Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1909-11-06
EASY MONEY HERE
Department of State Warns of
Methods Used in Span
ish Swindle.
OFTEN WORK IN AMERICA
Promoters Regularly Organized and
Are TO a Certain Extent Pro-
Ntected by the Law.

The department of state at Wash
ington has received a report from the
American consul general at Barcelona,
Spain, in regard to the band of swind-
lers operating in various towns and
cities in Spain, who make practice
of wiring to persons in the United
States respecting the imprisonment Of
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 friend--the prison priest
through whose good Offices he is en-
abled to smuggle an occasional letter
out of the prison fors.
Prisoner Is Rich.
The prisoner is rich, He has a for
tune N cash on deposit In, the United
States, but the certificate of deposit.
is concealed in a secret receptacle Of
his valise; the raAfse itself has been
taken possession of by the court at
Carthagena, which tried and condemn
ed him. and win be held until the pris-
oner or his representative has salts
fed tho costs of the trial. The pris-
oner has. an only daughterssdying n
his pris on. his sole thought is of this
beloved offspring. He has sno friend
or relative in Spain to whose care he
commit her. In this, emergency his
thoughts turn to the distant relative
in the United States whom he has
never seen and of whom he knows
only Trough Shearsay or the family tree.
VIII the distant relative assume the
guardianship of the darling daughter,
and Sthe darling daughters fortune Of
about $4,000? II 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 z
the distant relative is therefore re-
questea to send enough to libeFate tie
valise containing the secret Teceptacie
and the certiflcate< deposit. This
moneyis TO be-sent to the good priest
at an address indicated. and, having
received it. the good priest will ut
once Eecure the valise and start for
America, the "1and of the free and the
home of the brave" with the darling
daughter.
Other Letters Follow.
The above is generally the first let
ter of the series. 1t is quickly fol-
ouer pathet1cally states that his
strength is rapidly failing and the end
is near. He beseeches his dear dis
tant 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
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 re-
ceived the necessary funds from the
distant relative. The good priest fire.
quentiy incloses with his letter a
bogus newspaper clipping announcing
the death in prison at Barcelona of the
famous Cuban patriot sometimes
paper rctice also speaks cunningly Of
the confscated valise and the darling
daughter.
It IS simple scheme, but presented
IN such a plausible way that almost
any SINS uspecting distant relative" of
European extraction would be more 0r
less deceived by the glad prospect Of
falling heir to the agreeahly custody
of darling daughter with big for,
tune. and one-fourth interest therein
as an additional recompense.
Keeps the Secret
Naturally the first impulse of the
distant relative Is to ask lawyer or
a Judge or some authority what course
he ought to pursue in the premises.
coccococccccc occooo7ococo0