Twenty Years a Detective in the Wickedest City in the World

by Clifton R. Wooldridge

In a similar manner does the alleged detective blackmail a man who has committed a crime and who has been imprisoned for it. Upon his release the man may feel like reforming and becoming a good citizen if given the chance, but this the detective will not permit, for as soon as he notices the ex-convict he will say, "Look here, young fellow, you know my name and address, and when I am in of an evening I want you to come and see me or I'll have you run in." The fear of being "run in" forces the man who has a desire to do right to steal to satisfy the blackmailing demands of this corrupt class of people. If the ex-convict obtains employment he is worked in a similar manner, under threats of exposure to his employer, and so forced to steal, and then the smart detective will exclaim, "There is no reformation in that fellow; I knew he would steal. He will never stop."

Storekeeper Scamps.

One of the most contemptible of creatures is the storekeeper who has caught some one (who has the appearance of having money), stealing some trifling article, and will exclaim, "Here, here! I have had stolen three hundred dollars' worth of goods by some one, and if you will settle for all I have had stolen, I will let up on you, and not prosecute."

These cowardly methods are simply mentioned to show to what depths of meanness some men will descend, and are not to be classed with the professional thief, with whom stealing is a trade. As to how the female blackmailer can be foiled, the remedy is obvious, and no man who possesses proper self-respect will ever become a victim.

How Fake "Journalists" Work.

The blackmailer first obtains some information about the early life of the person he intends to approach, and there are very few men who have not, in their youthful days, committed some indiscretion which might be brought against them after reaching maturer years. An escapade with a woman, or a mischievous boyish prank which proved more serious than was intended, are the usual indiscretions selected, and there can always be found plenty of gossips who are only too willing to relate full particulars. The information thus obtained is written up in a sensational style, and is taken to a cheap printing office, where it is put in type for a trifling cost.

A slip, or what is known in a printing office as a "proof," is then printed, and armed with this the blackmailer pays a visit to the person he intends to fleece. He represents himself as being connected with a reputable newspaper, and says that he has been sent to get the "other side of the story," at the same time producing the slip on which is printed the startling tale, which, if made public, would in all probability seriously effect the social standing and the commercial integrity of the intended victim. In the majority of cases the person approached will at once inquire how much the newspaper would pay for such an article, and the reply usually is, "From twenty to twenty-five dollars." "Suppose I pay for the article instead of the newspaper?" says the victim, "and I give you fifty dollars, wouldn't that repay you for your trouble in writing the article?" This is just what the blackmailer has been waiting for. He hems and haws for awhile, so as not to appear too anxious, or for the purpose of getting a higher bid, but the interview usually winds up in his securing a sum of money to suppress the information.

As he is leaving the house it may occur to the victim that as long as the story is known to the editor of the paper there may be a publication anyhow, and on this point he makes inquiry. "Oh," says the blackmailer, "there will be no danger of that. I will report that I have fully investigated the story, and that there is not a word of truth in it, and, of course, they will not dare to run the risk of being sued for heavy damages for printing it."

Few "Beats" Among Reporters.

There is no necessity for any man being victimized by the "newspaper beat." In the first place, no reputable newspaper ever puts a damaging story in type before every side of it has been thoroughly investigated. The very fact of a man exhibiting a "proof" is evidence that he is a fraud and has no newspaper connection. It can be said with truth that the repertorial profession of America has fewer "beats" in it than any other profession or business that can be mentioned. The majority of reporters are ambitious to gain higher positions, and it is a rare thing to find a man regularly connected with a newspaper descending to such trickery. If he is a genuine reporter he will exhibit his credentials, and should he be assigned to investigate a story that effects the standing of a respectable citizen, and be offered a bribe, he would undoubtedly publish that fact as an additional proof of the truth of what he has written. The treatment for this kind of a blackmailer is to kick him out of the house, and bid him do his worse. Depend upon it, the "scandal" will never become public.