The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-10-11
FEMININE SWINDLERS
HISTORIC PARALLELS TO THE
 HUMBERT CASE. "a
Sex is Ingenious--How Miss schach Started a Bank-she Forged Let ters and Thus Got the Money
 That She Wanted.

Dr. Louis Elkind in The London Express. Ever since tbe Humbert case first came before the public, general and great sur prise has been expressed on all hands that any one could for so long a time impose on people of the highest inteili- gence with such amazing assurance and success. Criminologists, however, have long recognized and studied the ingenuity of women in carrying out gigantic frauds. A French expert In criminoiogy re- gently said that if in a criminal scheme the most minute points had been taken into consideration and never lost sight of it was practically certain that the con- ception and perpetration of the crime were mainly. If not entirely. the work of . woman--an opinion which he supported by showing how woman carries out fraud, and giving a number of illustra- tive cases.
 Schopenhauer long ago declared this to be a fact. and few of his opinions were regarded in his lifetime as so thorough ly pessimistic as the following: The art Of deception is congenital in women, who make use of it as animals make use of their claws"
 What Is the reason that women excel men in this respect? It Is probably to be found in the fact that in all ages and all civilizations women have always been in an inferior position to men, and conse- Quently have had to exercise, in their own defense. their power of observation and insight into human nature as much as possible. Hence they are more quick wited, more intuitive than men, and are able to lie, to scheme, and to cheat more successfully.
 The Fraulein's Frauds.
 The Humbert case had added little or nothing to the knowledge of the crimi- nal psychology of women, for there Is practically nothing in the case which does not find it's parallel in some previous case on record.
 Take. for instance, the case of Frau lein Adele Spitzeder, who, under the name of the "Dachauer Bank" as far back as 1871, opened a big banking estab- lishment in Munich. By means of great professions of religious fervor, extrava- gant generosity, a plausible tongue, and a magnetic personality, she so impressed all classes of the community that every- body was eager to trust her with his or her cash, on which she offered interest of considerable amount.
 People withdrew their money from banks and savIngs banks mortgaged their property, and. indeed, raised as much cash as they could and paid 1t into her bank. In a short time she had 5000 depositors, who had intrusted her with nearly G1.00O, O09.
 The result was that Government and banking securities were affected, and the luxurious manner in which Fraulein Spitzeder former actress of no par ticular ability, lived and the money she squandeer arousing suspicion, inquiries were instituted, and the Fraulein's S bank was found to be a fraud, and its guiding spirit was sent to prison for three years
 Miss schach.
 rly l.i nF fA- male skill in fraud, and one which crim- inologists give as a good instance of a woman's methods, is that of Miss Flu genia Schach, young lady of about 26 years of age, who imposed upon the head of the Government of Crotia. the Banus. She began by calling upon the Banus and representing herself to be the daugh- ter of Crotian official who had died shortly before. She asked for pecuniary assistance which was refused. A little while afterward she appeared again, this time with visiting card of the Emperor of BraZZil and a precious stone which she said the Emperor had sent to Count khuen Hedervary, the Banus, as a pres ent.
 On the following day she received hack the card and the stone, thef Banuss secs retary writing to say that the Count feared she had been the victim of some fraudulent action Nevertheless, she did not desist from her purpose,
 Shortly before Christmas she sent the Count a beautiful handmade lamp mat together with letter containing the sea- sons good wishes expressed in fulsome and sentimental terms. This also she re- ceived back, but the Banus, in returning it. wrote on the back of his visiting card a few words, to the effect that in return ing her present he had no desire to hurt her feelings.
 The Banus's handwriting was just what she had been trying to obtain from the first. and she at once set about learn- ing to initiate it, with so much success that before long 1t was impossible to diff