Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1902-12-29
CREATE SWINDLE
EVER KNOWN
IN FRANCE
THRILLING STORY OF THE RE-
MARKABLE CAREER OF THE
HUMRERTs WHO ARE
NOW IN THE TOLLS.
New York world.


In France there are no dissenting
opinions i'm characterizing the Hum
bert Millions Swindle" as the most re-
markable i'm the annals of crime in
that country. All the dramatic and sem
sational incidents of great detective mar
rative are unfolded with the career of the
Humbsrt family.
A phantom Inheritance of more than
100000, the only tangible evidence of
which is the fictitious will of an mag
mary Amerie an millionaire, Robert Hen
~ Crawford" was manipulated with such
consummate and daring and successful
skill that the self-styled legatees, M. and
Nine. Frederic Humbert, during the last
twenty years, have by cleverly conceived
legal litigation obtained from leading
bankers and loan institutions of Paris. in
GLIDING even the historically conservative
Bank of France, loans amounting to
about SS2.ooO.OO0 in cash.
In 1878 Mile Therese d'Aurignac,
young woman of the village of Beauzelle,
was married to Frederic Humbert son of
a distinguished lawyer. who died recent
" heaped with honors, civil and profess
sional The young woman's dowry was
reputed to be the $50, 100000 already men,
toned. This fortune, she affirmed. had
been left to her by an American, the
mythical Crawford
Seeming Contest Begun.
According to the French law a fortune
that is being contested for in the courts,
may be locked in a safe pending legal set
Element This is what happened to Nine.
Humbert's alleged dowry. for, Opportune-
ly enough, two Americans of the name of
Crawford were declared to claim part of
the fortune. and to dispute the woman's
title to it. They never appeared in person,
however. Despite the annoyance to which
they declared themselves to be subject
ed. the contest did not prevent the Hum
berts from living in the style of multi
millionaires. Bankers came forward and
expressed themselves as willing to lend
money on the securities supposed to be
locked in a huge. sealed safe in the Hum
bert vaults.
The litigation dragged on for 20 years.
and during this time. the sage bankers
of France loaned to the Humberts about
s12.O00,OO0. The house where the safe was
kept is situated near the Bots de Bou-
logne, on the Avenue de la Grand Armee.
II is large, roOmy built of stone and three
stories in height. The windows are pro-
tected by heavy iron bars, so that the
house does not look unlike prison.
At last the brilliant idea occurred to the
bankers who mad been loaning all this
money through all these years. that 1t
might be a good idea to have look at the
alleged gilt-edged securities that repre-
scented the collateral upon which they
had been making their heavy advances.
So on their application. the Silence civic
tribunal ordered that the safe in the
Hunbert residence be opened and the Sc
curities examined On May 9Th last, in the
presence Of the judicial authorities, the
safe was opened. Besides the officials in
sbecting the work of opening the safe.
representatives of the bankers who had
made the loans and several newspaper
men were present.
Safe Opened at Last.
News that the famous safe was to be
opened had spread and outside the house
a great crowd gathered to await tidings
of the result. Butts curiously. neither Nine.
Humbcrt nor her husband could be found.
Mile Eva Marie d'Aurignac. younger
sister of Nine Humbert. who had long
lived with the family. was also missing.
So was Romans d'Aurignac. Nine. Hum
bert's brother. The servants told the OFF,
Gals and bankers that the family had
been gone two days. but said that all their
wages had been paid month In advance.
II took locksmiths several hours to force
open the safe. and here was what the
safe contained:
One red leather jewel case, in which
was what appeared to be a large dia-
mond brooch. The diamond" proved
TO be paste. and a dealer appraised its
value at 81.
Several shares in gold mines that never
had been worked. the companies organized
for working the mines having gone out of
existence, the mines having proved value
less.
Half a dozen antique newspapers, de-
scrlbfng the alleged 500. 100000 dowry.
There was no trace of the 20OO0.COO
"dowry." snlendid chateau, near Melun.
where magnificent grounds were laid out
with fountains and terraces and groves
IN the most picturesque style of the land
scape architects art, was also visited
by the now thoroughly alarmed bankers
and the somewhat amused French gov
eminent officials. This chateau, the coun-
try nome OF the Humberts, was found
TO contain nothing to give clue to the
supposed fortune. The Humberts fine
yacht. found moored at a private dock,
was seized by the creditors.
Rare Paintings Sold.
Then a further and more minute in
spection Of the Humb-rt residence vas