The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1903-08-24
1.-THE GREATEST SWINDLE OF The
CENTURY,"

| $50, 100000 which the SWlndlerS TOOK OUT
OF the bankers, brokers and prominent
politicians of France. Its inception
and contamination displayed the most
extraordinary cunning and simplicity
so simple that laymen can hardly COM
prehend how the courts have been used
to deceive the victims.
Briefly told it is this. The Hum
berts and their associates claimed in
! 1882 that an American, named Craw-
| ford, had bequeathed to Therese Hum
bert an estate of 10000. 900 for saving
his life. when he was suddenly taken i'll
on a railway train. Two fictitious
nephews of Crawford, who never ex-
listed, We're brought forward 10 contest
the will. The suit was begun by emf
nent lawyers Of Paris. The Humberts
admitted in the legal papers that the
bequest had been made. but denied the
right Of the nephews to any share in
the estate. By a fraudulent arrange
ments both parties to the suit, who
were secretly working together as CO.
conspirators, asked the court to make
a decree directing that the vast estate,
said to be in securities, should be de-
posted in the safe of the Humberts,
and sealed up until the case had been
heard and decided. The Humberts had
opened a magnificent establishment in
Paris, and ny skillful management at
tracted the attention of noted men in |
D. Il
ton. They began to borrow money !
in large sums of bankers and capital |
lists, by showing them the decree of |
the court that the securities should be |
deposited in Their safe, and also Show
ing a certificate filed in court by them /
that they had been so deposited and
the safe had been sealed. Here was the
gist of the fraud. The court had trust
ed entirely to the statements of the
lawyers on both sides, and at their re-
ers assumed that the court had full !
of the matter, when, in fact,
it had signed the decree for deposit
on the request of the lawyers without
any knowledge Of the facts. 1t never
to any one that the court had
been imposed upon. The Humberts
brought to their grand residence the
principal statesmen of France and en-
them at lavish expense. The
sealed safe, which was supposed to
contain securities of the value of 10O,-
100000 francs. was carefully guarded {;
lay and night by special policemen;
visitors were permitted to I
see 1t. On the strength of their in !
-erest in the contents, the Humberts
vast sums of money for TWEEN
{. 0OO. 600. another loaned them 81, 600, 900.
Many banks bought their notes. with
The security of an interest in the es-
ate, when settled. One of the Hum 7
1erts was elected a French senator
One of the females had married dis
inguished senator, and his name was
Ised as a cloak for. the frauds.
For over twenty years the scheme of
raud was practiced. At times an ex-
)osure seemed imminent, but with rare
kill it was avoided. Their social stand
ng, and the sealed safe, enabled the
Iumberts to make fresh loans, based
IN the contents of the safe. The ficti-
ious suit was fought out in the courts
rear after year with all the energy of
real issue. Compromises were ficti-
iously proposed and rejected. This
vas done in order to keep the fraud l
live. 1t was generally believed that a
he Humberts would win the suit, and +
Id creditors were paid off by new C
oans made by men who implicitly be- t
ieved in the contents of the sealed 4
afe, and were anxious to make large t
rofits by their loans. Finally, it was u
nnounced that one Of the Crawfords L
vas engaged to be married to one Of i.
he Humbert family. and this marriage T
would keep the money in control of the O
Iumberts. But the proposed marriage, v
which was only a clever feature of the q
cheme, was delayed, so that the suit @
would continue. In the meantime some +
f the parties died, but the survivors c
leverly managed to retain the con- 7.
dence of the public. When, at last, -
n exposure could not be prevented, the =
Iumberts fled. The loans and various
had involved 700, 000, 900 :,
rancs during the existence of the
cheme for over twenty years. The
afe was then opened by direction
f the court and in it was found only
ONE rubbish. Two bankers had COM
nitted suicide after being ruined by
he loans of millions on the strength
f the valuables. Many banks hell the
worthless obligations of the Humberts.
The detective force of all Europe be-
AN a search for the fugitive swindlers.
IN the 23rd of December, 1902, they
we're found quietly living in Madrid,
md were taken back to Paris where I
hey have been tried for conspiracy.
The late Prime Minister NJ. Waldeck-
Rousseau was involved in the matter. t