Waterbury Democrat., 1902-06-25
CENTURIES GREATEST SPINDLE
Story of the Humberts and How They
 Fled the Country.

Fled the Country.
 Had novelist of established repu- tation written the story of the Hum bert-Crawford millions, his reputation would have been wrecked by the ob- vious wildness of his imaginings; yet the story of these millions is true. and it's climax to-day ,convulses Paris more than the terrible tragedy in the French island of Martinique Over twenty years ago a Toulouse girl of peasant extraction named Therese Daurignac announced that by the will of an American millionaire name Robert Henry rawford-whom she had nurs- ed through a dangerous illness-she had been made the sole heir to his cs- tate of $20,OOOOOO. The announce ment-atteSted by a copy of the will dated Nice, September 6, 1S77-was be- | lieyed by all circles of French society, for even the most learned French economists credit or discredit America with unnumbered multi-millionaires, and Mile D'Aurignac, as she now calls herself, was at once accepted by the aristocracy, and soon married to M.
 
 If any one still questioned the exist ence or even the extent of the fortune bequeathed her, his doubts were set at rest by the statement that two neph- ews of Robert Henry Crawford had come from America with another will l l-likewise dated Nice, September G, l 1S77-by which their uncle'S millions were bequeathed in three equal shares to themselves and Therese Daurignac's younger sister, Marie-Therese being cut off with an income of $72,O0O a year. The nephews announced, how eyer that it had been their uncle's dy- l ing wish that one of them should marry one of the Daurignac sisters so as to unite the two families, and while they entered suit to have their will recognized as final, they made friend l ly agreement by which Therese could retain legal custody of the $20,000,000 of securities, provided that she should not open the box containing them un- l til the suit was decided. A French no- tary according to his own affidavit, l counted the securities and sealed them 1 in a strong box and deposited them in l Madame Humbert'S safe. The estate had thus a new legal standing, and while Madame Humbert seemed to be iii some danger of being cut off with an annuity-exceeding the interest l 1ypon a million dollars-her 'indis- putable'' credit was made greater than l this by the fact that her sister Marie always endorsed her notes, and Marles hand was meanwhile sought by the l Crawford nephews. Madame Hum- l bert's notes payable after conclusion of my actions at law'' were accepted l by the banks, including the Bank of l GnaIIu hOrrOyVinOS aggregated eleven million dollars. Her I social career was one of dazzling splendor Her husband was member of the chamber of deputies, and she became a great patroness of art, with l wonderful collections in various great estates which she purchased. In the l courts she was constantly victorious, Ebut the decisions in her favor were just l as constantly appealed. and the new suits were started as others were set I tied If creditors became at any time i doubtful of her success, her sister was i then about to marry one or the CraW- ford nephews. This play was kept up l on a national stage for nearly twenty | years. when M. Waldeck-Rousseau the present premier, acting as the attorney | for one of the creditors, publicly point l ed out the strange disinclination of the heirs of this great estate to enter into possession, and also the fact that, l though everybody was always hearing of the Crawford nephews at the Hum berts', nobody in Europe or America, except the Humbert intimates had ever seen them. Still the play contin- ued. however. with tragic incidents multiplying as creditor after creditor to the number of ten committed sui eide ill their despair of repayment The end did not come until the 9th of May, when Madame Humbert's safe was opened by the order of the court-an 1 order asked for by her distinguished attorney to dissipate the suspicion gathering about his clients. Another dramatic scene then ensued-the wit nesses pressing forward as securities were unrolled to the aggregate of S1, 1,00O These, an empty. jewel case, q few copper coins, and a brass button were all the box had ever contained. All France was at once ablaze with ex citement, but the Humbert's. who two nights before had occupied their costly box at the opera as splendidk as ever, had fled the country, and no one t'es7Fr where they had gones-The Outlook.