BLACKMAILER'S CRIME.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 13722, 11 April 1908, Page 2 (Supplement)

BLACKMAILER'S CRIME.

EXTRAORDINARY AFFAIR AT . MUNICH. Bkjrux, February 24.— diabolical 'cam -of blackmailing, in which the miscreant ■attempted to 'carry oct his hideous ■ threats,, is reported from Munich. A few weeks »g© a manufacturer-millionaire, named Wilhtlm Ludovici, received * letter, in which he was summoned to leave £5003 ; at ■• a Jigol afterwards to be indicated, and to intonate his willingness to do *o through the advertising columns of a local paper. The communication continued — "You will now, as I assume, hand this fetter to the police, and have mo arrested when 1 go to get the money. In th« tatter you would not succeed, but you woakt nevertheless experience the following: !*> convince you of the seriousness of tr.t- Matter, I would first kill one of your children, and do it with means of which you have no "idea, and against- which there is no protection. Then I would again address to von my demand for money, but \hh tune require two million marks (£100,000). 1* von remained stiff-necked I would cause another of vour children to follow the first, and each time demand a million more, till vour resistance was broken. 'lake cans of your eyesight in case yon should lose it. Escape from ihis doom is impossible for vmii and vours. You may have youiiielf watched bv detectives. In vain. You may leave Munich, but I will follow- you. Even if I should be caught, that would be ncthing to me. No one is executed now, and gaol has no terrors for me, Experience gives wisdom, and as a rule one evil experience is enough. Take care that you do not recognise in the corpse of your first Murdered child how foolishly vou have acted. But then it will be too 'late, you will not know another peaceable hour, for every moment you may expert another Job's messenger, whereas now by payment of a {.rifling sum you escape, it all. It rests With yourself to choose what form your life shall take." • This letter, which was written with the freedom of a cultured man, bore the signature Josef Meier. Herr Ludovici, who is generally known to be particularly devoted to his three boys, regarded the document as on a level with other crazy applications;, of which avery notoriously wealthy man is the object, and" said nothing about it. He also paid no attention to a further letter, in which the writer announced that the death sentence of his first son had fallen. One evening last week, however, as two of the millionaire's sons were returning from school to their father's villa in the suburb of Bogenliauaen, they were followed by a couple of kids of some 12 to 14 veins of age, who, as soon as they reached a lonely spot, rushed at them, and attempted to empty bottles of vitriol over their heads. Luckily, the horrible plan failed, only one of the." boys being touched on the back of the neck by a drop of the acid. The as.iia.ilants made off. One of them, who had apparently scorched his own hand with the acid, flung away the bottle, wrapped in cloth, as he ran. • ".';; Herr Ludovici, of course, now informed the police of what had occurred, and they inserted a trap advertisement in the pies*. The villain who had planned the outrage, however, evidently smelt danger, and failed to appear at the appointed rendezvous. Meanwhile he had written to the now anxious millionaire, informing him that the attack had merely been intended to show that his throats were to be taken in earnest. The police have discovered that a few days ago, a. man, of whom an exact description has been obtained, vainly attempted to persuade some lads playing in the street to throw what he called " salt water" over two boys, Whom 'he would point out to them, Herr Ludovici's children are no longer allowed to go out unattended.