Manchester Democrat., 1909-11-24

distant relative is therefore request-
ed to send enough to liberate 9he
valise containing the secret recep-
tacle and the certificate of deposit.
This money is 70, be sent to the good
priest at an address indicated, and,
having received it, the good priest
will at once secure the valise and
start for America, the ..'land of the
free and the home of the brave" with
the darling daughter.
The above is generally the first
letter of the series. It is quickly
followed by another in which the
prisoner pathetically states that his
strength is rapidly failing and the
end is near. He beseeches his dear
distant relative to assume the trust
and be a loving father to the darl-
ing daughter. The third letter is
from the good priest himself, who in
brief, touching terms, and hopelessly
bad English, announces the death of
the unhappy prisoner; the good
priest adds that the darling daughter
is under his care. He is ready to put
his promise into execution and start
for the United States as soon as he
shall have received the money
from the distant relative. The good
priest frequently incloses with his
letter bogus newspaper clipping an.
nouncing the death in prison: at Bar.
celona of the famous Cuban patriot
sometimes called Augustin Lafiente)
the newspaper notice also speaks Gun
ningly of the confiscated valige ant
the darling; daughter
1t is a simple scheme, but pre-
sented in such a plausible way thai
almost any unsuspecting distant rel
ative" of European extraction would
be more or less deceived by the
glad prospect of falling heir to the
agreeable custody of a darling daugh
ter with a big fortune, and a fourtl
interest therein as an additional rec
ompense. ..r
Naturally the first impulse of tn
listant relative is to ask lawye
or Judge or some authority wha
course he ought to pursue in tn
| promises, but as he thinks of doin
this his attention is taken by tn
warning in the prisoners letter be
seeching him not to mention tn
natter to any living soul lest tn
secret of the valise and the hidde
receptacle be indiscreetly betrayed.
The valise, after all, with its cor
.ealed certificate of deposit, is tn
,ey to the situation and possessio
aust be taken of it before anythin
can be done or said. This ESQ cunnin
set forth by the prisoner) is ver
: .vident to the distant relative, an
. 50 he quite frequently preserves tn
,ecret intoct, and instead of consul
.ng a lawyer or writing to the Ame
can Consul-G General at Barcelona /
,uietly sends draft for the sum d
handed to the good priest and awai
esults. OF course he waits in val
and the poor, dead prisoner, and tt
.ood priest and the darling daught'
y n the course of time pass out of h
c ife forever, leaving him only an u
l. omfortable memory of the money |
% cheerfully contributed to the co
idence game.
For nearly twenty years the
) ,ame knaves have been practicil
n heir swindle, and it is needless "
!. suggest that they are very careful
9 organized; they have confederat
lot only in the United States b
a most other countries. The co
ederates in question select ms
nd find out all they can about hin
hey get hold of family names, fami
rigin, and family characteristic
his information is transmitted
. lie rascals in Spain, and letters a
l
e t once written to the prospecti'
ictim. The scheme is presented al
eveloped in very plausible W;
nd many of our fellow countrym'
ave "bitten" promptly and cheerf,
=, y.
o Under the Spanish laws a felol
ust be consummated before the r
ice may act, and mere attempt
btain money by false pretenses do
OF appear to warrant arrest. T
oney must be actually paid ov
Id the prosecuting, witness must
r resent in propria persona to testif
II therwise prosecution would be u;
ess.