The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-11-04
Tho pbiladelphia. Press,

From the Philadelphia Iress'
There was living in San Jose, the
capital of Costa Rica, when Bernard
Soto was president of that republic
an individual named FREDERICK Mora
He was Of illustrious parentage. his
grandfather and his uncle had each
been president of the republic pe1ore
Coto. His family was wealthy anu
highly respected. But he himself was
the black sheep of that family.
President Soto conceived the idea or
founding a paper in New YORK whlcn
should be devoted to the exploiting OF
the agricultural and other advantages
Of Costa Rica, with the idea OF at
tracing thither capital and immlsra-
ton. He succeeded in obtaining from
the legislature of the republic grant
Of $500 a month for this purpose. cast
ing about for a suitable editor to con-
duct the enterprise, his choice fell upon
Mora, who had many brilliant quail
ties and whose social prestige was such
as to condone his individual offenses.
Mora was accordingly made editor and
dispatched to New York.
A WOMAN IN THE CASE.
For several months he conducted the
while he had formed associations
among a number of Cuban and other
revolutionaries, and among socialists
OF pronounced type. Inflamed by
their doctrines he began to introduce
a seditous and revolutionary spirit
into what was to have been a purely
agricultural and commercial sheet The
government of Costa Rica grew alarm
od Hn etn "a
At this time Mora, who had aban-
doned his family in Costa Rica, was
very intimate with young woman
named Mrs. Eugenia Reineman, living
at 1853 West Fourteenth street. Mora
himself was stopping at the same
place, and here became friendly with
DR.. De Requesens. a man of similar
ly fascinating traits. In short, he
played Paris to Mora's Menelaus. But
this does not seem to introduce any
Trojan complications between the two
friends.
About this time there came along
General Benjamin Ruiz, a full-blooded
negro. a native of the United States
of Colombia. He was a great friend
of Mora. The triumvirate organized a
gigantic scheme to counterfeit the
money of all the Central American re-
publics. According to the story sub
sequently told by Mrs. Reineman, Mora
used Rutz and De Requesens as cats
paws. He made De Resquesens print
100000 in fifty pesos notes on the Ma
tional bank of the United States of
Colombia These he placed in charge
of Ruiz.
RUIZ ARRESTED.
1a 60
then disposed of about $6O,OO0 to a very
prominent merchant. But before he
could do any more business he was dis
covered and thrown into prison on
Aug. 2, 1896. The conspirators, in no
wise disconnected by their first failure,
set to work to produce half a million
dollars worth of counterfeits upon the
National Bank of Costa Rica.
In Feb, 1897 the money was all ready.
Mora proposed to De Requesens that
he should take charge of the disposal
of the counterfeit money in Costa Rica,
1t was originally planned to ship it in
piano, but an old sofa was substi-
tuted. This was shipped to Costa Rica
by way of New Orleans. On March 2,
1897, Mrs. Reineman and De Requesens
sailed from New Orleans for Costa
Rica.
In jan. 1897, one of the counterfeit
notes on the bank of Colombia had
shown uo in San Jose. The attention
OF the president of the Bank of Costa
Rica had been drawn to it. He prompt
ly pronounced it counterfeit, and,
having communicated with the United
States government, detectives were put
on the track of the conspirators.
De Requesens and his Helen arrived
at Port Limon all unconscious of these
developments. Before landing Mrs.
Reineman concealed under her dress
four packages of bills which the con-
spirators had brought in satchel from
New York. These she succeeded in
smuggling through the Custom House.
The next day, after landing, the chief
of police and his private secretary,
Iglesias, arrived in Limon by a special