THE SPIDER'S WEB

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXVI, Issue 8408, 6 January 1899, Page 4

THE SPIDER'S WEB

REMARKABLE BLACKMAIL CASE.

TWELVE THOUSAND MISGUIDED MATRONS.

The blackmail case at present before the public (writes the London correspondent of the Sydney Daily Telegraph) Ims laid disagreeably bare certain grisly facts. If one insignificant advertisement, hinting at improper remedies, could in a few weeks tempt 12,000 women to seek means to avoid the obligations of maternity, what appalling numbers there must always be on the look-out to shirk motherhood by any manner of means. Thank goodness, the culprits in this particular instance have now been laid by the heels. They were settling down quite 'quietly to a life of respectability ou their ill-gotten gains when the police intervened. Two of them had started a grocer's shop in the country, whilst the third was in treaty for a Cornish poultry farm. AH three (despite many aliases) are brothers, to wit, Richard, Edward, and Leonard Chrimes.

c The spider's web in which 12,000 matrons ,- were enmeshed opened with an advertisee ment. Richavd Chrimes took a room at c the top of the same building in Ludgate y Circus as that in which the New Zealand if Press Agency had its offices, and inserted i, in the papers a palpable inducement to a c certain end, " The Lady Montrose Miracur lous Female Tabules," which were said to n be "acknowledged by ladies throughout j c the world to be worth aguineaper tabule." y The medicine was priced at 4s (id per box, •- and it was said "the testimonials which i- were given, and thousands of others, were d each sworn to under oath before one of Her f. Majesty's Commissioners of Oaths to be if true and genuine." Persons wanting the c medicine were requested to apply to d H. A. N. Montrose, of 64, Imperial Builde ings, Ludgate Circus, and there was this n caution "Don't waste money on useless, s famous, infallible, etc., fluids, mixtures, 3 etc. It is utterly impossible for these y weak water and medicine remedies to be ■- as strong as powerful, irresistible comd pressed tabules." ;, The prisoners now proceeded with the y second step in their programme. Having c (said the Crown counsel) got persons to g answer the Lady Montrose advertisement, ;. they became possessed of the names and c addresses of some 12,000 persons — women y who wanted to rid themselves lawfully or unlawfully of their condition. To these )- they issued a pamphlet, accompanied by a >f type-written letter from 7 Pleydell street. c The letter was signed " The Manageress," n and gave glowing accounts of the marvel:r lous unadvertised remedy "Panolia" for ie female ailments. It stated that while )f there were hundreds of advertised renter, dies, all at last had to fall back on Panolia, d the price of vhich, in confidence, was 22s ie a bottle. The prisoners were not always n successful in this effort to obtain money, 's> but to those who hesitated they addressed sr a further letter expressing disappointment if at no order having been received, and it offering to send a sample bottle for ss, ie from which they guaranteed quick and is painless results. That was how the ie prisoners intertwined the swindles under d the names of • ' the Lady Montrose tablets " >- and "Panolia." As "he had mentioned, •s some 12,000 poor victims got themselves ;t entangled in this spider's web. They had ;s placed themselves in the prisoners' power 1, either by direct or indirect confessions of it their desire to get rid of a certain conle dition. Then commenced the consumis mation of the infamous plot. In August, it 1897, the prisoners took rooms at 73 !r Ludgate Hill, under the name of Richard n Randell. The rent was £40 quarterly, c payable in advance, and the place was c used as a central depot for medicines, i- pills, boxes, circulars, and corresponis deuce connected either with Bradbury i- Bros., Montrose, or Panolia. They also i) took, in December, 1897, a room on the c first floor at No. 1 Bouverie street, which c was used by all throe prisoners, and on c the door was the word "Mona," or c '"Moiia and C 0.," was painted. That c place seemed to hare been used for nothing i- at all, except, perhaps, as a quiet place for ir the concoction of the web of that infamous I, and horrible crime. By September last it the time was apparently ripe for the n commission of the crime. Leonard ir Chrimes, in the name of Charles J. c Mitchell, took an office at Trafalgar c buildings, Northumberland Avenue, and on the 12th September Richard Leonard Chrimes bought for £5 a cyclostyle for c multiplying letters and documents. Next r day Richard Chrimes hired a Remington x typewriter, which was delivered at 73 r Ludgate hill, at the offices taken in the g name of Randell. At the same time the c prisoners engaged a young man named 1 Gibson as clerk. Forty-two books cone tainiug the names and addresses of KOOO c women were handed to a firm of addressing agents for envelopes to be prepared, and each circular to be headed with the D name and address of the woman written { to. It was a curious thing that, as T customary in their trade, the manager \ addressed one of the envelopes to himself 3 to make sure that it was ultimately posted, 2 but that, particular one never reached its destination. The prisoners seemed, with j the aid of the Cyclostyle and the typer writer, to have placed the following letter I on each of the circulars, winch, complete, rend (is follows : — , N.B. — Communications must only be ; sent through the post. Charles J. Mitchell, , Trafalgar Buildings, Northumberland . Avenue. i Londox, October, 1898. Madame,— I am in possession of letters . of yours by which I can positively prove that you did on or about commit or attempt to commit the fearful crime of abortion by preventing or attempting to ■ prevent yourself giving birth to a child. [ Either of these constitutes a criminal act, , punishable by penal servitude, and legal proceedings have already been commenced , against you, and your immediate arrest will be effected unless you do send me on or before Tuesday morning next the sum of £2 2s, being costs already incurred by me, and your solemn promise in writing on oath as before God that never again by whatsoever means will you prevent, or attempt to prevent, yourself giving birth to a child. No notice whatever will be taken unless postal orders (cheques, stamps, etc., will not be accepted) for the above amount are enclosed therein and received by me on the aforesaid day. Failing lo comply with these two requests you will be immediately arrested without further warning. All legal proceedings will be stopped on receipt of the £2 2s, etc., and the incriminating letters, documents, etc., which I hold of yours will be returned, and you will hoar nothing further of the matter.— l ii m, Madame, etc., Cii.uu.es J. Miti'hki.l, Public Official. Knclosed was a printed envelope addressed to C. J. Mitchell, at Trafalgar Buildings. One of these infamous letters was addressed to a Mrs Clifford, who had speculated in a box of Lady Montrose's tabules, and it came into the hands of her husband, who, very properly, at once took it to the city police, and that was the first discovery of the crime. The youth Gibson, who had been engaged as a clerk, was employed to call for the replies at Trafalgar buildings, end take them to Brighton, «here the prisoner Leonard Chrimes was staying. The prisoner, however, gave him no address, but always met him at the railway station. Eventually the police, who had been Matching, stopped Gibson on his way to meet Chrimes, but the latter seemed to have had persons watching Gibson also, for he managed net to meet him that morning. After it was known that the police were on the watch the oliicc .it Trafalgar buildings was avoided and abandoned, but the postal authorities subsequently delivered there, in the printed envelopes addressed to Mitchell, 475 letters, containing remittances to the amount of £240. At Imperial buildings, 60S letters addressed to Alontrose were found, This case is uufinished,