The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1910-04-21
THE SPANISH
SW|ND[E WAS
TRIED IN CITY
PENSACOLA MAN RECEIVES NOTE
GIVING PROMISE OF EASY MAN.
NER IN WHICH TO WIN THIRD
OF GREAT FORTUNE.

Columns have been written of what
is now termed the great Spanish
swindle," but perhaps the first "invi-
tation" to Pensacola man to enrich
himself by means of little effort to
secure the release" of an unfortunate
banker in a Spanish prison was re-
ceived here but few days ago. 1t fol-
lows the plan of those which have
been exposed in columns of newspaper
space, in reports to the state depart
ment, and through other channels.
The letter, however, from the 'impris-
oned" banker, is as follows:
The Letter.
Madrid, April, 1910
Dear Sir: Although l 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 fortune,
saving at the same time that of my
dear daughter. 1 charge you absolute
reserve about this affair.
Before being imprisoned here I was
established as banker in Russia, as
you will see by the enclosed article of
many English newspapers, which have
published my arrest in London
beseech you to help me obtain sum
of $480,000 / have in America, and to
come here to raise the seizure of my
baggage, paying to the court the ex-
penses Of my trial and recover my
portmanteau containing secre.
pocket where have hidden the docu-
ments indispensable to recover the
said sum.
AS reward 1 give to you the third
part, viz: $4,000.
I can't receive your answer in this
prison. but you must send a cablegram
to a person of my confidence who will
deliver to me for to know If you re-
ceived this letter to entrust you in all
my secret.
Awaiting your cable, 1 am sir, very
truly,
PERovINz.
First of all answer by cable, not by
letter, as follows:
LUIS FERNANDEZ: Primer De-
posito Reserva de Artilleria los Doks.
MORLA.
By precaution you must sign your
cable Morla.
History Of Swinde. 81
The Department of State at Wash
ington has received some time ago the
report from the American consul-gen-
eral at Barcelona, Spain, in regard to
the band Of swindlers operating in va
rious towns and cities in Spain, who
make practice of writing to the Unit
ed States respecting the Imprisonment
of a relative and the guardianship of
4 child. The consul-general describes
that the alleged prisoner generally de-
scribes himself as a political prisoner
from Cuba; he is at the point of death
and has but one friend and that is
the prison priest, through whose good
offices he is enabled to send or snug
gle an occasional letter out of the
prison fort. The prisoner represents
that he is rich, and has fortune in
cash in the United States but the GER
tificate of deposit is concealed in a Sc
cret receptacle of valise, just as rep.
resented in the Pensacola mans letter
He is to be tried and condemned and
will be held until the prisoner or his
representative has paid the expenses
of the trial. The prisoner has an only
daughter, and, dying in prison himself,
he has no friend in Spain to whom he
can commit the care of his daughter,
and he petitions for a guardian. In
such emergency his thoughts turn to
relatives or friends or persons of ref
erence" in the United States, to whom
the letters are addressed Will the
distant relative or new-found friend
assume the guardianship of his darling
daughter for little matter of a third
Of a half million fortune? The good
priest will take the daughter to the
United States to deliver her to the
new found friend, and the only cond1-
ton is that funds be sent on to de-
fray expenses and to send on the funds
to liberate the valise containing the
secret receptacle containing the docu-
ments and the certificate of deposit.
The money is to be sent to the good
priest to an address indicated The
persons are never heard from after
the funds are sent to Spain.