PARIS SENSATION.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 3306, 26 August 1911, Page 4

PARIS SENSATION.

DARING BLACKMAIL CON-

SPIRACY

A daring conspiracy for blackmailing a wealthy lady, which had only too well succeeded, came to the notice of the Paris police recently, and an active campaign was begun for the capture of the conspirators. The police have now been able to lay their hands on the leader of the gang, and another memoer is already doing a term of imprisonment on a separate count. The conspiracy was to resort to the old trick of the garde champetre, who was supposed to have come upon the couple by surprise, and to threaten .both with unpleasant police prosecution. The lady was staying at a summer resort in the South. She was alone, and was reputed to be very wealthy. A fine-looking j fellow came to stay at the same hotel, and gave himself an air of great importance. He let everyone know that he also was very 'rich, and was a banker in New York. He was not long in paying court to the lady, and one day, while they were walking in a park, a man dressed as a garde champetre, a country constable, suddenly appeared from behind the bushes, and pretended to have surprised them. The . soi-disant American, to keep .up the fiction, threw himself with great apparent vigor on the garde champetre, and threatened to strangle him. A third accomplice appealed on the scene to rescue, as it were, the constable. Accounts were then to be settled. The bogus garde champetre, who now had a seeming witness to back him, was going to draw up the police report, which would be a tremendous scandal. The pseudo-American banker, having quieted down, offered to buy him off. How much did lie want? Not a farthing less than £23,000. The pseudo-banker suddenly found himself unable to secure any of his money. Would the lady pay it? He would refund it later. The lady tried to escape the dilemma, but on further threats from the false garde champetre to do his “duty,” she yielded. Che was to pay it in instalments of two or three round sums. It means all her fortune, she objected. That does not matter, replied the bargain-driving garde. He would invest it in a good thing, pay her o per cent, interest, and refund the capital at the end of three years. The lady paid all she could and nearly ruined herself. She was about to realise the last remnant of her fortune, when she confided her trouble to some friends. They advised her to communicate with the police, which she at Last did.

Meanwhile the conspirators had had plenty of time to disappear. But M. Sebille, the head of a Special Detective Department, had no doubt that he would soon capture them. His detectives traced them from the resort to Switzerland and Paris. A month ago they knew that the leader of the gang was in Paris. He was a formidable character to capture, and every precaution was taken. The man is described as a dangerous brigand and burglar, who had already undergone everal ?■ nter.ccs. He was known by twenty different nicknames, and had one day rifled a jewellery shop in full daylight ard escaped after firing on a crowd o r pursuers. Ho was seen at the races on Friday and Sunday, and lost heavily in bets on horses. He had some £4OOO in bank-notes in his pocket-book. The police traced him to a restaurant near the boulevards, and three detectives suddenly pounced down him and strongly handcuffed him. Seeing that it was hopeless to struggle, he allowed himself to be taken quietly in an automobile to a police-station. A woman who was with him was also arrested, but was released immediately, as she had nothing to do with the case. The man still had £BOO in his possession, and some £4OO worth of jewellery. The woman had a- sum of £320 in her stocking, and jewels to the same amount.