The midland journal., 1909-11-19

DEPARTMENT OF STATE,

DEPARTMENT OF STATE,
Washington, D. c., Oct. 1909
The Department of State, at Washington,
has received report from the American
Consul General at Barcelona, Spain, in regard
TO the band of swindlers operating in various
towns and cities in Spain, who make practice
of writing to persons in the United States re-
specting the Imprisonment of relative and
the guardianship of child.
The Consult General states that the alleged
prisoner generally describes himself as poll
tical prisoner from Cuba; he is at the point of
death and has but one Fl fl.end-the prison
priest-through whose good offices he is en-
abled to smuggle an occasional letter out of
the prison fort.
The prisoner is rich. He has fortune in
cash on deposit in the United States, but the
certificate of deposit is concealed in a secret
receptacle of his valise; the valise itself has
been taken possession of by the court at Garth
agena, which tried and condemned him, and
will be held until the prisoner or his repre-
sentative has satisfied the costs of the trial
The prisoner has an only daughter: dying in
his prison, his sole thought is Of this beloved
offspring. He has no friend or relative in
Spain to whose care he can commit her. In
this emergency his thoughts turn to the dis
GalG rolHGtVo III tl10 OulbcO 6tfbUCo WuOAl AO
has never seen and of whom he knows only
through heafsay or the family tree. VIII the
distant relative assume the guardianship Of
the darling daughter, and the darling daugh-
ter's fortune of about $3O,OO02 If the distant
relative accepts the trust one-fourth of the
prisoners entire fortune will be the material
reward The good priest will go at once to the
United States and take the darling daughter
with him. There is but one condition; the
ready money which the prisoner brought with
him to Spain has been exhausted; the distant
relative is therefore requested to send enough
to liberate the valise containing the secret
receptacle and the certificate of deposit. This
money is to be sent to the good priest at an ad-
dress indicated, and, having received it, the
good priest will at once secure the valise and
start for America, the land of the free aud
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 as
sumo the trust and be loving father to the
darling 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 ex-
ecution and start for the United States as soon
as he shall have received the necessary funds
from the distant relative. The good priest
frequently incloses with his letter bogus
newspaper chipping announcing tne deatn IN
prison at barcelona OF the Famous CUBAN
patriot tsometlmes calieo Augustin Lanente);
the newspaper noIice also speaks cunnlngiy OF
tne connscateu Vaiise anu Gne uarilhg uaugnter.
rs a'simple scneme' Out presented IN sucn
a plausible way that almost any unsuspectlng
dlstant feiatIVe OF european extractlon
would be more or less deceived by the glad
prospect OF railing helr TO the agreeable Gus
tody OF a darling daughter with big fortune
and onefourth interest therein as an addition
al recompense.
Naturally the nrst impulse OF the distant
relative is to ask lawyer or judge or some
authority what course ne ought to pursue In
the premises, but as he thinks of doing this his
attention is taken by the warning in the
prisoners letter beseeching him not to men
tion the matter to any living soul lest the
secret of the valise and the hidden receptacle
be indiscreetly betrayed.
The valise, after all, with Its concealed cer-
tificate of deposit, Is the key to the situation
and possession must be taken of it before any
thing can be done or sald.- This $50 cunningly
set forth by the prisoner) is very evident to
the distant relative, and so he quite frequently
preserves the secret intact, and instead of con-
sulting lawyer or writing to the American
Consul General at Barcelona he quietly sends
priest and awaits results OF course he waits
in vain, and the poor, dead prisoner and the