The Coalville times. [volume] (Coalville, Utah) 1894-1923, 1910-03-04
THE so.CALLED
SPANISH Sw1NDLE'

SPANISH Sw1NDLE"
The Department ~ State, NJ Wash
ington. has received u report from
the American Consul-Gencral at
Barcelona, Spain, In regard to the
baud Of swindlcrs operating In ynri-
Gus towns and cities In Spain. who
make u practice II writing 10 per-
sons In the United States respecting
the imprisonment of a relative and
Tho guardianship Of child.
The Consul. General states that
The alleged prisoner generally drs.
oribos himself M political prisoner
from Cuba; no Is at the point of
death end has but one fricnd-thr
prison pricst--through whose good
Offices ho IL enabled 10 Struggle m
occasional letter out of the prison
Z Ort.
Tho prisoner Is rich. lie has n
fortune In cash ON deposit In tho
United States. but the certificate of
deposit l. concealed in secret TEE
ocptaclc Of his valisr; the yAll-c
itself has been taken possession ofby
The court at Carthagona, which tried
and condemned him, aud will be
held until the prisoner or his repre-.
sentative has satisfied the costs nj
The trial. The prisoner has an only
daughter; dying In his prison, his
sole thought il Of this beloved OLE
spring. He has no friends or rela-
tives In Spain TO whose care he can
commit her. In this emergency his
thoughts turn TO the distant relative
In the United States whom ne has
never seen and Of whom he knows
only through hearsay or the family
tree. win the distant relative as
sumo the guardianship Of the dar-
ling daughter and the darling
daughters fortune OF about SO,OoO?
II the distant relative accepts the
trust ono-fourth Of the prisoners
entire fortune will be- the material
reward. The good priest will 20 NJ
once to the United States aud take
the darling daughter with him,
There IL but one condition :tho ready
money which the prisoner brought
with him to spain has been exhaust
ed, the distant relative Is therefor,
requested tn send enough to iiberate
the yHllse containing the secret re-.
eoptnclc and the certificate OF deposit
Tho money IL to bo sout To the priest
At an address indicated, aud, having
received It., the good priest will at
once secure the vnllsc and start fol
America, the d" land Of the free and
The home Of tho brave" with tn,
darling daughter.
The above is generally the ilrsI
letter of the series. II Is quickly
followed by another In which Ia,
prisoner pathetically states that hl'
strength is rapidly failing aud thai
the end is near. lie bcsccchcs hi,
dear distant relative to assume IN,
trust and Ice a loving father to IN,
darling daughter, The third letter
IL from the good priest himself, VIII,
m brief, touching terms, and hope
lessly bad English, announces th,
death Of the unhappy prisoner; IN
good priest adds that the darling
daughter is under his care, lie Il
ready to put his promise Into cNocu
ton and start for the United State
rs soon IA he shall have received TN
necessary funds from the distant re-
lativo. The good priest frequentl.
incloses with his letter a bogus news
paper clipping announcing the dealt
in prison at Barcelona of the famou
Cuban patriot sometimes calle,
Augustin Laflonte); the newspape
notice also speaks cunningly Of IN
confiscated yalise aud the darlinl
daughter
IL ism .iIuDIp .phsu1s lint pr.-.I,t...