The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-05-05
a GREAT sWINDLE AvERTED.
The Discovery of One Of the Most Extraort sin
airy schemes Oh Record to Rob a
Wichita Man.


tor clever drama in four or five acts An
helress Is in it; priest is in il; woman
IS in 1t; a fortune is in it; family Jewels
| are IN 1t: prison scene is in il: a Spanish
court is in il; gambling scene is in it; a
defalcation for half million is ia it, and
family plots galore to steal the heiress and
her fortune are in it. In fact, everything
! is III it that the sensational dramatist
usually feeds upon.
On the 18th day of last November a
wealthy Douglas avenue merchant whose
name for the present. at least, is Hayns,
received letter from Meiilla Spain, from
one james Hayns, that was wonderful
revelation TO him. 1t was written in
| fairly good English, bnt the style Of the
handwriting WAS decidedly Spanish The
! writing was done by an alleged priest
| with long string of names. which, when
| boiled down, meant Father GEMS.
| Father GEMS, as the letter states was the
confidential friend and father confessor OF
James Havns. The letter stated that 10 "A
roundabout way James Hayns ascer-
tanned that the Wichita gentleman was
a relative of his and that having
further ascertained that he was a gentle
=
the guardian of his daughter Rosa whom
he proposed sending over to America for
reasons that will appear later on. The
story as gat hered from the first letter is as
follows:
James Hayns was Of American descent,
his father having settled in Spain many
years ago. When James WAS 10 years OF
age the father died, and consequently he
| knew nothing. comparatively speaking. of
his antecedents. His mothers family be-
longed to the nobility of Spain and hence
the youth was in a position TO get along
nicely. When he grew up he entered the
government service and was IA
member of the government circle
He married, in the meantime into
a noble but not rich family aud made
! his brother-in-iaw his confidential and
| responsible lieutenant He was constantly
at court and his duty to his sovereign and
society absorbed so much Of his time that
! he knew but very little OF his brother-in
/ laws habits. One day. however, he learned
! that his brother-in law was placed under
arrest for squandering half a million dol
lars of the government funds at the
/ gambling table. When he went to ascer-
| tain the cause of the lieutenant's trouble
| he, too. was placed under arrest for negli-
gence and both of them were locked up.
! The brother-in-law was given a life sem
tence for his crime and he was given ten
years. He attempted to make good the
delalcatlon, but he could not
! do it as his whole resources
amounted only to the sum of $500 coo. and
this he could not give up and make his
Al rl,fn u 4
this money in London bank and kept
its whereabouts profound secret. His
wife died in the meantime and her people
bscame very bitter against Hayns, for the
reason that they though the could settle the
brother-ln-law' defalcation without their
noble family having to bear the disgrace of
his crime and its punishment To punish
HIM for this they sought to get possession
OF Rosa, who, they supposed, would event
ually inherit his supposed wealth. and he
was compelled to do something to prevent
1t, and decided on making his alleged
Wichita relative her guardian be-
fore he died; for he stated he
was at that time suffering from
Il fatal disease which he could rot com bat
much longer. Until she could have ar
rived in the United States, Father GEMS.
who was to accompany her should be her
provisional guardian. He also stated that
he had made his will in anticipation of
his approaching death and that he had in
trusted it to Father GEMS to be delivered
at Wichita i'll due time. Tue will, he
stated, contained provisions granting to
his Wichita cousin 100000; TO his daugh
{ er Rosa s-50.0UU, and to the Sister OF
Charity who he said was nursing him in
sickness $1,000 He was too weak to
dictate any more to the kind Father GEMS
who was writing for him and he wound
up by blessing his Wichita relative and
implorng him TO accept the charge
of becoming his angel daughters
guardian. The letter is a long one and SO
carefully prepared shat it would deceive
anybody. There was absolutely no loop
hole whatever III it that would create
suspicion. The Wichita gentleman i'm
mediately consulted a lawyer to aid him
in doing all the service he could for his
unknown cousin and in few days IA letter
was sent to Spain accepting the charge,
etc In que time a letter was received here
from the incarcerated nobleman thanking
his alleged cousin for his kindness IL
contained some of the most endearing and
ailectlonate passages and GOd-blessugs
without number. \ reply was sent
and in four or five weeks a after
wards another letter was recei we'd
and duly answered Later, letter
arrived from Spain from Father GEMS
stating that he would leave in a few DAYS
for America with the fair Rosa. the will. /
etc. aud that when he reached London he /
would send a cablegram stating when
they expected to arrive in New York, so j
that the Wichita Mr.. Hayns could meet
them there. This letter contained a pho
tograph of his cousin, with the remark
that 1t was taken when be was enjnying
better days; also, a photograph of Rosa.
Rosa's picture was taken, apparently,
while at the altar receiving her first
communion, and was very pretty
picture, indeed. A deep Catholic spirit
cropped out in all his writings, notwith-
standing the fact that his Wichita cousin
Is OF very different religion. Now, then,
up 10 this point it was impossible t. suS-
pect anything for apparently Father
GEMS. Rosa. Rosa's fortune and the 500
600 legacy were coming direct to Wichita.
and the Wichita man was not at cent
expense. How could he suspect ANYTHING
0''Nu '''Nuiu>.dHScs' y lew days
later another letter was received from I
Father GEMS saying that their trip wss
suddenly postponed on account OF the
rapidly failing health of the noble prison
er. Two or three days more passed and a
mourning letter was received from Father
GEMS and also one from Rosa Father
Genis stated that the prisoner bad died
and added reverntiy that his last hours
were very happy on account of
the Knowledge OF the fact that
lie had found a good cousin
Il America IN Whose ca-e III. IN