Waterbury evening Democrat., 1903-08-15
THE BIG PARIS SWlNDLE.
Ingenious Scheme BY Which Nine
Humbert Procured Millions.


The Humberts accused of obtaining
money by means of fictitious Will.
are on trial in Paris.
1t is said that as the result of Nine
Humberts frauds, no less than ten
persons have committed suicide, whlie
as to those who have been ruined,
they are to be counted by the hundred
if not by the thousand, and range from
the once rich banker or capitalist to
the domestic servant and the poor vii
lage priest. One Of those who COM
mltted suicide was banker named
Girard, out of whom Mime Humbert
obtained loans aggregahng $1,125,OO0,
and who shot himself believing in her
absolutely, and writing to his parts
ners:
II am worn out by this struggle and
by having brought on all of you, who
have been so good to- me, embarrass-
ments which, however, I am certain
will be only temporary"
The furniture and plate that
adorned Nine F1umbert's dining room
in Paris were bought by her, after Gil
rard's suicide, at the sale of his eff
fects.
Mime Humbert first obtained loans
on the basis of an imaginary will be-
queathing her a fortune, the testator
being Portuguese, but the great
epoch of her career Of fraud dates
from the invention of the American
millionaire, Robert Henry Crawford
According to Mime Hunhbert's story,
just after she had got into a train at
Nice a stranger, Robert Crawford,
fell as he was getting into a train, in
an apoplectic fit She was travelling
third class but did not hesitate for a
second, and although the train was al
ready in motion and though she risk
ed her life-to say nothing of legal
proceedings for travelling in a class
superior to that for which she had
ticket-shei jumped into the first class
carriage occupied by the invalid. And
then, nursing him tenderly, she
brought him back to l1fe,e and, not sat
isfied with that, stopped with him I'M
til she had seen him in full conval-
essence. The stranger was named
Robert Henry Crawford, and he was
an American. On September 6, 1877,
according to Nine Hnnlbert, Crawford
made his will, leaving her his whole
fortune, amounting to $20,OOO,OOO.
Soon afterward, according to Nine
Humbert, a second will appeared,
which divided the estate between Ma
RE Daurignac, her younger sister, and
the mathematics two nephews, Henry
Crawford and Robert Crawford. La
ter a third document appeared, en-
joining the heirs to preserve the title
deeds and securities and placing them
IN charge of M. and NINE Humbert
until Marie became of age, when an
anioafble distribution of the property
was to take place.
The alleged title deeds and securi-
ties We're placed in a safe, and duly
sealed by the authorities without the
latter seeing them. The two wills
and She third document remained in
the hands of Nine Humbert, who pro-
duced them as proof Of the existence
or the S2O,OOO,0O0 Inheritance. and the
fraud started on it's career. increasine
In magnitude as time went on.
the fictitious millions served as Sc
curlty on which loans were raised
TON L'7 all classes Of people-bankers,
usurers' small tradespeople and coun-
Try squlres. In order to prevent the
opening OF the safe and the inevitable
exposure OF the frauds, she instructed
lawyers who represented the phantom
nephews, and other lawyers who ar
gueo her own case. thus putting off
IRON Year to year the opening of the
safe - 'Ao
Inc whole cumbrous legal maehin-
cry OF the republic was turned TO her
own purposes, but there were many
VINO believed her incapable of hand
ing alone the threads of this TANGLED
ske1n of legal, and afterward noIitics1
lnW1cac1es. and the name of Judo,e
Humbef was whispered as heino
oolnecnlng more than a blind believer
n ms daughter-inIaw's spectral in
Mne Humbert was hospitable amiS
the luxurious surroundings of bar
mouse IN the Avenue de la GrandaJ
AlnIee- 1t was one Of the most mag
nfhfent houses in the city, with all
rhat money could suggest and com
mand; with the masterpieces of arr
On the third floor was the safe. huon
structure, set into the wall, locked and
double locked and covered with seals
Within an hours run of the canital
by railway she had her chief country
mouse, the Chateau desT Wives Faux.
through the grounds of which runs a
beautiful stream On which 1oated a
steam yacht, for her husband was a
dreamer and fisherman, and in this
pleasure @craft he pursued his two alb |
sorD1ng pleasures. Not a mile dis
tant she had farm, in Celeyran. she
mad a vineyard, and she had houses
IN provincial towns, box at the OPP
era costing $4,000 a year, an estate in
Tunis, and all were unpaid for. The
families Of President Garnet and Pres
ident Felix Faure shared her intimacy
and General Boulanger and sena tors
and deputies sat at her table. The ac-
crediting of the Humberts by the COM
pany they kept had it's effect on pos
sible money lenders. Her notes were
freely accepted by banks. A Lille
banker advanced 7,000,O00f, and she
was on the books of a dozen other
banks for sums ranging between L.
OOO,OOOf and 6.OOO,O0of; altogether she
is supposed to have netted $10,0OO,00O.
-..I.i