ons of men of
nominally spotless character are constantly becoming known through the
instrumentality of the gossips, and as soon as these reach the ears of
the Blackmailers, who are ever on the watch for them, they proceed to
take advantage of them to extort money from the person implicated. They
are not content, however, with making victims of those who are really
guilty of indiscretions, but boldly assail the innocent and virtuous,
well-knowing that nine persons out of ten, though guiltless of
wrongdoing, will sooner comply with their demands than incur the
annoyance of a public scandal. Such persons think the wretch will never
dare to charge them with the same offence or endeavor to extort money
from them a second time, and make the first payment merely to rid
themselves of the annoyance. They ought never to yield, whether innocent
or guilty, for the Blackmailer is sure to repeat her demand. The law
makes it a crime for any one to endeavor to extort money in this way, and
no person so threatened should hesitate to apply to the police for
protection.

As a rule, the Blackmailer is easily driven off with the aid of the
police, but sometimes her plans are so skilfully laid that it requires
all the ingenuity of the most experienced detectives to ferret out the
plot. These women act upon the well-established fact that respectable
people dread scandal, and that a man guilty of an indiscretion will make
many sacrifices to conceal it. They rarely assail women, as there is not
much money to be made out of them, but they know that almost any story
about a man will be believed, and they fasten themselves like leeches
upon men. Young men about to make rich marriages are their favorite
victims. These generally yield to them, not caring to risk a scandal
which might break off the whole affair. If a young man refuses one of
them on such occasions, she goes boldly to the lady he is to marry, and
declares herself the innocent and wronged victim of the aforesaid young
man. This is her revenge, and the majority of young men, knowing them to
be capable of such a course, comply with their demands on the spot.
There is nothing these wretches will not do, no place they will not
invade, in order to extort money from their victims.

Persons from the country, stopping at the hotels of the city, are
frequently the objects of the attacks of the Blackmailers. A man's name
is learned from the hotel register, and he is boldly approache