The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-07-12

to detain me. To escape their persecution
| resolved to leave Europe, but had
scarcely been "A month in your country
when still worse tidings reached me, con-
corning my daughter. who ! was told had
fallen gravely i'll at her boarding school
at Toledo.
what was | to do? Could | keep away
from my child while in peril of her life?
But how was | to return To Spain without
exposing my money? Was l to deposit IL
in "A bank? And If the Spanish govern
ment were Informed of having mace SO
considerable a deposition. what then? The
mere suspicion of 1t would suffice for them
10 make Investigations, and then the bank
i'm question were soon discovered ana the
money lost to me. My agony was horri-
bic until the following thought struck me,
which [ at once adopted as the most pru-
dent and secure expedient out OF my IL
lemma. According TO 1t ! sought out IN
the adjoining neighborhood of your place
a safe and solitary spot whittier nobody
could suspect that | had penetrated, ana
digging a hole in the earth, ] there con-
cealed in an iron box the sum OF 6JO,O0o
francs i'm French bank notes which FOR
tune | was now the sole proprietor Oh
| then made a topographic plan OF the
spot with the aid of a metric tape meas
ure annoted on "A separate sheet OF paper
all the particulars | considered necessary
for the rescuing of the box.
''These / hid in "A secret
partition of my trunk made on purpose
i'm such a way as to prevent anyone from
finding il by mere chance. and having
done so, sped on my journey To Spain
with the intention of taking my daughter
abroad with me as soon as her state OF
health would permit it. In spite OF all my
precautions. however. ! was recognized
and detained i'm the very moment of sal
living out from the boarding school at To-
ledo and taken hither, where the court
martial condemned me to 10 years OF I'm,
prisonment, which are to be accomplished
AT the Isle of Cuba. And now before leaV-
ing here | must try and get the future
of my poor daughter secured, and IL you
help me in so doing, j am willing TO ceue
to YOU one-third of the whole sum on the
following terms: Ito keep "A strict ST.
lence about all that l nave revealed. ?
To become "A faithful guardian OF my
child until | regain my freedom and to
advance the money necessary for her
voyage and that of my confident from
Toledo to you, for ] wish my daughter to
he present at the act of discovery. You
see | am quite sure of success for else L
should not insist upon my daughter 5
making so long and trying a journey.
And furthermore you must pay the dept
of my aughter to the school that we
may be able to retire the trunk from
where il now is, for on reaching Toledo
left IL with her and now the directress.
on hearing how long an imprisonment
have been Sentenced to, has seized IL
along with the luggage of my daughter
and refuses TO deliver 1t up pe1ore setlihs
her bill payed.
lyon NAV easily imagine that | cannot
dispose of a single penny here in the
prison. and as ] am quite alone in the
world and all my friends are either de-
tanned like myself or emigrated' Goa
knows where. there remaines no other
hone TO me than that of your advancing
the money. To be sure i were fam TO
make your expenses as small as possible,
but the trunk is Indispensable because the
documents that are needed IN resculhs
the money lie hidden in it; and without
these the discovery would be very DIM
cult. not to say impossible. and you
Obliged to make considerable digglngs.
which might attract the attention OF the
people and undo the whole aftalre. such
"A way of proceeding. you see. | cannot
permit on any account whatever, the
more so as with the plan and annotatlons
in your hands. there will not turn up the
least difficulty in re-entering into posses
sion of the box. And over and ABOVE all
that you now advance will be eonscien-
tiously returned.
And now my dear sir. you know the
whole of my case, and If you feel inclined
To help me on the terms above mentioned.
please to inform me of ii by cable ana II
send you in my answer all the necessary
particulars about how to proceed and
proofs to convince you of my Neraclty'
Till then ! include only a scrap or a news
paper which spoke of my case. AS l am
not able To receive anything directly
without having il perused by my guar
dams the cable must be sent TO the 1ol,
owing address: V. Balestrazzi, MADRID
tSpain).
/, "He who receives II is an old servant
/. of mine. perfectly trustworthy. lie TOO
has leave TO visit me now ana then aho
is therefore able to post my letter. aho
bring me your answer without awaken
ing suspects. You must answer by caol'
: because there's no time left TO spare
: and by way of precaution please TO sigr
/ IL with your initials only.
. Hoping the importance of the matter
: VIII be my best excuse for troubling YOU
q with IL. I remain, dear sir,
, your obedient servant,
: SANTIAGO DE SCHOA.
'P. S.-As soon as YOU have read tn'
!, letter please burn 1t so that nobody els
may be able To get an inkling OF the con
n tents"