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Show Ij ASSASSINATION AND M BLACKMAIL 1 The common citizen, who goes his ) way without holding the attentidn of 1 the public, may crave fame, but he escapes nian dangers by being noth- Ing more than one of the unknowns. i Whenever a man becomes prominent, i j he is a shining mark for the blick- ' mailer, ' the blackhander or the as- I sassin. Four presidents of the United Suites were fired, on by assassins, j and three of them died, of their wounds, the fourth, Theodore Roose- 1 velt, having a very narrow escape I! J from death. " , ( Yesterday, an assassin shot at May- or Michel of New York. This Is the second attempt to kill a New York j mayor within four years. Men of great wealth have been pur- I sued by blackhanders. Homes have been blown up, children kidnaped and other outrageous crimes perpetrated by the blackmailers. These atrocities arc becoming more frequent every year. In !; the earlier history of the United i States, crimes of that kind were un-' un-' known, but of late they have been of almost daily occurrence, 'j Attempted assassination of public officers and blackmailing, accompa-I accompa-I nlcd by threats of bodily harm, should be treated by the law with the same severity as is inflicted in case of murder. |