The Washington bee., 1909-11-06
THE SO-CALLED "SPANISH
SWINDLE."

The Department of State, at Wash
ington, has received a report from the
American Consul-General at BARGE
Iona, Spain, in regard to the band of
swindlers operating in various towns
and cities in Spain, who make prac-
tice of writing to persons in the Unit
ed States respecting the imprison-
ment of relatives and the guardian
ship 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 fieend-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 a
fortune in cash on deposit in the
| United States, but the certificate OF
deposit is concealed in a secret re
ceptacle of his valise; the valise it
self 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 thoughts turn to
the dista; -elative in the United
States wL,rI he has never seen and
| of whom he knows only throroh
lhearsay or the family tree, w Ae
distant relative assume the gual ain
ship of the darling daughter, md che
darling daughters fortune of about
| $4,000? If the distant relative &C.
cepts the trust one-fOurth of the pris-
oner's entire fortune will be the ma
terial reward. The good priest will
60 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 exhaust
ed; the distant relative Is therefore
requested to send enough to liberate
the valise containing the secret recep-
tacle and the certificate of deposit.
This money is to be sent to the good
priest at an address indicated, and,
having received it, the good priest
will at once secure the valise 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 let
ter of the series. 1t is quickly fol-
lowed by another in which the prison
er pathetically states that'his strength
is rapidly failing and the end is
rear. 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 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 prom
ise into execution 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 let
ter a bogus newspaper clipping an
nouncing the death in prison at Bar
celona of the famous Cuban patriot
sometimes called Augustin Lafente)
the newspaper notice also speaks
cunningly of the confscated valise
and the darling daughter
It is a simple scheme, but pre-