The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-12-17
NOTED SwINDLER DEAD.
URLARTE 0NcE CHEATED THE BEL
MoNTs OUT OF $4,000.

Came Here frern Havana in 1899 ana Cashea
. FORCED Drsrt-Ee Dice OF Tertnre anu
starvation I'm = Cuban Prison HOSPITAL
Was Once an Omcer In the Spanish NAVY.
News has boon received here Of the death at
Havana of Juan Uriarte. the Spaniard VINO on
March IL, 1896, swindled the banking house OF
August belmont g. Co. of this city out OF wa
600. Uriarte presented n forged draft from
Hidalgo & Co. of Havana, payable to the order
OF Manuel Gonzalez Mendoza, the name which
the swindler assumed. Uriarte was about 90
years old. He was we'll educated, good looking,
and courtly in manner. 1t Ia said hal he was
at one time an officer in the Spanish navy, but
was turned out of tho service for dishonesty.
On tho same steamer which brought Uriarte
here from Havana wns n mailed letter from
Hidalgo & Co., asking Belmont Co. not to
bother Sehor Don Manuel Gonzalez Mendoza
with the usual formalities Of identification
should he present himself at the banking house
to cash a draft for 1874 900. The letter contained
specimen Of Mendoza's handwriting as q safe
guard for the Belmonts. or course, the letter
was a forgery like the draft, but both were so
cleverly executed that not the least suspicion
was aroused AS to the genuiness of either. Tho
cashier asked Uriarte to sign and his signature
correspondent perfectly with that inclosed in HI
dalgo's letter. The g~entlemanlike appearance Of
the swindler did the rest, and the $24 600 was
paid over and has never been recovered. A Few
days a%fterward, when 1t was discovered that
the draft was forged, the Havana police sus-
pected Uriarto and some other members OF an
nudacious gang of bank swindlers In that city.
Uriarte was caught in Spain and brought to
Havana. The Spanish authorities refused to
grant his extradition, and he was kept awaiting
trial in tho Havana Jail since April, 1896.
There he died recently of torture and starva-
ton.
The story of Uriarte's last days adds q gloomy
page to the record Of his remarkable criminal
career. As an e~S.oiicer OF the navy and q
Spaniard OF good birth, he was an irreconcilable
enemy of the Cubans. In the dark days of Gen.
weyler's bloody regime hundreds Of Cubans.
members of the best families, were thrown Into
| Jail because of their adherence to the patriot
finals. Uriarte thus found himself with the
| people whom he hated most. There Is a special
section of the Havana Jail called the Sdtd de
distinction. in which those prisoners who can
afford to pay a high fec to the jailers are al
s snSS1a TO aw Sbo sP PORN 'F fhe ' ma n Q Of f1 the pG in.
mates :: = The IA, place y. where snd d4 Iss f aIph ana s hTFd is
With tho money no procured from, Belmont &
Co. Urinrte was able to secure a clean bed In
outside restaurant. The political prisoners also
paid for the same privileges, but Uriarte. who
the swindie and who lived high, finally found
himself out Of funds. There was no other
remedy for 1t, he must 20 to la %Gdterd. At this
stage the Cubsns took pity on him. They thought
, 1t inhuman to allow a man OF refinement and
education to bc put in such a place and
among such companions. They paid his share
to the jailer and gave Uriarte a place at their
table. The swindler's political views led him to
repay this magnanimity with the grossest in
suits to Cuba and the Cubans. The henefactors
at first tried to overcome his uncompromising
prejudices, but he grew abusive and threatened
to present a formal complaint to Gen. Weyler
against them. That meant death tolthe, Cubans,
who remained silent thereafter on political mat
ters, but ceased to pay Uriarte's pension. The
swindler, Of course, was sent to In gdlerd.
But Uriarte was not the man to remain there
without a struggle. He gave up his political
ideas 70 devise a plan for raising money. tie
was able to communicate with two reporters,
imprisoned like himself for ordinary crimes,
and they concocted a scheme to blackmail some
persons in Havana, but. unfortunately for Uri-
arte. the jailer was among the intended VIC
tins. One of the reporters having been tor
tured by the iailer, denounced L riarte as the
author of the plot. Uriarte was then tortured
ana deprived OF food for several days. In n
dying condition he was sent to the hospital at
Aldecoa. which. during tho last months of Ney:
ler's administration, had not sufficient food
to supply the patients. SO Uriarte died Of hun
A correspondent in this city of Hidalgo s. Co.
of Havana received news q few days ago that
one of Uriartc's accompliccs in the $4,000
swindle lind died as miserably as he in a penal
colony in Africa. The third one, however. who
escaped to Mexico with the largest part Of the
money, is said to have invested 1t there in q
good business.