THE BLACKMAIL CASE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 47, 14 February 1908, Page 2

THE BLACKMAIL CASE.

i'WKN'II 1 KAiuS' London, February I*. \ uii William \v .i, euns.ei.u (.'i blackmailing ttuily Joci, una \\n-» ieuccd U> t.HCiUy t \t\U'3 iji!pri--UJiiiieiU. lilK PUIt'ONMi'S liJ^i'OKi. I A JJLACK IiJiLUKU I ileceivcd ltDh, iy ;Jli j_t.ni. I London. February L>. I 'j iii; jury were twenty mmuu* absent. I -1 inspector Pentin, alter the verdict, gUVu YeUlieilllS lll.SlUiy, llt'L-Ul'tlillg 1° iUc police acuunla in various countries. I The real name of prisoner was Kui'tze,

uliu.-i! lather wail a forester. The prisoner hul a had rn-ord from i-hildhoud. He was sailor ftvst in ihe German navy in IbSU. lie de.sen.ed in liie .sanw \e.ir, alter being suspected oi' stealing his captain's gold waich and seal bearj injf hi* family cre>i. J lie e .plain's name I was Van Veliheini. Later prisoner sen- | id aboard a British merchantman. and i went in IHS(> to Fremanth- and Perth, | \v iiere in ISST he married Maria JfearsIv'V, lie went to l\..peto\\f.i, his witfe going to England, where she became acquainted wilii a gentleman whom prisoner, on rejoining his wife, attempted to blackmail, lie told his wife's friend that the matter would be placed in the hands of the, police, and continued to write threateningly. Veithoim next Infamously married, defrauded, and de--1 serted several women. /lie obtained Cl.lOO froni one. lie underwent a supposed marriage with a voulig American lady at St. Cloud, one of his friends on iliat occasion personating a priest. Later prisoner obtained from a Uerman ! widow, who previously knew iiim and now promised to marry him, £2BOO to invest on her behalf. Finding thai, the money had heen squandered by prisoner, she suicided. Prisoner served in the Cape Mounted Police. Subsequently j hp was requested to resign. He thenj. began to blaeknia.il the Joels, lie was ' acquitted of the murder of Mr. Joel and expelled for blackmailing. Later he . raised half a million kroners on the pretence of being uMo. to unearth the late President TCruger's buried treasure, amounting to five milion sterling, l ' Prisoner frequently .iintcmipted the

narrative mid shouted that it was iill lies. He told Justice PhillimOre in liis final speech that thp plot story was true, lmt that ho must cover the people who had died, even though he had heen found guilty.