The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1910-03-19
THE SO-CALLFD
SPANISH SW|NDLE
Department of State, Washington, d.
c., March IS, 1910.


ington, has received report from the
American counsel general at BARGE
Iona, Spain, in regard to the band OF
swindlers operating in various town.
and cities in Spain, who make prac.
tioe of writing to persons in the United
States respecting the imprisonment of
relative and the guardianship of a
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 whose good offices he is en-
abled to smuggle an occasional letter
out of the prison fort.
The prisoner is rich. He hes a for.
tune in cash on deposit in the United
States, but the certificate of deposit
is concealed in secret receptacle OF
his valice; the valise itself has been
taken possession of by the court at
Carthagena, which tried and condemn.
ed him, and will be held until the pris-
oner or his representative has satisfied
the costs of trial. The prisoner has an
only daughter; dying in his prison, his
sole thought is of this beloved off.
spring. 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 or the family tree. Will the
distant relative assume the guardian
ship of the darling daughter, and the
darling daughters fortune of about
$30,000s If the distant relative ac-
eepts the trust one-fourth of the pris-
oner's entire fortune will be the ma
terial reward. The good priest will 90
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 to the good priest at an
address indicated, and. having receiv.
ed it, the good priest will at once Sc.
cure the valise and start for America
the Gland of the free and the home
of the brave,' with the darling
daughter.
The above is generally the first let
ter the series. 1t is quickly followed
by another in which the prisoner pa
thetically states that his strength is
rapidly failing and the end is near
He beseeehes his dear distant relative
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 execution
and start for the United States as soon
as he shall receive the necessary funds
from the distant relative The good
priest frequently incloses with his let
ter 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 cum
ningly of the eonfscated valise and the
darling daughter.
1t 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 agreeable custody of
darling daughter with big fortune,
and one-fourth interest therein as an
additional recompense.
The valise, after all, with is conceal.
ed certificate of deposit, is the key to
the situation and possession must be
taken of it before anything can be
done or said. This ESQ cunningly set
forth by the prisoner) is very evi.,lt
to the distant relative. and so he quite
frequently preserves the secret intact
and instead of consulting a lawyer or
writing to the American consul q > .eral
at Barcelona he quietly sends a draft
for the sum demanded to the priest
and awaits results. OF course he waits
in vain, and the poor, dead prisoner
and the good priest and the darling
daughter in the course of time pass out
of his life forever, leaving him only
an uncomfortable memory Of the money
he SO cheetrfully contributed to the
confidence game.
For nearly twenty years these same
knaves have been practicing their
swindle, and it is needless to suggest
that they are very carefully organized; |;
tuVy hdNc coHltueTdtes HOb OHiy IN the
United States but in most other coun.
tries. The confederates in question se-
lect man and find out all they can
about him; they get hold of family
names, family origin and family char
This information is trans
mitted to the rascals in Spain, and let
ters are at once written to the pros
pective victim. The scheme is present
ed and developed in a very plausible
way and many of our fellow country.
men have bitten'' promptly and
cheerfully.
Under the Spanish laws a felony
must be consummated before the po.
lice may act, and a mere attempt to
obtain money by false pretenses does
not appear to warrant arrest. The
money must be actually paid over and
The prosecuting witness must be pres
INT In propria persona to testify; 9th
srwise prosecution would be useless.
Recently the letters written to the
distant relative have varied some
what from the original; the political
prisoner having become a noted Rus,
siap hankar who ahscondad 1aav;ns. /.