Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1909-11-17
Famous Spanish
Letter SWindle
Again Exposed

|
| ton, has received a report from the
American Consul-General at Barcelona,
Spain. in regard to the band of swindlers
operating, in various towns and cities in
| to persons in the United States respecting
the Imprisonment of a relative and the
guardianship of a child.
| The Consul-General states that the al
legged prisoner generally describes himself
as a political prisoner from Cuba: he is
at the point of death and has but one
friend-the prison priest-through whose
good offices he is enabled to smuggle an
occasional letter out of the prison fort.
The prisoner is rich. He has a fortune
in cash on deposit in the United States.
but the certificate of deposit is concealed
in secret receptacle of his valse; the
valise itself has been taken possession
| OF by the court at Carthagena, which
tried and condemned him. and will be
| held until the prisoner or his representa-
tive 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
the United States whom he has never
seen and of whom he knows only through
hearsay or the family tree. Will the dis
tant 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
lourtn OF the prisoners entTe fortune
will be the material reward. The good
States and take the darling daughter
with him. There is but one condition:
brought with him to Spain has been ex-
hausted; the distant relative is therefore
requested to send enough to liberate the
vaAse containing the secret receptacle
money is to be sent to the good priest at
an address indicated, and, having re-
ceived it, the good priest will at once
secure the valse 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 of the
series 1t 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 loving father to the darling daugh--
ter. The third letter is from the good
priest himself, who. in brief, touching
terms, and hopelessly bad English, an
nounces the death of the unhappy prs-
oner; the good priest adds that the dar-
ling 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
good priest frequently incloses with his
letter a bogus newspaper clipping an
nouncing the death in prison at BARGE
Iona of the famous Cuban patriot (some-
newspaper notice also speaks cunningly
Of the confiscated valise and the darling
daughter.
1t is a simnle scheme. but presented in
such a plausible way that almost any un-
SuSpecting distant relative" of Euro
pean extraction would be more or less
deceived by the glad prospect of falling
heir to the agreeable custody of dar-
ling daughter with big fortune, and a
one-fourth interest therein as an addi-
tional recompense
Naturally the first impulse of the dis
tant relative is to ask lawyer or judge
or some authority what course he ought
to pursue in the premises. put as ne
by the warming in the prisoners letter
beseeching him not to mention the matter
to any living soul lest tine secret of the
lvalise and the hidden receptacle be indis-
creetly betrayed.
The valise after ALL with it's concealed
certificate of deposit, is the key to the
situation and possession must be taken
of it before anything. can be done or
said. This $50 cunningly set forth by the
prisoner) is very evident to the distant
relative, and so he quite frequently pre-
serves the secret intact and instead Of
consulting lawyGr or writing to the
he quietly sends a draft for the sum de-
manded to the good priest and awaits
results. OF course he waits in vain, and
the poor. dead prisoner and the good
priest and the darling daughter in the
course of time pass out of his life for
ever, leaving him only an uncomforta- |
Bile memory of the money he so cheer
fully contributed to the confidence game.
For nearly twenty years these same
knaves have been practcing their |
swindle. and it is needless to suggest that |
tthev are very carefully organized; they
have confederates not only in the United
States but in most other countries The |
confederates in question select a man
and find all they can about him; they
get hold of family names, family origin |
and family characteristics. This infor-
nation is transmitted to the rascals In |
Spain, and letters are at once written 70 |
the prospective victim. The scheme IS
presented and developed in very plaus- |
ible way and many of our felioW-coun- |
trymen have bitten promptly and
cheerfully.
Under the Spanish laws felony must !
act, and mere attempt to obtain money |
by false pretenses does not seem to war |
rant arrest. The money must be actually |
paid over and the prosecuting witness
testify; otherwise prosecution would be |
useless. |
Recently the letters written to the dis |
tant relative have varied somewhat from |
the original: the political prisoner having |
become a noted Russian banker who alb |
seconded leaving a deficit of some mill |
lions and roubles killed in quarrel in |
England another Russian, and finally |
took refuge in SPAIN where he was ap- |
pretended and charged with manslaugh- |
ter.
This change of character, however, is
and in the future more new |
characters will probably be introduced |
by the gang. The scheme is the same |
and the public is warned to place no Gre |
dence in such or similar letters.
Every effort has been made by the De- |
partment of State and its representatives
in Spain to unmask these scoundrels and |
bring them to justice, and the Spanish |
authorities have also been active and |
several members of the gang have been |
apprehended and~held for trial. bur 50 |
far no convictions have resulted, owing
probably to the popularity Of the Span |
lsh law referred to in the report of the |
at Barcelona.
Department of State