The evening world. Newspaper, October 26, 1922, Page 28

| { Robert Forrester Gets Demand to Leave $10,000 in Secret Hiding Place or Forfeit His Life. NOTE SIGNED “FRIENDS OF THE POOR.” Others Who Have Received Simi- lar Notes Have Either Given the Money or Paid With Their Lives. CHAPTER I. The Toll Is Exacted. 'M damned if I give up a cent! I'll dio first!" “You very likely will. Others have. To refuse these people is the first step toward sui- cide. “But are the police so impotent that @ gang like this one can operate un- 66 pletion of se before The of the the gre and jhad taken active part In tie com al big railroad projects t war, When the United States entered the war he at once enlisted and went France as an army engineer. bepn home now and was planning to resume work his profession at the first opportunity and business ¢ country did construction work at this tin finane for several to He had menths in ndition £0 . 60 he not fave was still lingering In Chicago, spend- molested right under thelr very jng much of his time at the club, noses? where he could keep in close touch “The police are efMcient in ordi- with some of the far-sighted and in- mary cases, These people, however, operate mysteriously. So far, the po- lee have been heilploss. The two men who thus discussed @ criminal clique which was extorting money from prominent and wealthy citizens were seated in an exclusive Michigan Avenue club. From their deeply upholstered leather chairs they looked out across the busy street, with man its hundreds of automobiles, and and the only times strolling pedestrians, to the ‘green scended to visit a business off jawns and leafing ‘rees of Grant occasioned by infrequent plur Park, awakened into renewed life by the soft breezes ard warm sunshine of early June. To the first speaker, Robert For- rester, lately returned from army ser- vice in Europe, and familiar with the privations, struggles and horrors of the great war, it seemed ridiculous that a band of criminals could en- danger life in the heart of this bust- ling, crowded, well-policed city. Yet the threat was in his hand, and his older und presumably wiser compan- fon assured him that they could make good the threat. moment, middle age. T inherited wealth, like the younger or the lawyer. existence or worries. Way out was the logical course. man fluential men who planned possible the . would give him sought. big undertaktr. the 4 made 4 whit opportunity he His companion and confidant of the speculation through necessity of In his he To Frederick Pr possessor of easy-going, had had Prentice ntice was past large, » was totally un- nd more aetie ener He had never entered bus ness, he e conde- we es in) a broker friend, calling on his well-flnance! few problems the easiest Forrester knew this as well as ony wa and was therefo to Heed the well me Prentice without a murmur to the outragecus and exorbitant demand that had been made upon hun giving little inclined nt advice which him--to yield pore A cttnis cOoOP* Ri “THESE MEN POINTED REVOLVERS AT fought with spies and informers at our Vit By “What happened to those men who ME AND ORDERED ME TO STOP.” THE EVENING WORLD, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 26, 1e Secret YY, Paul and Mabel Ihorne, Illustrated by Will B. Johnstone. BEL SYNDICcA Te. . words aloud without a fight; that no real effort last words, of an eeinGt, Hane, tee hundred foot wert hay been made to apprehend these des- "Young man,” sald Prentice, shak- tee OH AHO Hehe wtdal, a eG peradoes ing a finger at Forrester, “you may 0 Satur lace $10,000. In the “My, no!’’ exclaimed Prentice. have had a wider experience with opening you writ find in thts “Several of the men threatened went some angles to life than I have h MART Sombie: Mnigane) death, BS 46 tHe poll fhe police put their best On the other hand, I possess the FRIENDS OF THE POOR men on the case for weeks, but so far calmer judgment that comes with ad- “On the other side," declared For- aus [ know they never discovered a Vancing years. And I know more rester, “we lived und tramped and worfh while clue." out this situation than you do, I dvise you to draw $10,000 from that elbows. ine sre: 2 ing Forrester ple bank acco: yours Robert Forrester was a ye-ing man | The young man opened the clenchwd f Gustundly trick at oy y mone a ney eunae aualoeuesenea te the Or thee tise’ betore. midzigne pike of thirty—tall, dark and broad hand in which he had crushed the oy (very hund. Though conditions nds, or were found dead, That is day, and consider yourself lucky to shouldered; his face deeply tunned by hibit ie pada MALIL ahd ie ed were just ripe for them, sooner or later T warned you to pay or say get off so east Jong army service. As