St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-03-30
They Attempt to Beat Well
Known Americans Out Of
Money.
President Harrison Selected
as a Man Likely to Bite
at the Game.
immense Treasures Alleged
to Be Buried in Several
Parts of America.
Numerous Notifications OF
the Scheme to Reach Amer
lean Bank Accounts.

~ O-Ns ~ cOfNiA
years past efforts have been made to
victimize people of prominence in the
United States by placing upon their
credulity at the expense of their purses.
Just who the w0uld-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 a broad scale, and that the
leader in them is intelligent and well
acquainted with the affairs of the per-
sons selected as victims. Whether there
is one man. or whether he has confeder-
ates, it is hard to determine. although
the indications point to cooperative ac-
ton. The fraudulent schemes are of the
same general plan, but details are varied
Infinitely to meet the character
OF the victim. As a rule he is a person
who has at some time had a Slight ac-
quaintance with a Spaniard. He re-
ceives a letter from a Spanish priest
telling him that a large sum of money
his been devised to him by this Span
lard On conditions that always involve
the advancement of a greater or less
sum OF money to pay the necessary
charges. The first notice the depart
ment of state had of the swindle was a
letter addressed to President Harrison
soon after he secured his Office. In this
letter the writer, a priest, as he de
scribed himself, Informed the president
that a Spanish army officer, after under
going incredible vicissitudeS of fortune,
had died in Spain. He had delivered TO
the priest a
Satchel Containing 100000,
which was to be turned over to Presi-
dent Harrison on the sole condition that
he would assume charge OF the officers
little daughter. incidentally, tine
AMOUNT of 5000 was needed to pay
necessary expenses. The matter was con
fidential. and the president was Is
direct his reply i'll Spanish to the priest
and inclose it in a letter addressed t.
a lady. The priest also inclosed Il
letter from a bishop testifying to the
good character of the priest, but, per
haps from inadvertance, or probably to
avoid conviction If detected, the testi-
mOnial was made out for a person Of
different name from that signed by
the alleged priest. The next person
selected as a victim was Gen. Bartlett,
of the pension Office in Washington.
In his case a great quantity of vaiu-
able estate was at stake, encountered
with an innocent, angelic child of a
Spanlard, whom the general readily re-
called as an acquaintance of his early
years. His suspicious were aroused by
the unusual precautions that were to be
observed, ana he escaped without loss.
Then a prominent druggist of Paterson.
n. j., was picked out 10y the gang, bnt
he regarded the priests letter as a prac-
teal joke. and paid no attention to it.
Early last week a citizen of CreSton,
To-, was told that $4,000 in jewels and
treasure were buried in his neighb0r-
hood by a Spaniard he had known in
bygone years. He was to have a de-
scrlption of its location and a part of the
proceeds Of the property if he wOnld
send the remainder to a daughter of the
Spaniard, binding himself and remit
ting money to pay charges before re-
ceiving 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 were warranted to contain a
fortune. A letter was addressed to this
Jill i1Oli lAV l. oiISu ClluICl Ol
San Jaime. Atreida," bearing the seal
of the church ard the seal of the arch
bishop. The letter, like the others. pur-
ported to be from a priest, Alberto
Sonar, in this case, located in the PROV
ince Badjos, Soma Maria Casillas. Gale
Juderia, No. % Viltanueva La Sarena,
This letter is chiefly remarkable for the
crafty manner in which the priest seeks
to prevent the exposure of the swindIe
by making it appear to be in the recjp-
tents interest 10 maintain silence. The
priests story is romantic, as is in
Variably the case. An ~illustri-
Gus prisoner had died in a castle. The
charge upon which he was confined EN-
beZZlement from the state-was cunning.
ly stated with apparent innocence, al
though its suggestion Indirectly &C
counted for the great fortune of 9.O00,-
600 peSetaS about 81, SOC, 600 which the
prisoner had secreted. 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,
kunder the seal of the confessional, that
the treasure had been secretly deposited
by the illuStriOus prisoner in the Bank
of London. 1t happened that his bag
gage was IN possession of the court,
and in a secret recess of one of the
ttrunks was concealed the receipt of de-
post of the money. The prisoner in
his will had stipulated that his eX-
ecutor should pay down 10000 pesetas
$4,000 for the purpose of Withdrawing
the baggage from the hands of the
court. Because the baggage would not
be surrendered by the court if the Sc
cret were discovered, the priest enjoins
upon the congressman a special silence
in regard to the matter. Also he warns
him that powerful enemies of the de-
ceased may take steps to discover the
secret, and says: Fall not into the
temptation Of
Revealing the Secret.
since, if you remain steadfast, it will
prevent the eternal misfortune of the
innocent angel" The priest signs him.
self "Your most affectionate brother in
Christ" and encloses a letter from An
tonic or Atlavan Os, archbishop OF To-
ledo, duly sealed, enjoining the
congressman TO send along the
money, beginning with a draft of 81
| 500 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 arch
bishop is spelled differently from the
name given by the priest himself.
| Moreover, the real archbishop of Toledo
is Don Miguel Paya Y Rico, ana the
p%retentious seals are not counterfeits,
but extemporaneous designs. The last