BLACKMAILERS' DOOM.

Auckland Star, Volume XXX, Issue 29, 4 February 1899, Page 5 (Supplement)

BLACKMAILERS' DOOM.

THE- SENTENCE OF THE CHRIMES

GANG.

The' infamous trio of blackmailers —Richard, Edward, and Leonard Chrhnes —were found guilty at the Old Bailey on December 21 of sending letters to unfortunate women who had answered their advertisements, threatening- to prosecute the victims for endeavouring- to procure abortion unless they paid a certain sum of

money.

Mr Justice Hawkins's summing* up occupied about two hours,' a'hd was a lucid exposition of the law affectingblackmailing-. After deliberating three quarters of an hour the jury brought in their verdict, to which thej'- added a. rider expressing- their conviction that the vile plot could never have been possible but for the acceptance of the prisoners' immoral advertisements by a section of the Press, religious and secular. The jury were also of opinion that means should be found to suppress such advertisements and the institutions from which they emanated —a recommendation which the judge said he would send to the Home Secretary.

Mr Mathews, who prosecuted, said Leonard Chrimes, the youngest of the gang, had clearly been drawn into the business by the evil influence of his brothers.

His Lordship then proceeded to pass sentence. The prisoners, he said, stood convicted of as wicked and cruel a crime as could well be imagined. Before they commenced blackmailing they had been carrying on a most disreputable bxisiuess for about two years. They had induced thousands of poor women to pay money for medicines which they knew well were incapable of doing what was stated. They next proceeded to blackmail the victims, whose names and addresses they had carefully preserved. He (the judge) did not wonder that so many women yielded to their extortionate demands. He would read one or two of the letters written by those poor women in reply to the blackmailing circular.

One was dated October 11. ' The writer, after "expressing- 'the greatest sorrow for doing wrong,' concluded: —

'But, if I have done wrong, I ask you to forgive me, as 1 did not know it was wrong, and I will promise you I won't do wrong any more, for Christ's sake, amen.'

Another letter was from a poor servant girl, who sent, the two g-uineas demanded, and begged for forgiveness. There were thousands of such letters.

The judge, in conclusion, said that he could send the prisoners to penal servitude for life, but he preferred to err on the side of mercy rather than of severity. He sentenced Richard and Edward Chrimes each to twelve years' penal servitude, and Leonard Chrimes to seven years.