The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-09-22
OLD SW|NDLERS
AGAIN AT WORK
c oldham Merchant Receives
Flattering Offer From RUS
sian Banker
SPANISH DUNGEON ON JOB
New Letter Form Has All the
Marks Of Old, Old
Game.
SPANISH DUNGEON ON JOB

/
Game.
\ That DID, old confidence game which
the United States government has des-
ignated as "the Spanish swindle" Is
being worked again, and in Virginia,
apparently with barren results to the
| gang of crooks back of its operation.
| 1t is the same old easy money prop
osition as OF yore. To the unwary 1t
looks Just as good. There is the same
absconding Russian banker, incarcerat-
] ed in the same old Spanish dungeon;
the same dear, darling daughter, the
| same old portmanteau, with the same
| old secret compartment--the same old
bait that has tempted, aye, and landed,
many shoal OF good American ko-
4 pecks.
A. G. Bell, proprietor Of general
| store at Gotham in Albemarle county,
is the latest intended victim. From
old Madrid he received letter writ
ten in perfect English, which, follow
ing the Dear Sir" read like this:
| Text of Letter.
\ Although ! know you only from
good references of your honesty. my sad
| situation impels me to reveal to you an
important affair in which you can pro-
cure a modest fortune. saving at the
| same time that of my darling daughter.
Before being imprisoned here l was
esta olished as a banker in Russia. as
you will see by the Enclosed article
about me OF many English newspapers
| which have published my arrest in
London
II beseech you to help me obtain
sum of 100000 dollars have in America
and to come here to raise the seizure
OF my baggage. paving to the regis
trar Of the court the expenses of my
4 trial, and recover my portmanteau, con.
tanning secret pocket, where 1 have
| hidden the document indispensable to
recover the said sum.
AS reward I will give to you the
third part. viz. 100000 dollars.
| cannot receive your answer In
the prison, but you must send a cable
\ gram to person of my confidence, who
will deliver it to me.
Awaiting your cable to intrust you
IN all my secret, I am. sir.
| Yours truly.
(signed) 'DEMIDoFF"
Appended is a copy of the form the
accompanying is the newspaper article
to which the writer refers.
4 Picturesque Account.
Inc article gives picturesque &C.
/ count of the sensation caused in ST.
i Petersburg by the simultaneous disao.
pearance of Demidoff and over five
million of roublesv belonging to the
oank by which he had been employed:
the search for the abscondlng banker
by the Russian police; the arrest of q
man In England. following a duel in
which he had killed fellow country
man, and of the duelists subsequent
ldentihcation as the missing Demidoff.
mere is some more about the bankcr'a
daughter and two portmanteaus which
were seized and searched and nothing
round, despite the declaration Of the
Russian ambassador that the prisoner
ought to have several million roubles
: somewhere"
I AS was said In the beginning, 1t looks
/ Just as good as of yore
, Nothing Is said OF the nice utt,o
, bunch of spuds that the mark will be
} asked to put up to insure the delivery
Oh the portmanteau with the hidden
compartment and the secert 1t contains
INTO his hands. or to bring the darling
daughter to America, or for some other
a well sounding purpose.
All OF that comes after Demtdon
mas been notified that the man II
J. america Is ready to enter into the
! scheme. Nor, If he is unwise and
{ across-its all the same in this case
VIII he be told that the modest little
fortune that he Is to receive is all =
joke; not until he receives 1t in re.
turn Tor goodly bunch Of his owr
hard earned dollars will he discove,
:, that the portmanteau is a gold brick
! and that there is no Demidoff and ne
darling daughter, but that somewhere
IN europe crooks are once more re.
1oicing In the truth of the old saying
that there's new fool born ever,
day, Too late will the man who hat
visions OF bunch of money quicl
realize tina. he has out Chanieret
Robert himself
An Old, Old Game.
s The game described Is one OF tn,
\ Oldest and, from the operators poin
\ OF View, one of the most successful
there Is. And strange as 1t may ap
pear. the older 1t gets the more vic
tins 1t numbers. Few Of those ad
2 dressed are like the Gotham cltize,
who refused to fall" Realizing tn
extent to which the American publ
had been yctimized by the gang o
European crooks who seem to devor
I Il their entire efforts to the operation
a of this one scheme, the Treasury De
= partment a few months ago Issued
{. complete expose Of what it terme
! THE Spanish swindle'' Previousl
Z Government secret service men ha
been Investigating the scheme Il
# Europe, but owing to the complex
e ness of the international crimina
= laws, We're unable to bring the per
1t petrators to bay. The action of tn
j. Government has no doubt Interfere
n to some extent with the prohtabl
}i operation of the swindlers; but that
It did not put an end to 1t is evidence
le#Iby the experience of the man in Cob
u ham
N The swindle in it's present form ma
IS differ slightly from the origina
y Trihing details may have been al
y tered But one instinctively recog
~ r,ives an old friand. deSpite any dis