BLACKMAIL

Rents reserved, pay- able in work, grain, and the like. Such rents were called black mail (reditus nigri) in distinction from white rents (blanche firmes), which were rents paid in silver. A yearly payment made for security and protection to those bands of marauders who infested the borders of England and Scotland about the middle of the sixteenth century and laid the inhabitants under contribution. Hume, Hist. Eng. vol. i. 473; vol. ii. App. No. 8; Cowel. In common parlance, the term is equiva- lent to, and synonymous with, extortion- the exaction of money, either for the per- formance of a duty, the prevention of an injury, or the exercise of an influence. It supposes the service to be unlawful, and the payment involuntary. Not unfrequently it is extorted by threats, or by operating upon the fears or the credulity, or by prom- ises to conceal, or offers to expose the weaknesses, the follies, or the crimes of the victim. 17 Abb. Pr. 226. Thareats by defendant to accuse another of crime, with intent, himself, to commit the crime of extortion, accompanied by success in obtaining money from that other. That such other person was endeavor- ing to induce defendant to receive money, for the purpose of accusing him of extortion, and so could not have been moved by fear, will not prevent his conviction for an at- tempt at extortion; 144 N. Y. 119; under an act declaring it a crime to threaten a person with a criminal prosecution, for the purpose of extorting money, it is im- material that the person making the threats believed that the person threatened had committed the crime: 75 Hun 26; where threate of prosecution for perjury were made maliciously and with intent to compel the one threatened to do an act against his will, the offence is complete; and it is immaterial whether the one threat- ened was guilty of perjury; 61 N. W. R (Mich.) 18. In a prosecution under an act providing for the punishment of one who, for the purposes of extortion, sends a letter expressing or implying, or adapted to im- ply, any threat, and the letter threatens to make a charge against the person to whom it is sent, the truth or falsity of the charge is immaterial; 95 Cal: 640; the act making it an offence to accuse one of crime "with intent to extort or gain any chattel, money, or valuable security, or any pecuniary ad- vantage whatsoever," does not cover the case of an owner who demands a reason- able compensation for property criminally destroyed, and accompanies his demand with a threat to accuse the defendant of the crime, and, where the owner of property so destroyed is indicted for extortion, it is error to charge that it is immaterial whether the accusation made by him was true or false; 47 Ohio St. 556. A charge of soliciting sexual intercourse with the wife of another is a charge of immoral conduct, which, if true, would tend to disgrace one and sub- ject him to the contempt of society, and threatening to make such charge is black mail; 24 N. E. R. (Ind.) 342. A conviction on indictment under Iowa Code § 3871, relating to the offence of making malicious threats with intent to extort money, cannot be sustained by evi- dence that defendant, a constable, had a search warrant for the premises of the complaining witnesses; that he notified them of the fact, and signified his willing- ness, for a bribe, to refrain from making search, that the witnesses accordingly gave him money, and that he assured them the matter would be dropped; 76 Ia. 189. On a trial for maliciously threatening to accuse another of burning a building, with intent to extort money, evidence of the truth of the charge is inadmissible on the question of malice or of intent, or to impeach the prosecuting witness; 18 N. E. R. (Mass.) 577.

(135) mittitur amplius fieri quam semel be accounted but one day. (Brit. 209; Dyer 17.) factum est: (9 Co. 53.)-Good faith does not -Jacob. In modern usage a twenty-ninth day suffer the same thing to be exacted twice, and in is added to the month of February once in four giving damages, it is not allowed to give more than is given at once. BISAILE.-See BESAILE. BISANTIUM, BESANTINE, or BEZANT.-An ancient coin, first issued at Constantinople; it was of two sorts-gold, uivalent to a ducat, valued at 9s. 6d., and silver, computed at 28. Both were current in England. - Wharton. - FRENCH: maille, a link of mail, or small piece of metal or money. 21. Old meaning. -Blackmail signifies in the north of England, in the counties of Cumberland, Northumberland, &c., a certain rent of money, corn, or other thing, anciently paid to persons inhabiting upon or near the borders, being men of name and power allied with certain robbers within the said counties, to be freed and protected from the devastations of those robbers. These robbers were called "moss-troopers," and several statutes have been made against them. The Stat. 9 Ed. III. c. 4 mentions "black money;" and "black rents" are the same with "blackmail," being rents formerly paid in provisions and flesh. -Jacob. 22. Modern meaning.--The modern in the leap-year, and the da next before, shall signification of blackmail, is extortion of

A certain rate of money, corn, cattle, or other thing, anciently paid, in the north of England and south of Scotland, to certain men who were allied to robbers, or moss troopers, to be by them protected from pillage. Sir W. Scott. Payment of money exacted by means of intimidation; also, extortion of money from a person by threats of public accusation, exposure, or censure. Black rent, or rent paid in corn, flesh, or the lowest coin, a opposed to "white rent", which paid in silver. To levy blackmail, to extort money by threats, as of injury to one's reputation.

To extort money from by exciting fears of injury other than bodily harm, as injury to reputation, distress of mind, etc.; as, to blackmail a merchant by threatening to expose an alleged fraud. [U. S.]

The extortion of money or favors by threats of public accusation, critique, or exposure. | Compromising material that can be used to extort someone. | Compromising material that can be used to extort someone. | A type of roleplay where the submissive shares information that may be exploited by the dominant. | A form of protection money (or corn, cattle, etc.) anciently paid, in the north of England and south of Scotland, to the allies of robbers in order to be spared from pillage. | Black rent; rent paid in corn, meat, or the lowest coin, as opposed to white rent, which was paid in silver.

To extort money or favors from (a person) by exciting fears of injury other than bodily harm, such as injury to reputation, distress of mind, false accusation, etc. | To speak ill of someone; to defame someone.