The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-06-08

largely in a quite imaginary security Of
fered as a hoax. It's methods are usually
or the fmOSt vulgar Sort-the submarine
gold-eXtracting machine of the Rev. Mr..
Jernigan, periodically "salted" by a diver;
or, only the other day, the triumphant dis
play, by a modern alchemist, of q gold
nugget in the ashes of an incinerated gold
fish-the trick being no more difficult than
TO put the nugget in the fish. In general
the average fraud or financial bubble can
not long survive coOlheaded scrutiny. II
is successful only with those who will
ling TO be deceived. Now the interest of
the Crawford Humbert case lies in the fact
that the original fraud was eventually so
bolStered up by all the guarantees of the
law that the victims could hardly have
said at any point that Nine. Humberts po-
sition was so much as questionable.
In the early SOS Therese Daurignac, a
young peasant girl, living near Toulouse,
told her neighbOrs that, under the last Will
and testament of Robert Henry Crawford,
a wealthy American, she had become sole
heir TO a fortune of 100000 francs. This
legacy, she explained. was an act of graft
tude. When Crawford was stricken with
illness on a railway train her prompt min
istration had saved his life, and she had
later nursed him back to health. No cap
rice of an American millionaire seems i'm
probable in France, and Therese, who had
the properly attested will TO show, was
promptly wooed and won by NJ. HumbeIt,
whose father had been minister of justice.
ONLY A BEGINNING.
A common adventures would have
rested at the capture of wealthy and dis
tinguished husband, but Nine Humbert
had only begun. Her legendary fortune
was to be accepted far and wide as the
equivalent of negotiable securities To do
this it was necessary first, to obtain legal
certiication of the existence of the Craw-
ford millions; second. to avert a demand
to show the actual securities At this
juncture two nephews of Robert Henry
Crawford appeared and opposed to the
will which named Therese Daurignac as
sole legatee one of the same date and au-
thority which, leaving a small annuity to
Therese, divided the fortune equally be-
tween themselves, Robert and Henry CraW-
ford and Therese's younger sister Marie.
1t their uncle'S dying wish that one
of them should marry a Daurignac-either
was willing TO wed Marie-and thus unite
the families of Crawford and Daurignac.
Pending this amicable settlement of the
dispute, Nine. Humbert and the Crawfords
agreed that the 100000 900 francs in Secul j.
ties should be sealed and deposited in Nine.
Humbert's safe not TO be opened by her
under penalty Of FORGETTING all claim upon
the estate. Accordingly a French notary
certihed-the law permitting this to be
done without inVentOry-to the depOSiting
under these conditions of 100000 francs
in approved securities; that the Craw-
ford millions gained legal standing and be-
came available as collateral.
For Nine. humDert temporarily preclud-
ed from her inheritance. was soon obliged
TO raise loans upon this deposit. Her notes,
payable after the conclusion OF my actions
at law" were freely accepted by the banks.
y Lille banker advanced ZOO, 900 francs.
She was on the books of a dozen other
banks for sums ranging between 1000. 900
and 6.JO0.O 600 francs. OF her social successes
at Paris. ner great country places. her
wonderful art collections, her ventures in
commerce and finance il would be super
fuous 10 speak. Very few OF her notes were
able. for every note was Endorsed by her
sister Marie. the alternative heir and the
prospective bride OF one of the wealthy
CrawfOrds. II was, in fact. the activity
of the Crawfords that was the most con-
vincing proof that this great fortune ex-
listed. The Crawfords were a litigous lot.
For upward OF fifteen years they fought
Nine. Humbert in the courts. accepting
compromises only to bOggle at the terms
of their execution and generally exhaust
| ing the laws delays. But the Crawfords
were generous. too. in a way; they were
/ ever ardent suitors for Marie Dauri gnac S
] hand Whenever Nine. Humbert's creditors
! pressed for payment the happy maria &c
/ and the opening Of the safe became i'm
/ minent. The Crawfords would also on oc-
/ casion take up Nine. Humberts I-O-U's al
1 par from unseasy creditors. thus manifest
/ ing their own unobtrusive kindness and
re-establishing her credit.
INGENIOUS METHODS.
So long as the Crawfords continued their
! losing fight no one could doubt that the
IOo. 100000 francs actually lay under seal in
Nine. Humbert's safe. But soon il was
: Mime. Humbert herself who. although she