St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1909-11-27
A FRAUDULENT SCHEME
Department of State,

washington, IL. u, UcC. l9U9.
The Department of State, at Wash
ington, has received report from the
American Counsul-General at BARGE
lonia, Spain, in regard to the band of
swindlers operating in various towns
and cities in Spain, who make a prac-
tice of writing to persons in the
United States respecting the imprison-
ment of a relative and the guardian
ship of child.
The Counsul-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 his 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 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
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 of the
family tree. Will the distant relative
assume the guardianship of the darling
daughter, and the darling daughters S
fortune of about $4,000? If the dis
tant relative accepts the trust one
fourth of the prisoners entire fortune
will be the material reward. The
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 beer
exhausted; the distant relative is
therefore requested to send enough tt
Iiberate the valise containing the Sc
cret receptacle and the certificate Of
) deposit. This money is to be sent tt
| the good priest at an address indicat
| ed, and, having received it, the goot
! priest will at once secure the Valls'
and start for America, the 'land o
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 follow
: ed by another in which the prisone
7 pathetically states that his strength i
= rapidly failing and the end is near
He beseeches his dear distant relatiV
? to assume the trust and be a loving
father to the darling daughter. Th
: third letter is from the good prizes
4 himself, who in brief, touching terms
and hopelessly bad English, announce
7 the death of the unhappy prisoner
4 the good priest adds that the darling
D daughter is under his care. He il
e ready to put his promise into execu
e tion and start for the United State
0 as soon as he shall have received tn
necessary funds from the distant rela
n tive. The good priest frequently in
! closes with his letter bogus news
i paper clipping announcing the deaf
in prison at Barcelona of the famou
, Cuban patriot sometimes called Au
gustin Lafente); the newspaper ais