The Paducah evening sun. [volume] (Paducah, Ky.) 1906-1929, 1909-11-19
THE SPANISH swINDLE.

1.-THE American consul-general at Bar
lcelona, Spain, in regard to the band
of swind.ers operating in various
towns and cities in Spain, who make
practice of writing to persons in
the United States respecting the inn
prisonment of a relative and the
guardianship of a child.
The consul-general states that the
alleged prisoner generally describes
himself as a political prisoner from
Cuba; he is at the point of death and
has but one friond-the prison priest
through whose good Offices he is
enabled to smuggle an occasional let
ter out of the prison fort.
The prisoner is rich. He has for
tune 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
Carthagena, which tried and con-
demned him. and will be held until
the prisoner or his representative 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
emrgenw his thoughts turn TO the
distant reative in the United States
whom he has never seen and OF whom
he knows only through hearsay or
the family tree. VIII the distant
relative assume the guardianship of
the darling daughter and the darling
daughters fortune OF about $4,000?
If the distant relative accepts the
trust one-fourth of the prisoners en-
tire fortune will be the material re-
ward. 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 dis
tant. relative is therefore requested to
send enough to Hberate the valise
containing the secret receptacle and
the certificate of deposit. This money
Is to be sent to the good priest at an
address Indicated, and, having re-
ceiyed il, he good priest will at once
secure the yalise and start for Amer
lea, the "laDd of the free and the
home Of the brave" with the darling
daughter.
The above Is generally the first let
ter of the series. II is quickly fol-
lowed by another in which the pris-
oner pathetically states that his
strength is rapidly falling and the
end is near. He beseeches his dear
| distant relative to assume the trust
and be a loving father to the darling
daughter. The third letter is from
the good priest himsel, 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 necessary
funds from the distant relative. The
coed priest frequently incloses with
his lettef bogus newspaper clipping
announcing the death in prison at
Barcelona of the famous Cuban pa
triot sometimes called Augustln
l.afiente); the newspaper notice also
speaks cunningly of the confscated
valise and the darling daughter.
1t is a simple theme, but presented
in such a plausible way that almost
ANY unsuspecting distant relative"
.of European extraction would be
more or less deceived by the glad
prospect of falling heir TO the agree
able custody Of a darling daughter
with a big fortune, and one-fourth
interest therein as an additional
recompense.
Naturally the first impulse of the
distant relative Is TO ask a lawyer or
a judge or some authority what
course he ought to pursue in the
premises. but as he thinks OF doing
this his attention is taken by the
warning in the prisoners letter be-
seeching him not to mention the
matter to any living soul lest the
secret of the yalise and the hidden
receptacle be indiscreetly betrayed
The vallse, after all. with its con-
cealed certificate of deposit, is the
key TO the situation and possession
must be taken OF il before anything
can be done or said. This $50 cum
n'ngly set forth by the prisoner) Is
very evident to the distant relative.
and 50 he quite frequently preserves
the secret intact, and instead OF con-
sultlng a lawyer or writing 10 the
American consul-general at Barcelona
he quietly sends draft for the sum
demanded TO the god priest and
awaits results. OF course he waits in
vain, and the poor, dead prisoenr and
the good priest and the darling