St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-10-17

New YORK, Oct. 16.-Tottering and
gray-haired Consul Gen. Domingo L.
Ruiz, of the republic of Ecuador. who
was arrested on two charges of forgery,
was taken to Jefferson Market police
court today by Detective Sergeant
Hickey. The prisoners son was pres
ent in court with Lawyer Price, who
had been engaged to defend him. Dur
ing the brief proceedings before Justice
Ryan, the fact was disclosed that Mr.
Ruiz. who is in his dotage, had been
for some time in the hands of band of
conspirators. who have fleeced him out
of $4,000, and, in their greed for more
money induced him to indorSe the two
$1,000 notes bearing the forged sigma
lures of Consul Gustav Preston.
The principal in the conspir-
acy which has led to the
downfall of the venerable consul
general i said to be Mrs. Bertha Laws,
his adopted daughter. A warrant has
been issued and she was arrested today.
The friends of Mr.. Ruiz say the old man
has fallen completely under the influ-
ence of this woman, and has blindly
obeyed her bidding for some years past,
while she liked in luxury at his ex-
penSe. He first became acquainted
with her through an advertisement.
His wife was in the country and his
daughter in Europe, and he advertised
For a EHousekeeper.
Mrs. Laws answered the advertise
ment and she was engaged. She was
then known as Miss Bertha Krundslat,
OF Stockholm. Sweden. She soon got
into the consul generals good graceS,
and i'll the course of few weeks made
him believe that she was his daughter
by a woman other than his wife.
She seemed to rejoice at her
discovery of her long-lost father, and
was very atfectionate 10 him. MIR. Ruiz,
who is Seventy-one years old and in his
Bertha as his daughter. This led to an
arrangement with his wife and chill
dren, and he went to live with the
woman. A short time later Bertha III
troduced her husband to ''her father.''
He was William Laws, a bookmaker
and general sporting man, who is said
to be now in st. Louis. The father"
was delighted that his daughter" had
married so well, and readily forgave her
deception in representing herself as
unmarried. He continued to lavish
money on her until he had expended
$4,000, nearly all he possessed. Bertha
needed more money, and the old
consul general, acting under her guild
ance, went to Boston and called on
Consul Preston. He told the consul
that he needed $1,000 to make up sum
of $4,000 he was obliged to pay. MIR.
Preston did not have that amount OF
money at hand, but he cheerfully gave
him his
Note for $4,000,
as Mr.. Ruiz was friend of his, and had
secured his appointment as consul for
Ecuador at Boston. Then Mr.. Ruiz and
Mrs. Laws, who had accompanied him to
Boston. returned here, and she proceed
ed to spend the $1,000. She had intro
duced him to Simon Epstein, a man who
is well known to the police here, and he
had advanced cash on the note. But
$1,000 did not last her long. and in few
weeks she needed more money. AS Mr.
Ruiz did not know where to get any, the
conSpirators concocted scheme to raise
it,belleving that if the truth came out the
consul generals friends would protect
them to save him from disgrace. But in
this they were mistaken. Mr.. Ruiz's
son and his lawyer stated in court
today that they are cOgniZant of
the conspiracy. know all concerned
| in it and intend to have them punished.
| Mr.. Ruiz states that in August last his
| adopted daughter came to him with the
| two $1,000 forged notes, and said that
| "Mr. Preston was a real nice man."
that, knowing the consul general to be
| financially embarrassed, he had sent
| him by mail the two notes. Mr.. Ruiz
was
Only Too Happy
to get the notes, which lie never sus-
| pected to be forgerleS, and at once in
dorsed them. One of the notes was
cashed by Epstein. who protected
himself by taking chattel mort
gage on the furniture in the house the
| consul general had furnished for Mrs.
Laws. The second note was negotiated
by man named K. Milo, who died Fri
Before the notes reached Consul
Preston they had passed through the
hands of Lyman Israel. the owner
of the burned Hotel Royal; Henry
| Pohalsk and the National Butchers and
Drovers' bank. When the note Epstein
held was pronounced forgery he ore
closed the mortgage on the furniture in
Mrs. Laws house and caused the consul
generals arrest on the charge of for
| gerry. OWING to MI. Mll0'S death and
the absence of important witnesses al
the funeral the hearing in the case was
adjourned until Wednesday and the bail
was fixed at $1,000. The consul gen
erals son offered $1,000 in cash as Sc
curity, but the justice could not receive
it. Tomorrow the money will be de
posted with the city chamberlain, AND
MIR. Ruiz will then be released. His
counsel admits that the notes are for
geries, but denies that his client com
mitted the forgeries or was cogniZant Of