The copper era., 1909-10-28
The SO-CaIIed Spanish SwindIe." |"

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 swindlers operating in various towns and cities in Spain, who make a practice of writing to persons in the Upited Stated respecting tie inn prisonment of a relative and the guardianship of a child.
 The Consul-General states that the alleged prisoner generally describes himself as 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 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 en- ergency his thoughts turn to the dis tant relative in the United States whom he has never seen and of whom he knows only through hearsay or the family tree. Will the distant relative assume the guardianship of the darl- ing daughter, and the darling daugh- ter's fortune of about $50, 1000? If 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; the distant rela-  tive is therefore requested to send enough to liberate the valise contain ing 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- ceived it, the good priest will at once secure the yalise and start for Amer ica, the "land of the free and the home of the brave," with the darling daughter.
 The above is generally the first letter of the series. It is quickly fol- lowed by another in which the prisoner pathetically states that his strength is rapidly failing and the end is near. He beseeches his dear distant rela tive to assume the trust and be 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 promise into execu- tion 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 letter a bogus news paper clipping announcing the death in prison at Barcelona of the famous Cuban patriot (sometimes called Au- gustin La6ente); the newspaper notice also speaks cunningly of the con fscated valise and the darling daugh- ter.
 It is simple scheme, but presented in such 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 big fortune, and Q one-fourth