a member of Vehement declaration. He smoothed we spotted them—practically every nothir Remember, Bob, you have Vl not do it!" declared Forrester. an old and wealthy family, of which out the offending paper on his knee one, Do you mean to tell me that here, been away for a long period, while I Prentice extended his mand: “Let he was the sole male survivor and and glared at it Jing again t in a peaveful, law-abiding city, with 1 yed on right here in the citya me gee that paper, Bob,” he re- head, Forrester might have followed words that enraged him more uch trained police and intelligent dete part of the time. I know ex- quested, The paper was handed aver the path selected by many of lis boy- time he studied them, The messo lives, we ¢an’t run down u blackmail. actly what has transpired in this and Prentice studied it carefully. hood chums and spent his Jife in the was crudely hand-printed on a square ing crew like this one? matter; I speak from actual experi- “Yes,” commented Prentice, slowly, pursult of pleasure or more or less of ordinury wrapping paper such as ‘That Is tly what hus hap- as he handed back the m “TG indifferent occupations, He had can be found in any store, At the d,"" said Prentice questioned Forrest- is unquestionably from the same peo- chosen, however, to becom a civil top was the rough draw ofa “And you want me to jove that er, ething nificant in pl That is a dupli ate of the warn- engineer; was graduated wiil, honors, human skull, Forrester read the every one of the victims has given up the stress which Prentice laid Gh bis ing which'T received.” ThePictures The ¢ Only Man Whose Name Called Out a Real Demonstration in the San Francisco Convention. O* the 30th day of rat ten candidates for the Presidency were placed in nomination, It was one of the most tiresome proceedings ever perpetrated, a succession oi dull, platitudinous talks and forced demonstrations by p: claques until, as the shades of night were falling, 4 Bourke Cockran took the platform to nominate Al Smith. The Governor left the hall and went to his hotel Mr. Cockran began his speech. The veteran Tammany orator was in good form, and hi speech, devoted to a history of the rise of Al Smith from a fish market to the Governorship of New York, was the bright spot in a gloomy day. Nobedy had ma any preparation for a demonstration following the presentation of the Governor's name. But there was oo need for it, 1 15,000 people in the hall attended to all the details The members of the New delegation sat in stunned when the entire assemblage got up and began to cheer and wave flags. Somebody grabbed up the New Jersey standard and started a parade around Yhe floor. Soon every standard was wm line. Without any lessening of York surprise sound the demonstration continued for thirty-one minutes. It waz the only lirge genuine expression o: ad- mirot- for a candidate of the con- vention There was another short demonstration later when Mrs. Lillian Bire of New York In sr Smith's nomination, said: “We hired no band and we brought no boosters. All we brought ts the record of a reat man, a great Demo- erat and a true patriot. ‘When the time came for the Demo- @mat« of the State of New York to onding Al elect a s andard bearer in 1920. the sentiment for the renomination of Al Smith was unanimous. As soon ws the result of the election was known he made arrangements to Ko into busine But before his retirement he experienced one other supt demonstration of the affeeiion in which he is held in Albany © outgoing Governor shared with incoming Governor the &reat crowds that assembled for tribute of occasion is reported that Miller, at one stage of the pro. dings remarked to his predecessor vernor, this appears to be your show,” THE GOVERNOR GOES INTO BUSINESS. At 9 o'clock in the morning of Jan. 8, 1921, Al Smith sot down at a donk in the oMces of the United Stut Trucking Corporation to take up the duties of Chairman of the Board of Directors and of the h-«incas weneral executive head The money he had GOV. ALFRED E. SMITH AND HIS OFFICIAL AND PERSONAL FAMILY GRAPH MADE ON THE DAY OF HIS taken it of the Sheriff's office had heen eaten into by the high costa of living in Albany tn 1919 and 1927. Ho had put in two atrenuous yours fitted with atrain and ye smal eas of Maauppointmont and was urged Ly hte family to take a vacation 4No,"" he said, “1 feel ike going to work.” ) How Al Smith came to be ens nected with the United States Truck. ing Company iy a story ir t. The fucts about it were obtained from Jumes J, Riordan, President of the company, product of the lower went nid It Is generally assumed in New York that Al Smith went into the IN THE EXECUTIVE! INAUGURATION, trucking business at the solicitation