d and
charged with conduct he never dreamed of being guilty of. The scoundrel
professes to know him and his whole family, and names the price of his
silence. Too often the demand is complied with, and the money paid. The
proper course to pursue when accosted in such a manner, is to call upon
the nearest policeman for assistance in shaking off the wretch.

A few years ago a minister, in charge of a prominent and wealthy city
church abruptly left the city. There had never been a whisper of any
kind of scandal connected with his name, and his friends were at a loss
to account for his strange action. He refused, at first, when his
retreat was discovered, to give any reason for his conduct, and begged
that his hiding-place should be kept secret. At length, however, he
confessed that he was the innocent victim of a female Blackmailer. He
was a weak man, proud of his reputation, and more than usually timid in
such matters. The woman had approached him, and had boldly charged him
with a crime of which he was innocent, and had demanded a sum of money as
the price of her silence. Finding it impossible to get rid of her, and
dreading a scandal, the minister had paid the money. The demand was
repeated again and again for two years, until the woman had wrung from
her victim a sum of several thousand dollars, and had driven him to such
a state of despair that he had abandoned his home and his prospects, and
had fled to escape from her clutches. His friends came to his aid, and
by securing the interposition of the police, compelled the woman to
relinquish her hold upon her victim.

Many of the female Blackmailers are very young, mere girls. A couple of
years ago, Police Captain Thorne discovered a regularly organized band of
them. They are mostly flower girls, from twelve to sixteen years of age.
They are generally modest in demeanor, and some of them are attractive in
appearance. They gain admittance to the offices and counting rooms of
professional men and merchants, under the pretext of selling their
flowers, and then, if the gentleman is alone, close the door, and
threaten to scream and accuse him of taking improper liberties with them,
unless he consents to pay them the sum they demand.

A merchant of great wealth, high position, and irreproachable character,
called upon Captain Thorne, about two years ago, and "frankly stated that
he was the victim of one of these flower girls, who had already despoiled
him of la