Page:Edward Prime-Stevenson - The Intersexes.djvu/490

, a photograph of the children of the latter, and other personalia. The two blackmailers actually dared to come to the palace the next day, and asked to speak with the secretary. They were admitted, and demanded two hundred florins hush-money. If they got it, no further "fuss;" if not—a great deal. The noble secretary wisely had them arrested, though he had every reason to dislike any public notice of the adventure. The young men were well-dressed, had a certain degree of education, and one of them was decidedly good-looking. Both were quite of the regular Vienna male prostitute sort—and investigations showed that Horak already had a similar charge of blackmailing, referring to the same locality, against him. The Secretary mentioned that when they threatened him with public proceedings for an offense, he had said "But you will be punished too, if I am;" to which young Horak had coolly replied "That's so! But you will be ruined, and we haven't anything much to lose". Each offender was given eighteen months imprisonment, at hard labour."

The Court conducted the complainant's case carefully. He was not incriminated.

In Italy, as in France or Germany, the conditions of publicity are useful to such crude blackmailers. About two years ago, an American officer of the army, while in Naples,happened into the vespasienne close by the San Carlo Opera. That latrine is notorious for the number of men, more or less homosexual, who turn into it, not so much for urination as for those exhibitions which make it locally quite unique. Two young reprobates were also there. After liberally exposing their persons to what seemed to be his interest '(an interest not admitted by the foreigner) they followed him, and threatened him with blackmail because of improper behaviour "in a public place"! One of the two declared himself a minor; a statement that would have made him a circus-marvel—had it been true. The foreigner had much trouble to get rid of them, not knowing that a resistance on his part would probably put them to flight. Finally, the stranger, in round language, declared he would call an officer patrolling near. They fled.