The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1891-04-01
The State Department Ex-
poses a New Dodge.
An Attempt to Victimize Presl-
dent Harrison.
Many Other Prominent Men
Narrowly Escape.
Beware OF the Priest Who Brings You
aSpanish Legacy.

| United States by playing upon their
credulity at the expense of their purses.
Just who the would-be swindlers are and
to what extent they have succeeded is not
known. but sufficient data has drifted
into the department of state to indicate
that these operations have been conducted
on broad scale and that the leader in
them is intelligent and we'll acquainted
with the affairs of the persons selected as
victims. Whether there is one man or
whether he has confederates it is hard to
determine, although the indications point
to cooperative action.
The fraudulent schemes are of the same
general plan but details are varied in
| 6nitely to meet the character of the vic
tim. As rule he is person who has at
some time had slight acquaintance with
! a Spaniard. He receives letter from a
| Spanish priest telling him that large
sum of money has been devised to him
| by this Spaniard on conditions that al
WAYS involve the advancement of greater
or less sum OF money to pay necessary
charges.
The first notice the department OF state
had of the swindle was letter addressed
to President Harrison soon after he as
sumed his Office. In this letter the writer,
a catholic priest, as he described himself,
informed the president that a Spanish
army officer after undergoing incredible
vicisstudes Of fortune, had died in Spain.
He had delivered to the priest a sachel
containing 100000 which was to be
! turned over to President Harrison on the
| sole condition that he would assume
charge of the officers little daughter. In
cidentally, the amount OF $1,000 was
needed to pay necessary expenses. The
matter was cOntidenta, and the president
was to direct a reply IN -Sfsa1sisl4zn % the
| priest and inclOse it in letter addressed
TO a Spanish lady. The priest also in
closed a letter from a bishop testify
| ing to the good character of the
| priest, but perhaps from inadvertence, or
more probably to avoid conviction ii de-
! tected, the testimonial was made out for
/ person of different name from that signed
by the alleged priest
The next person selected ms a victim was
| Gen. Bartlett of the pension office in
| Washington. In this case great quantity
| of valuable plate was at stake, incumbered
with an innocent, angelic child of
| Spaniard, whom the general really recalled
as an acquaintance of his early years. His
| susplcions were aroused by the unusual
| precautions that were to be observed, and
he escaped without loss.
Then prominent druggist of Paterson,
n. j.. was picked out by the gang, but he
regarded the priests letter as practical
| joke and paid no serious attention to it.
| Early last week citizen of Cresson, Ia,
was told that $4,000 in jewels and treas
ure was buried in his neighborhood by a
| Spaniard he had known in by-gone years.
He WAS to have description of its loca-
ton and part of the proceeds of the
| property if he would send the remainder
himself heavily and remitting money to
| pay charges before receiving the chart
showing the location OF the treasure.
A member OF the United States house
of representatives last summer also came
in for one OF these prize packages, which
was warranted to contain fortune and
beautiful heiress. A letter was addressed
to this member from the Parish church
of San Jaime Atreida," bearing the seal
of the church and the seal of the arch
bishopric OF Toledo. The letter, like the
others, purported to be from priest
Alberto Sonar, in this case-located in the
| pIONluCc vi OduJOo OOld 4ldIld NdSlldS,
Gale Judera No. % Villanueva La Sarena.
This letter is chiefly remarkable for the
crafty manner in which the priest seeks
to prevent the exposure OF the swindle by
making it appear TO be in the recipients
interest to maintain silence. The priests
story is romantic, as is invariably the case.
An illustrious prisoner had died in q castle.
The charge uDOn which he was confined
embezzlement from the state-was cum
ningly stated with apparent innocence, al
though its suggestion indirectly accounted
for the great fortune Of 100000 pesetas
| Isl ,S00.000), which the prisoner had Sc
creted. he had selected the American
congressman TO act as his executor He
had an innocent, angelic heiress and was
willing to allow the executor the fifth part
OF his fortune for his trouble. The priest
had been told, under the seal of the con-
fessonaI. that the treasure had been Sc
cretly deposited by the illustrious prisoner
in the Bank of London. 1t happened
that his baggage was in possession OF the
court and in a secret recess of one of the
trunks was concealed the receipt OF de-
posit of the money. The prisoner, in his
will, stipulated that his executor should
pay down 10000 pesetas (S5 5000) for the
purpose of Withdrawing the baggage from
the hands of the court, because the bag
gage would not De surrendered by the
court if the secret was discovered. The
priest enjoins upon the congressman a
sepulchra silence in regard to the matter.
Also he warns him that powerful enemies
of deceased may take steps to discover the
secret, and says: Fall not into the
temptation of revealing of secret, since, II
you remain steadfast you will prevent the
eternal misfortune OF the innocent angel /"
The priest signs himself Your most af-
fectionate brother in Christ" and in
closes letter from Antonio Altavin Os,
archbishop Of Toledo, duly sealed, en-
joining the congressman to send along the
money. beginning with draft OF $1,000
on London or Paris.
1t appears that in this case. as in the
case OF the letter addressed to President
Harrison, the name of the priest as given
by the archbishop is spelled differently
from the name given by the priest him
self. Moreover. the real archbishop Of