The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1902-12-29
THE HuMBEQTs.

THE HUMBERTS.
The news which arrived on the cable
steamer Silvertown that the Humberts
had been captured in Madrid consti-
tutes one of the closing chapters il
the most famous swindling game OF
modern times. The Humberts cost
the Parisians about twelve million
dollars. They extended their opera
lions over twenty years, and during
all that time lived on the best that
Paris could afford and had entree to
society in one of the most exclusive
social centers of the world. Money
lenders were the chief losers in the
worked the deception were M. and
Madame Humhert, Marie d'Aurignac,
Henry Crawford and Robert Crawford.
The methods employed to get a for-
tune from the shrewd money lenders
of the Continent, were simple yet were
accomplished in roundabout ways. The
scheme was carefully worked out long
before it was launched.
Madame Humbert first filed will
naming herself as the sole heir to a
fictitious estate, said to be that of
r. IT. Crawford, an American million
aire, who was claimed to have died
leaving an estate valued at 100000,0G0
francs. Then the Crawford Brothers
came along and claimed to have an
other will to the same estate. They
said that the mythical estate had been
divided by the dead man into four
shares for themselves, Madame Hum
bert and her sister, Marie d'Aurignac.
A fake contest of the alleged wills
was then arranged. In accordance
with French law an order was secured
directing that the title, deeds and Sc
curities of the supposed estate, which
were in possession of Madame Hum
bert, should be produced. This was
easily arranged and the court was fool
ed into giving an order to have these
all sealed up with the courts seal anf
locked in a monster safe in the Hum.
bert residence.
On the strength of the documents
thus sealed up by the court the schem-
ers had little difficulty in borrowing a
few million francs. BY and by tn,
money lenders commenced to ask why
the parties did not come to compro-
mise, and to meet them it was sug-
gested by one of the Crawford Broth
ers that he should marry Marie as
soon as she became of age and thus
compromise the matter. This fooled
became of age they were fooled a Sec
ond time by Marie refusing to marry
Crawford and both brothers bringin.
a civil suit against Madame Humbert
for the entire estate. They secured
an injunction restraining her from
touching the big fortune that was sup
posed to be locked in the safe.
This see-saw game went on for TWEEN.
ty years. The parties to the fraud
by each of these expedients, succeed.
ed in borrowing large sums of none.
from London and Paris bankers They
lived as only millionaires lived. If 6
creditor became clamoreus an offel
was Immediately made to buy Up hi
claim. This silenced him and tn,
offer was refused and confidence re
stored One banker advanced a mil
lion to the schemers and knowing
eventually he had had been deceived
killed himself.
Meanwhile the Crawford estate be
came known to all Paris. Guide
showed tourists the Crawford hous
and even pointed out the safe whfcl
was supposed to contain the millions
People began to have suspicious
Creditors tried to restore confidence a
they thought this would be the onl
method of ever getting their due.
But finally Madame Humbert and he
SISTER disappeared. The great safe /
their house was opened by Officials
Tne safe was empty. Even the peopl
could not believe that the alleged mi
ilohalres were but common swindler
fne creditors rushed to the art CALLER