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Show 00 ARE THE BLACKHANDERS TRAPPED? We have been asked the question, "Do you think the blackmailers hae been caught?" On Thursday the preliminary hearing hear-ing of the man now in jail will b-helri b-helri when a better weighing of the eidence will be possible. We have been aware for six months that Gilbert Gil-bert Belnap has been shadowing two men, one of whom was arrested Monday morning Smith has been associated with a man who has been susplcioned as one of the Reese holdups That he should have offered of-fered to toll who the blackhanders arc was, to say the least, a strange coincidence; that his handwriting should prove to bo similar to that in the blackmailing letters, in fact passed on by bankers as identical, is most remarkable; that ho should have forecast another outrage is difficult dif-ficult to explain unless we admit he had knowledge of the operations of tho gang; and yet. we know all this may be purely circumstantial. Hut there is much for Mr. Smith to explain, so much in fact that tho finger of guilt will continue to point at him until he Is given an opportunity oppor-tunity to answer to the charge placed against him and successfully meets the accusaUons. But there is one test coming which will do much to either coufirm or lift the suspicion that rests on tho accused. ac-cused. If the bluckmail threats cease, that in part will be negative proof pointing at guilt; if they are renewed, renew-ed, while the men now under surveillance surveil-lance are in jail or so closely watched watch-ed Is to be unable to act, then the time shall have arrived when new clues must be followed. |