The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1910-12-30
Old BunCo Game
Being Worked In
Connecticut Yet
Famous Spanish Swindle
Has a New Variety-Bus-
mess Men Get Letters.

Washington, Dec. 29.-The new game
OF notifying people that a package is
| being held at the custom house in
New York which is now apparently
Le--. worked in Connecticut, is not
! the only "come on scheme that has
/ broken out in the state.
| Several business men have recently
received letters from Spain, purport-
ing to show them how they can make
tidy sum Of money.
1t Is the old Spanish game, and the
strange part Of it is that, it is said.
shrewd business men sometimes fall
for the sw-ndle.
One Connecticut man, who has just
received one Of these letters, referred
the letter to his member Of congress.
not because he expected to bite, but
] because he wanted the member to 6nd
out If the state department could not
stop these letters being sent. There
seems however, no way that this can
be done, and the government can only
warn people to be on their guard.
The post office department cannot
take it up, as there is no jurisdiction
seem to care to stop the attempted
swindle.
Spanish Swindler's Letter.
The letter N question dated at Mad
rid. and evidently written by a for
eigner, is as follows:
Although I know you only from
good references of your honesty, my
sad situation compels me to reveal to
you an important affair in which you
can procure a modest fortune saving
at the same time that of my darling
daughter.
Before being imprisoned here was
established as a banker IN Russia as
YOU will see by the enclosed article
about me by many English newspa-
in London.
81 beseech you to help me to obtain
a sum Of $5S0.000 dollars I have in Ann
erica and to, come here to raise the
seizure Of my baggage by paying to
the registrar Of the court the expen-
manteaus containing secret pocket
where have hidden document ndis-
pensable to recover the said sum.
"As reward I will give up to you
the third part viz: 100000 dollars. 1
cannot receive your answer In the
prison but you must send cabiegram
to a person Of my confidence who viii
deliver it to me. Awaiting your ca
BILE to instruct you in all my secret.
am Sir, Yours Truly. DEMIDOFF.
First Of all answer by cable. not by
letter. as follows:
SenOr lIdCOrre
''Juanelo } Segundo Tzyu.erda,
Madrid. SPAIN"
The article referred to purports to
be a regular newspaper clipping from
some London paper, and is just as in
~enious as the letter.
The clipping is as follows:
Newspaper Clippings Part.
"Some months ago. as our readers
may remember, we referred in these
columns to, the great scandal caused.
in st. Petersburg. and in Russia gen
seconded, leaving a deficit of over five
mill ons Of rubles.
'aThe Russian police sought him for
a long time in vain. for it seems he
had not left the least trace OF his
fight. and the continued search over
ing.
Yesterday. however, Spanish in
spector, accompanied by two officers
from Scotland Yard and acting under
Instructions of the Spanish ambassa.
dor. who had previously interviewed
the home secretary, arrested MIN on
his way from the hotel where he was
staying to the steamship office. 1t
seems that it was his evident inten-
ton to take passage for New York.
From information received by the am
bassador he had been in hiding n
III.
and with his daughter. A few days
before arriving in London he had
cuarreled with another Russian, who
was mortally wounded by revolver
shot dur ng the scuffle, and who only
lived long enough to denounce his as
sailant.
I'm an interview with the Russian
ambassador. it seems that the name
he had been using in Spain. and which
he gave on being arrested. was not
hts real one, Manassina being simply
an ali, but after comparing the pris-
oner with photographs in his possess
sion. the Russ an ambassador recog-
nized him as Alexander Demidoh. the
criminal banker who eloped with five
millions of rubleS. He is native or
ST. Petersburg. a widower 4S years old
with an only daughter. that he left
in Spain on escaping from that coun-
try.
mas or Alexander Dem doff portman-
teams were seized. but although
Strictly searched nothing but personal
effects were found in them. in spite OF
which the Russian ambassador de-
clares that the prisoner OUGHT to have
several million ruhles somewhere.
.sThe Russian and Spanish ambassa-
doris conferred yesterday evening az
TO whether the prisoner should be con-
viewed to Spain or to Russia, ana al
ter an interview with the nome sec
retary. and in accordance with the
artradition treaty of ENGLAND. RUS
sia and Spain. it was agreed that the
prisoner should be conveyed to spain
70 stand hts trial for manslaughter.
and that only after his trial can the
Russian government ask span,
through diplomatic channels. for his