Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1909-11-25
The So Called spanish Swindle. ;

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The Department of State, at Washing
ton, has sent out report received from
the American Consul at Barcelona, Spain
in regard to the band of swindlers oper
ating in yarious towns and cities in Spain
who make practice of writing to per
.,ons in the United States respecting thu
imprisonment of relative and the guar
dianship of child.
The Consul-General states that the al
legged prisoner generally describes him
self as political prisoner from Cuba; he
is at the point of death and has but one
friend-t 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 fortune
in cash on deposit in the United States,
but the certificate of deposit is concealed
in secret receptacle of his valise;
which has been taken possession of by the
court at Carthagena, which tried and
condemned him, and will be held until
the prisoner or his representative has
satisfied the costs of the trial. The p:is-
oner 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 distant relative in the United States
whom he has never seen and of whom he
knows only through hearsay. Will the
distant relative assume the guardianship
of the darling daughter who has fortune
of about $50, 900? elf the distant relative
accepts the trust onefourth of the pris-
oner's entire fortune will be the materi-
al 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 the good priest
It an address indicated, and, having re-
.eived it, the good priest will at once Sc
:ure the valise and start for America.
The above is generally the first letter
If the series. 1t is quickly followed by
mother in which the prisoner patheti-
cally states that his strength is rapidly
failing and the end is near. He beseech-
es his distant relative to assume the trust
and be loving father to the darling
daughter The third letter is from the
good priest, who in brief, touching terms
and hopelessly bad English, announces
the death of the unhappy prisoner.
1t is simple scheme, but presented in
such plausible way that almost any un-
suspecting distant relative" of Europe
an extraction would be more or less de-
ceived.
For nearly twenty years these knaves
have been practicing their swindle, and
it is needless to suggest that they are
very carefully organized; they have con-
federates not only in the United States
but in most other countries. The con-
federates in question select man and
find out all they can about him; they get
hold of family names, family origin. and
family characteristics. This information
is transmitted to the rascals in Spain,
and letters are at once written to the
prospective victim. The scheme is pre-
scented and developed in very plausible
way and many of our fellow-countrymen
have bitten promptly and cheerfully.