Page:Edward Prime-Stevenson - The Intersexes.djvu/486



"As we reported yesterday, two non-commissioned officers of the—Cuirassier Guards, named Ebert and Rother, have been put under arrest on account of what seems to be a disgraceful case of conspiracy toward blackmail; both being also, it is thought, concerned in a previous case of the same sort. The facts as to the present charge are these. The accused, on April 14, made their appearance in the apartments of a very distinguished gentleman of this city, a member; of the higher aristocracy, and after charging him with an unnatural offence according to the text of Paragraph 175, they demanded several hundred marks as hush-money. The victim, much terrified, yielded to the demand; but having less than the sum exacted at hand, he asked the two rascals to wait till he could obtain it from a friend. In his absence, the two accused parties drank his liqueurs, became very noisy and violent, smashed mirrors, glass and porcelain in his dining-room, cut pictures out of the frames, and otherwise played the ruffian. Their victim returned and gave them the sum agreed on. A week later they wrote him, demanding a larger amount, and saying that if it were not forthcoming he would receive "another call" which "would not leave a chair on its legs." The intervention of the police being asked, the matter is now in the hands of the military court concerned."

These audacious rascals were imprisoned and degraded from their military service. Their case is interesting (and admonitory) to stratophilic homosexuals, as an example of blackmailing by soldiers. Within a few years, this sort of trouble, once uncommon, for civilians has perceptibly increased in frequency.

Here is an example of how can be utilized a bit of family-history; or its counterfeit:

"A bold attempt at extortion of money by blackmail was made lately against Herr G— a merchant, over in K— strasse. A young man came into his shop and handed over a letter, the contents of of which made Herr G— not a little angry. The writer (who feigned himself 'N. N.') informed Herr G— that his father-in-law had committed a certain sort of criminal act. Unless Herr G— would send at once 300 Marks, then the writer of the letter would immediately communicate the affair to a newspaper, with the full name of the gentleman, and all details needed to bring the affair to publicity. But Herr G— did not fall into so clumsy a plot. As 'N. N.' was