(especially of means) is widely met, and where the avocation of prostitution is a side-industry among young fellows of humble life. They form such associations with cynical designs of fleecing all clients unlucky enough to give them the least leverage. Here is a Vienna affair; along with two Munich incidents:
"The butcher's assistant, Maximilian Strauss, a very good-looking young fellow, was brought to the bar to-day, on a charge of, blackmail. Lately Strauss sent to Herr-Theodore Reichmann, the eminent baritone of our Opera, a most impertinent letter, accusing the distinguished singer of a certain offence coming under Paragraph 129 of our Statue Book, and threatening Herr Reichmann with publicity if a considerable sum of hush-money was not to be forthcoming. The letter was not signed, but Herr Reichmann knew whence it came, and at once put the matter into the hands of the police. In spite of the defence from Dr. Chersch, the young blackmailer was sentenced to four months, with hard labour. Such cases are constantly increasing in our city."
"Georg P—, calling himself a baker by trade, lately became a dangerous sort of character for the artist, Herr X—, of our city, for whom said Georg P— had posed as a studio-model. Systematic attempt at blackmail resulted. The said P— appeared one day at the painter's residence in company with a certain Ludwig A— and Albert A—, bakers, and Albert M— a pork-shop clerk, and conducted themselves so impudently that the painter gave them, first, twenty Marks and then fifty, as hush-money. That however was not sufficient for presently the artist, received the usual threatening letter, demanding 100 Marks, stating that otherwise the accusation would be made in a police-court. It is worth noting that the three companions in rascality did not accuse themselves of being partakers in the offence, but spoke of a fourth person, who was in a hospital, on account of the "physical injury" he had "suffered" from the relations with the artist (!). The painter paid over the 100 Marks more, but as the demand for a like.sum was repeated, he did what he should have done in the first place—went to the police with the correspondence."
These blackmailers were sentenced to various terms of imprisonment that ranged between two years and one-and a-half years, at hard labour. The complainant suffered no legal inconvenience. The second Munich item runs:
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