of a schoolboy f nd whose her had been associated with Al's father in trucking from the East River docks and Fulton Market There wan a family named Reardon in the old Vourth Ward or Seventh Ward who were famous in the trucking busi- ness but they had nothing $o do with , 1922. regarding it, although T did not take it quite so seriously, As a matter of fact, I regarded if as a joke, until a few days later a second warning came in the mail. “T had, of course, destroyed first warning, but the second I to the police and laid the matter be- fore them, They arranged with me to try to trap these people. The night that my time expired I took a dummy the took package and placed it in that tres. ‘The police kept watch in the woods all night without seeing or hearing any one. the package In the morning they found still in the tree, but at tached to St was a note stating that these people were not to be fooled, and allowing me three days in which to pay or take the consequences. “Kor two weeks after that the po- lice watched the tree, and a detective accompanied me wherever I went. There was no attack upon me, and the police assured me that it was un- doubtediy the practical joke of some friend. They withdrew my detective guard and I thought the matter had later, howere: as I along the North Shore in mm: night, a figure leaped upon each running board, Th wore long black hoods with nothing save their eyes visible through open- ings cut in the hoods. These men pointed revolvers at me and ordered me to stop. They said that they rep- resented the ‘Friends of the Poor,’ and told me that the time had com to pay the penalty not complying with their demands. You can imag- ine my state of mind. I saw that the matter was really serious and not » cal joke after all. 1 told them I had thought it a joke, and pleaded with them, ‘They finally al- ywed me to go upon my promising to pluce the money in the tree the fol- lowing evenin) “After draw bank I informe y days home car one for the money from the the police about my uyenture and they arranged to watch the tree again that night, I placed the money in the tree and although five detectives remained all night only a little distance away they heard and saw nothing, In the morning the money was gone! “During the last summer several other wealthy men received demands for money. So far as I have knowledge of the matter, they either paid the money or were later found dead. With “Did you get one toc orrester, exclaimed “A year ago—just about this time,” the first fall of snow the activities of divulged Prentice. “In faet, so far as this band ceased. A ¢ tive detailed I know, I was the first man upon to the case told me he thought they whom the demand was made, When had stopped operations because of the I went to police about {t they snow. y approached the tree, claimed that It was the first time he explained, they would naturally anything of the kind lad come to leave tracks in the snow, in that way the tention ing some hint to the police, I was “Tell me about it, Prentice," u inclined to believe, on the other § Forrester. hand, that they had obtained all the cod Prentice. “After money they wished, or else had con- you have heard my experience you cluded that the police were aroused to will realize more fully why L have such an extent that it would be dan- told you to pay and say nothing gerous to keep on, This notice to you, "As I sald before, it was just about however, seems to indicate that the this time last year that a duplicate detective with the snow theory was of that notice was fastentd to my pretty nearly right. Probably this front door with a knife. A maid warning to you Is the beginning of an- found it when she went to bring in other war to be waged upon th the morning paper, and presented it wealthy men of the city this summer, to.me at the breakfast table. [had Your story is certainly interesting much the same feeljng that you have Prentic “but some- The Fourth Ward Boy Who Became Governor quelifeStoryof ‘AI'Smith — by Martin Green. How the Governor Laid Dow Public Life and Took Up the Work of a Business Executive. and t Bank took up at nig an Phe the study of The younger Ric yuld not forsake t in pun w he had accumulated a own eff bought Expt pany from an old friend, Tom Monahan, In 1919 Jim Riordan had attained such prom- nenee truckman that he cpproached with a proposition to form: 1 big trucking combination OBJECT OF THE NEW ORGAN!