Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1902-08-22
MOST COLOSSALSWlNDLE
DETAILS OF THE HUMBERT-CRAW.
FORD sIo,ooo,ooo HOAX.

Details of the colossal hoax which
the attention of Paris to the exclusion
of almost everything else are at hand.
On the pretence of q fortune of S24,-
100000 locked up in a safe the perpe-
traitors of the fraud have been able to
borrow in the last twenty years sums
aggregating a total amount of S9,200,-
600. When the creditors became impor-
tunate the famous safe was opened
and found to contain securities amount
ing to about S400, little jewelry and
some worthless papers.
The story begins in Nice in 1877, and
the principal actors are an American,
one Robert Henry Crawford; Therese
d'Aurignac, now Nine. Humbert; her
husband, who is son of a former
French minister of justice; two broth
ers and a sister of Nine Humbert, sew
eral lawyers, and last, but not least,
two nephews of Robert Henry Craw
ford, both New Workers and both mil
lionaires. Concerning the existence of
the Humberts and the d'Aurignacs
there is no doubt, but no one seems
ever to have seen or TO have heard of
Crawford or his uephews, although the
latter have been parties in innumerable
suits contested in the French courts
over this fabulous fortune.
According to the legend that has
grown up, in 1877 Henry Robert
Crawford died in Nice, leaving his
whole fortune of 120,000000 francs to
Therese d'Aurignac, who had nursed
him during his last Illness. She was
the daughter of a linen draper in Tou-
louise, and shortly after the fortune
had been left to her she married Fred
erick Humbert, whose father was min
lister of justice in De Freycinets cab
met, in 1882. But before she had time
to enjoy her windfall two nephews of
the deceased Crawford appeared-Rob-
ert and Henry Crawford, of New York
bringing with them another will
made on the same day as the one which
left all to Nine. Humbert. This will
provided that the fortune should be
divided into three equal parts, to be
given to the two nephews and to the
younger sister of Nine. Humbert. Ma
rie dAurignac, with the condition.
however, that an annuity of 100000
francs a year be paid to the elder sis
ter. But the nephews were rich al
ready, and generous, too, so they pro-
posed that the fortunes be united and
all made fair by one of them marrying
Nine. Humbert. When they discovered
she was already married they proposed
the union of one of them with the
younger sister, Marie, who at this time
was q child in school, and the offer was
rejected. Then an arrangement was
made by which Nine. Humbert was
made trustee of the entire fortune, to
hold until her sister came of age. She
francs year, and the rest of the for
tune was to be locked up in safe and
not be disturbed. A few years later
when Marie d'Aurignac came of age
she refused to marry either CT the
brothers Crawford, and since that
time, matter of twenty years ago,
French courts have never been without
lulnDert-CraWIOfu case.
In the meantime, no one, not even
the lawyers retained by them, has ever
seen the Crawford brothers, although
up to comparatively short time ago
they received, or asserted they re-
ceived, instructions from them, and
that all the necessary legal papers We're
signed by them. And Nine. Humbert,
unable to get their consent to open the
safe and divide the money, took to bor-
rowing on the concealed assets. She
bought palace in the Avenue de In
Grande Armee in Paris, two nagnifi-
cent chateauX in the country, steam
yacht, splendid jewels and spent great
sums in various charities, the money
for which she borrowed at very high
rates from various money lenders and
banks. From one man, a NJ. Girard,
she got $1,240,000; from another man
S1,400,000, and from several she Sc
cured more than half a million.
All this time she was asserting that
the safe contained 120,o00,000 francs
in securities which she could not touch
without the consent Of the Crawfords,
and to calm the fears of her victims she
would show them the officially sealed
envelopes containing the fortune, with
the aflidavits of the notaries as to their
contents. A few years ago communion
tons from the mysterious Crawfords
ceased, the brothers were completely
lost sight Of, and all that Nine Hum
bert could do was to borrow money,
which she did most successfully. CON
sidering that the only proof of the cx-
istence Of the fortune was her word
for it
In 1897 Girard, one Of her principal
creditors, committed suicide ON account
of his failure to collect the money he
had'lent to her. His estate was liqui-
dated by NJ. Waldeck- Rousseau, the
present Premier, who, during the
course of his argument, asserted that
the Crawfords, uncle and nephews,
had never existed, that they were I'M
known in New York, and that the
l,o1a