Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1859-09-20
0Nortester Daily Spy.
Correspondence of the New York Tribune
ROMANCE OF ARISTOCRATIC sWINDLING
PANS. AUG. d 1870


Privy Councillor of Prussia, on the Baden
Swiss frontier, created considerable excitement
Ill Paris, where the Baron had for some time
been occupying an important position. Had
1t not been for the severe censorship then ex-
erclsed over the press, and the desire of the
French Government to remain on good terms
with the Government of Prussia, which did
not allow anything to be published in the
French papers rejecting on the royal family of
Prussia, the details of the affair would then
have been laid before the public.
A few days ago the statement in the papers
here that the Baron de Hermsdorf and GER
tain Mr.. Sonntag had been tried in Prussia,
and condemned to four years Imprisonment in
the Penitentiary revived the interest once
aroused in the Baron. lived for some time
in the house in which the Baron resided for
several years, and my host, who is a consider
able loser through him, related to me all the
particulars in regard to the Baron, and his
completely with the Prince of Prussia in the
celebrated swindling operations.
The Baron de Hermsdorf was educated with
the present Princes of Prussia, the idiotic
King, the present Regent and Prince Charles
He then entered the army and became the con-
fdant of the father of these Princes. Having
thus become acquainted with many family Sc
crets, and with the real meaning of the will of
the old King, Hermsdorf became obnoxious to
the present idiotic King, and on some preteXt
was banished.
The Baron de Hermsdorf went to France,
established himself at Strasbourg " it'll his fam
lily, and through his address soon won the con.
fdence of those with whom he came in contact
He then began to organize his gigantic scheme
of Algerian Colonization, and he obtained
promises of assistance from the first CONNER
cial houses of Strasbourg and Basic To car
e nj he d.,
was introduced to the Senator Baron de Heck
eren, through the instrumentality of Prince
Charles of Prussia. He had letters from the
Prince to Louis Napoleon also then President
of the Republic, by whom he was received
twice. Prince Charles introduced the Baron
as the friend of his youth Internationally and
requested the President to give his friend the
Baron the necessary amount of land to carry
out his great scheme of colonization. which
was destined to do so much for Algiers.
Louis Napoleon, at that time anxious to con.
fer all possible -layors on the royal families of
Germany, promised Hermsdorf his aid and
gave orders that all facilities should be afford
ed him for visiting Algiers, and that he should
have the choice of the lands then in the hands
of the government The baron. with his sccre-
tary, went to Africa bearing letters from
Prince Charles of Prussia to Marshal Random.
the Governor of AlgierS. He was received
with distinction and an escort of engineers
placed at his disposal. He visited yarious
parts of the country, especially tie hot springs
OF Hannah Muscotin.
Marshal Random promised the baron that he
would furnish the bureaux in Paris immediate.
ly with description of the lands which he
had selected, so that the colonization scheme
could be set in motion immediately. About
that time, however. the coup P efot made a
complete change in the Algerian bureaux. and
Gen. Daumas st. Arnaud, and others. sue
ceeded, who counteracted the scheme of the
aron. So the thing was protracted
In the mean time Baron de Hermsdorf es-
tablished Colonization and Commercial Com
pany in Paris, with the object of TRANSPORTING
poor Prussian subjects to the borders of the
Snfara 1t was about the time of the creation
OF the Credit Mober, and SO many other
swindling schemes. Prince Charles OF Prus-
STA gave $4,000 to the establishment of the
concern and became the only shareholder
To give the scheme eclat, however, several of
the first men of France appeared on the list of
directors il was through the order Of Louis
Napoleon himself that those names were with
drawn, and the society consequently expired
In the month of October, 1857, Baron de
Hermsdorf finally succeeded in obtaining the
concession for the Algerian lands. 1t became
necessary for him to 90 to Berlin to see Prince
Charles in regard to the measures to be taken
But he was without funds, and he had to apply
to his landlord for the means OF travelling. His
landlord heard nothing more OF him until
April, 1858, when he received letter asking
him to come to Basic. He went, and the
baron told nm that he had contract by
which the prince had bound himself to carry
out this colonization scheme. 10 prove this,
he took the man to the notary, DR.. Schaub,
where thp contract shown which
1t is distinctly specifed that IN consideration
OF thirteen different items OF property which
were conveyed 10 the prince, by the baron,
the prince obligated himself to procure con-
cession OF land for the baron III Algiers, and to
advance the necessary money to carry out a
colonization scheme TO satisfy himself, the
landlord wrote to Prince Charles, begging him
TO pay the expenses incurred in an undertaking
III which ne was partner
Prince Charles replied that ne did not know
any Baron de Hermsdort, but he knew swim,
dler by the name OF Mari Wedeke, who had
cheated him out OF $1,000. This letter be-
wlidered The lahdiora; lie oid not kho" "ha'
believe. lie, however, recollected that the
Prince was IN correspondence win banker
by the name OF Marquaro, hue berger, NO. 10,
III Paris, IN reiatloh 70 tnls very business. ne
went to NJ. Marqaard stated ms case, ana the
banker showed MN thc autograph letter Oh the
Prince, explaining the interest he had IN Inc
matter, ana asking nm I'M. Vanguard to al
vance to M. Baron de Hermsdori' ms J"gend
.tTeand, that excellent and respectable business
man, S2O,00O, for which he would be respon
sible.
This determined the landlord to sue the
Baron and the Prince Several other persons
had already commenced suits against them in
Switzerland, and on the 18th Of September
1853. he commenced a regular suit against
a. 4,