houses j >\u25a0 saw , the a ged woman
and > her? two"; daughters Tdepart, one 'by one,, arid my
men at the "downtown -House saw -them enter the
The S?^i Francisco Sunday * Call
MaB*MhM*iMHk^HBMnMBH*SIHMk^H
.place in the same manner. The red headed woman
put up the shades and began -her dusting. We nerer
got inside to see if the gray;haired woman was sew-
There was a . chain on the door, and when the
woman in black, .who answered the bell, saw the law
yer she pointed to the merchant and said:
"He can cwrae in. but you can't."
V "But I'm his attorney," said tne noun.
"That makes no difference."
Then followed the most marvelous exhibition of
nerve that I ever saw displayed by a. woman.
The man told her she must let his client alone.
"I'll do nothing of the sort." s?ie. snapped back
through the crack in the door. "If $15,000 is not here - ;
by 8 o'clock tomorrow morning I will be at his home ?\
talking with his wife at 10."
"You try it and I will have you in jail before noon
and in state's prison within a month."
Her only answer was a derisive laugh-
Then the lawyer took a new. tack.
"Trouble my client any more," said he, "and I will
go to your husband's home in the street near One
Hundredth," giving the correct number, "and tell him
what you have done. And I'll go ,to the home 4 t>f your
red haired sister and. tell her husband about her."
"You are too busy' a man to go away up town to
my husband's house. Go to his office, down town, it is
nearer. You know where his office is.'* And she gave
his correct business address.
The woman's remarkable effrontery amazed the
attorney. Here was a woman, the wife of a wealthy
man, well known among a large number of neighbors
and friends, a woman who had committed crimes for
which she could be put in a felon's cell, yet im
pudently defying a ; man who had the evidence Jn his
possession that would not only ruin her standing in
the community but put her in prison. Yet he kept a
firm front in her presence, and the last thing he said
to her was to tell her the house was surrounded with
detectives who would arrest 'her if she attempted to
go to his client's residence— a warning that brought
from her only the more defiant profanity. But after
we had left he said to me:
"Drummond, how do you diagnose this case? How
does this woman dare to tell me to go to her hus
band's office and tell him all? Is he conspiring with
her to blackmail this man. and is the husband of her
sister. also a conspirator?"
"I don't think so." said I. "In fact, I am sure the
husband of neither woman knows what she is doing.
Both arc me"h of affairs. Both have large numbers of
business and social acquaintances. No 'man of their
standing would countenance such acts on the part of
his wife. The woman is bluffing. She felt sure you
would not go to her husband because of your client's
desire to save his own reputation. It required won
derful nerve to say what she did, but she wouldn't
have said it if she had believed you would make a
move toward exposing her."
"Tell your client," I continued — I seldom addressed
the merchant himself, because the lawyer had
called me into the else — "tell your client to go home
and get a good night's rest. He need not fear. And
tell him not- to pay the woman another dollar."
The next morning the lawyer called me over the
phone.
"Here's a telegram I have just received," said he.
"I'll read it:
"'If you are ready to cry quits we are. Mary
Schmidt.' "
Of course that ended the case. The merchant could
not afford to prosecute the woman, because to do
so would have exposed himself. And he never heard
again from the woman In black.
I have used no names in this article because the
women and their husbands still live in New York.
The women continue to drive out in fine carriages,
and their husbands are, now as then, at the head of
important business concerns. I don't know* whether
the women have reformed. flail
And. the wealthy merchant is still here. I saw him
once in a streetcar and he looke'd as if he would like
to jump out the window. I had rather a strange ex
perience with him, by the way, when the attorney and
I presented our bills. The lawyer asked me what I
thought he should charge.
"Send him a bill for. $1,000," said L
* The lawyer did not know whether he ought to or
not. I insisted and he sent it. My bill was about
?800.
A few days passed and no money came. Then the""'
lawyer told me the merchant thought we had charged
too much. j
"He will pay my bill as it stands," said L "If he
doesn't pay it by tomorrow night 111 file a suit against
him the next morning."
The lawyer. felt the same way, about his own bill.
So he went to the merchant and demanded an im
mediate settlement of both statements. The merchant
demurred. He would send it later. But^the lawyer
made him draw a check on the spot for both, sums and
sent me his own check for what was due me. .-.
The utter depravity of the woraenY was ; equaled
only by the meanness of the man;. . . .
The Next Story in This Series Win Appear Next
ELECTROCUTION MADE EASIER
\u25a0jY MORE humane method of electrocution than that
/ \ now In use is suggested to a French writer" by the
' experiments of Professor Leduc of Nantes on
anesthesia due to „ intermittent electric currents of low
'tension. Lcduc's experiments on animals show 'that
such currents Induce a natural sleep.; If . the .voltage
be now gradually increased death is finally produced,
but by degrees, one organic function after another ceaj
ing Its action. It has been proposed, to use jueduo's
electric anesthesia"' to calm insane patients In their
paroxysms, but the trials have not been altogether
satisfactory. Apparently : the functions \u25a0of movement^
speech and special sensation are suspended before con
sciousness ceases, so that the patient watches, as it
were, the gradual extinction of his own personality.
Probably death by this method would be absolutely
painless, but its preliminaries would be attended with V
more mental anguish than, could possibly be caused by
an old fashioned hanging- when properly conducted,
Electrocution In some form, however.' the French author
concludes, has come to stay, unless, indeed, the death
penalty be shortly abolished altogether. \u25a0'-"•