- ZATION. from of low ind that he business he In by tential stake out th as 4 unulat- ration, trucks ve con The object, aside profits the number and thus reli to introduce up-to-da in the ‘business, to util hing hours by moving vari ous heavy products such a8 coal at nd to formulate some zoning t would damaging x of effort, Riordan tackled the and got nty-three trucking panies to join in forming the tes Trucking Corporation. rn went into business as a cc of was to treets. more wo: nig system 1! overlaph reduce combination job com- United he ec poration in January, 1920, and the next day it snowed. MANSION. FROM A_ PHOTO- To be more explicit, the new truck- ing corporation, on its second of existence, collided with the great 1920 blizzard, which tied up railroads, made most of the streets impassable for weeks and made all movement of wheeled vehicles difficult until early in May, Al's first big business adventure Jumes J ordun’s father was a west side truckman and young Jim spent his boyhood and youth around the stables, During the summer va- cation he drove one of his father's trucks, this continuing until he was To give service with a brand new graduated from Manhattan College In organization under such circum 1902 and went into the Chatham @atances was considerable of a Joby ) ws imcte 6 men ar in this limit to the aecomp! Unmolested, th bolder, this see and thing really ought to be done. If th re allowed to prey upon w mysterious way, there ts harm which they lish, Why, just think of y might become boll and by steadily le ret toll, practically ruin ey wealthy man in Chicago ¥ “We bly 800 them. however, I would pay over the mot at any experle to you. tives, E did, do At we ing hi went to mother “Son, met wi ine and I a Nevins. asking the rest of the day home to dinner. know so you would not worry ab be us."* “All rester. and if evening I'll run over and bring y home. T friends il," returned Prentice, ‘pi mean time take my advice and pay money,."* this moment an attendant proached, been close friends for years, T| ner or Jater the police will So far as I am conse time rather, than have anot nce such as the one I deseril If you want to hire de 3ob, or stir up the police so by all means, but in informing Forrester that wanted on the telephone, Exe mself to Prentice, Forre: > the telephone to find that was calling him . she sald, Mr, Nevins th a serious accident. Josep going over to see Mj She has just telephom us to call and stay with so we shall I wanted you) right, Mother,"’ replied “I'll phone the house Charlle ts going to be in tl Goodby."* Nevins family and his own hip was about to be turn into relationship through the recen@™ announced engagement of Forrest sister, Josephine, to Charles Ne the b Forr returned to the lounging room to join Pr one of for c Prentice held the Forrester to see when the young joined dently ing of Here's two weeks ago, and assumed the titude toward Wh ter, ag ay, ught “Do ye “Har Forrester. This home. to thin’ phone leay “Fa quoted vester Jim Bi complishments paper of the period T placed ment, only t tim ona shown and th: poratiy a truck by tw tions w WHY tior twenty come firm friend paign part in Al's Al Smi the 1 United had not occurred to Riordan associates until At was reno for Governor in the primary a y othe “There's our man," He was born in the trucking! ness he is ence—he would be an ideal tive." saw even could read the glaring headlines: “FRIEN ‘George “George Nevins!" repeated Fo; s, old George Nevins—the t man what happened! & moment, then added, impresst of Prentice. uck from roads were Wooor twenty nker’s son. ter hung up the receiver entice. As he crossed the that Prentice was the sensational evening pap from a distance Forre * THE POOR’ MURDER paper out OMMIT NEW him, with the remark, * you did not get the first the season, Bob, as I thor 4“ man who received a no that you did this aftern this mysterious band.” 0 was he?" evins, the banker! hast at the news. in Chicago, I'll wage as hard as any one could, * Prentice pat ou still want to fight? der than ever now!" assei was bringing {t very clos Forrester wanted to be al k it over, so he gave his t call as an excuse, and td lure to comply means deat Prentice, warningly, as F turned to go. (Continued To-Morre ¢, Jordan did it. was newspap One of his to bring 8 to New ¥ Albany when the ¥ tied up. He handled y print paper moved during for first few months of op @ great strain upon the eq management and capital o nization, Riordan hours a day and althd hirty-eight years old at coumulated a crop of gray head that had never t a streuk of silver. He © fnancial interests In the @ on saW that the job of hang ing business that had been enty erent was too much for RIORDAN FIXED AL SMITH. and Al Smith hadi before and they hi In the 1918 Riordan had taken an behalf, But the ni ith as that of the man to esponsibility of running States Trucking Corpy wo three di orga man dan yea names had been ted, said Rj If he likely is interested in 4 to be, from my (Continued To-Morrow,}