Show i i TO VICTIMIZE VAJfDEBBILT I The iJeE d < MHme to Capture the 31il innair IAI BUT rsrEx v JO QQ gr S = r The Journui sr ot this gjfcy published this afternoon the story o an attempt i tot t j to-t killnap the late William H Vanderbilt j i I in August 18S5 The Journal vouches f or the narrative and says it has all the i i 1 I proofs in its possession but under E I f pledge not to divulge names at pres nt The story of the plot is put in the I mouth of the man who tried to do the I t 0 I kidnapping The plan was to kidnap f Vanderbilt and keep him tar a sufficient time for his absence to blfcct the Lon J don and Paris stock markets and to I purchase largely during the fall and I sell on the rise coiieqient upon his j sudden return to society A foreign j i nobleman was to do toe decoy ine I millionaire was to be enticed to I the neighborhood of a certain house in fahionable but lonely f part of New York which wa already I in the hands of the leaders There he was to be quickly and expeditiou I quieter and dragged iuto the house A few minutes later n hearse would leave I the house with a coffin I would betaken be-taken down to the river side where a tug was in waiting and the unfortunate gentleman could be at sea in two senses The man who tells the story says he was to receive 25 000 for his share in the work Should t e attempt miscarry and he be arrested powerful friends would effect his escape EANSOM MONEY It was hopedin addition to affecting the stock market to get ransom money to the extent of 1500 JO out of Vanderbilt Vander-bilt In describing the leader of the cOnspiracy narrator says Tae undoubted leader of the gang was an adventurer pure and simple Of good family a brilliant conversationalist conversation-alist and ringuibt and with a solid education he nuds an ea y entrance to the best society At the same time he is well known to the po ice of Europe and is suspected of some of the most flagrant crimes bat has never to my I knowledge been arrested Such a m n I can of course always find associates many m-any society and with money of whit h he always appeared to have plenty although al-though personally I dont think he had I much at that time could find plenty 01 material to work out hid plans In regard 1 re-gard to my friend I do nottbink he J would join in an actual robbery for > the sake of the money but I fancy this man hearing of his past ad et tures imagined he was the right man to engineer the scheme through and on reading his character and love of travel and adventure had invented the story of the intended conquest to enlist en-list his sympathy and excite his desires I noticed that nearly all the men that I saw at the time I met him looked to my friend as their leader and with the exception of one or two did not appear to know any of the higher powers who I think always kept pretty well in the background When asked to go more into details the matt who was to do the kidnaping said t THE CONSP1BATOB3 Of the men I can say nothing They were in my opinion doing nothing worse than is being done legally in the stock market every day Stocks are being raised and depressed by far more nefarious ways by rich people and numbers of honet men and women ruined by them You will remember that it was not intended to hurt Vanderbilt Van-derbilt only to squeeze his money bags a little and no more than he had constantly I con-stantly done to others I think the idea was a splendid one and could I have only been assured that the plotters intended to be honest to the workers they would have had my sympathy if not my aid As It is I will say nothing that will lead in the least to their identification identi-fication Of the localities I will say the place of meeting was in a small store between Fifth and Seventh Avenues not far irom onvsecona Street Jne men assembled one at a time entering the store like purchasers gave a sign and passed into iie rear room from wHich a small staircase led to a room above The man who kept it has moved and I dont know where he has gone Of the other house I will onlY say it is close to Fifth Avenue in a good j neighborhood up town and conveniently conveni-ently placed for the purpose it was taken for and was then vacant but it is now let Iont you think was asked it would have been difficult to get Van derbilL tin the way you have de t J oil scribed I In the ordinary course pf things yes I but this man according his assertion as-sertion and from what I know wait so iiiiimate with him that with his an = bounded assurance and genius i believe he could do anything if only given time to act Of jurse if not done on the first attempt it would be tried again and agaIn I THE STRANGE NOBLEMAN Inreference to the leaders of this strange chapter in lifes drama without disclosing them I will say that by means of an incessant espionage L found that my friend had told me the exact truth concerning them Unknown I made inquiries about and watched the strange nobleman of whom he had spoken and fonnd that he had in no way overrated his powers of fascination or the extent of his introduction into New York or Washington society He f was nay is the boon companion of I many of the first and richest people in the metropolis Accidentally I know something of his former life and knowing that I know he would stick at nothing But cunning and clever as he is his career is almost ended Murder will out Several men who stand wll and honorably hon-orably before the nation and who have since fallen from high estatebeing detected de-tected in dishonest political intrigues were closely allied with this man > and I I think supplied the ready money on which he worKed The plot fell tbron hat h-at the last moment owing to cowardice on the part of one of the leaders Before Be-fore another arrangement could be made Vanderbilt died The Journal says the man who gave the story and letters to it has left the country Before he left he said after he was well out of the way when he could not be injured by the other conspirators ° conspira-tors the letters and names niignbJbe eiven to Inspector Bvrnes of New York |