Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1902-12-30
TELEPHONES.
TIE CHARMING MApAME.

The Hunlherts. who were landed in a.
Paris fall yesterday. have made Their
mark in criminal history. They arc men
ind women of genius-no common cheats,
.rauds, and swindiers.
IT is charged by some who arc not
agell-wishers OF the present French ad-
ADMINISTRATION that such open and auda-
eious swindles as theirs could not have
oecn possible without the conniTance or
,cquiescencc of the PUBLIC authorities.
And II is further alleged that the arrest
IF these persons at Madrid never would
have been made had the government been
y, position to prevent it, but it was
not In that position. So the Humberts
were taken into custody, eHtradltcd, ana
yesterday were sneaked into Paris at All
unreasonable hour and hurried to prison.
Thus The populace missed Its chance to
have a street row.
we daresay the mob have no great SYM
nathy with the persons swindled, but
they must feel outraged that they were
cheated out Of an opportunity TO express
their detestation of NJ. Vallee, the Minister
Of Justice.
Three times lately Nallcc has narrowly
escaped being mobbed in the Chamber of
Deputies, where he vainly undertook to
explain why it was that the Humberts
were SO long allowed to run riot in wick
edness and swindlingncss In the gay
Trench capital.
Since Mons. De Lesseps's exploits in
getting fhe hard earned francs out OF the
rockets of the people Of France, one
would have thought swindlers would have
found Paris hard road to travel; but
no so. However, as We have said. the
Humberts are geniuscs Of high degree.
They lived in palace. They enter
.ained-Inen especially-Eorseously- lney
banked on the -'boundless" capital Of m
alleged deceased American millionaire
named Crawford. whose bonds were by
them said to be in an iron safe under the
seal Of an officer OF court. These bonds
,he heroine of the gigantic swindling
conspiracy claimed had been left to her
by the millionaire. TO whom she had rem
dcred some trivial service, and had sub
sequcntis nursed. They were kept in
the safe under seal because, it was af-
frnacd certain members of the Crawford
family had made them the subject of
litigation. When the French notary seal
ed the safe, it appears, he took the word
of the Humberts that packages said 10
contain bonds really contained them, and
80 certified.
With this and the other fairy
stories which were effective enough
in creating the impression Of their
great wealth for a long time,
they borrowed and bought and stole
% their hearts content Their operations
we're conducted with financiers OF world
ride celebrity. not in Paris only. but in
london and other capitals. When at last
heir game was up-wl1en the sealed safe
ias opened at the demand Of creditors
he Humberts fed. That was months
sgo No real attempt seems to have
been made 10 pursue and capture them:
hut II was simply impossible FOR Mons.
.'aIlee not to know that they were dis
porting themselves In Madrid And so
all the family We're arrested there. Now
Paris has grand sensation pending: one
that may involve the government. since
it has been injected into politics by the
Nahonal!sts, one that IS sure to be rich
in scandal and lurid in exposure Of Ger
tain phases of fast artisan Society
But no matter what the result may be-
the charming Madame Humbert and her
household seem destined to be '.i,nmor-
talized" as the finest and most fashion
able fakirs of an age which has known
many dangerous women and conscience
less men.
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1t is now up TO The Hague as the