Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1910-03-01

has but one friend-the prison priest
through whose good offices he is
enabled TO smuggles an occasional let
ter out of the prison fort
The prisoner Is rich. He has for
tune in cash on deposit in the United
States. but the certificate of deposit
is concealed in secret receptacle or
his valise; the valise itself has been
taken possession Of by the court at
Carthagena, which tried and con-
demned him, and will be held until
the prisoner or his representative has
satisfied the costs Of the trial. The
prisoner has an only daughter; dying
in his prison, his sole thought is Of
this beloved offspring. 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 rel
ative assume the guardianship Of the
darling daughter, and the darling
daughters fortune Of about 100000?
II the distant relative accepts the
trust, one fourth Of the prisoners en-
tire fortune will be the material re-
ward. The good priest will go at once
to the United States and take the dar-
ling 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 contain
ing the secret receptacle and the GER
tifcate of deposit. This money Is to
be sent to the good priest at an ad-
dress indicated. and, having received
II, the good priest will at once secure
the valise and start for America, the
"land Of the free and the home OF the
brave" with the darling daughter.
The above is generally the first let
ter OF the series. 1t Is quickly follow
ed by another in which the prisoner
pathetically states that his strength
Is rapidly failing and the end Is near.
He beseeches 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, an
nounces 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 Unit
ed States as soon as he shall have re-
ceived the necessary funds from the
distant relative. The good priest fire.
quently incloses with his letter bo-
gus newspaper clipping announcing
the death in prison at Barcelona OF
the famous Cuban patriot sometimes
called Augustin Lafiente); the news
paper notice also speaks cunningly
Of the confiscated valise and the dar-
ling daughter.
1t Is a simple scheme. but present
ed in such a plausible way that al
most any unsuspecting distant rel
ative" of European extraction would
be more or less deceived by the glad
prospect of falling heir to the agree
able custody Of a darling daughter
with a big fortune, and a one-fourth
interest therein as an additional rec
ompense.
Naturally the first impulse Of the
distant relative is to ask q lawyer or
a Judge or some authority what course
he ought to pursue in the premises,
but as he thinks Of doing this his at
tention is taken by the warning In
the prisoners letter beseeching him
not to mention the matter to any liv-
ing soul lest the secret Of the valise
and the hidden receptacle be indis-
creetly betrayed.
The valise, after all, with its con-
realed certificate Of deposit, is the key
to the situation and possession must
be taken Of 1t before anything can be
done or said. This ESQ cunningly set
forth by the prisoner) Is very evident
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-gen-
eral at Barcelona he quietly sends a
draft for the sum demanded to the
good priest and awaits results. or
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, leav-
ing him only an uncomfortable men,
ory Of the money he so cheerfully
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 organ
lied: they have confederates not only
in the United States but in most 9TH
er countries. The confederates in
question select a man and find out all
they can about him; they get hold of
family names, family origin, and fam
lily characteristics. This information
Is transmitted to the rascals in Spain
and letters are at once written to the
prospective victim. The scheme Is
presented and developed in a very
plausible way and many of our fellow
countrymen 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
ent in propria persona to testify;
otherwise prosecution would be use
less.
Recently the letters written to the
distant relative have varied somewhat
from the original: the political pris-
oner having become a noted Russian
banker who absconded, leaving a def
icit of some millions Of roubles, kill
ed in a quarrel in England another
Russian, and finally took refuge in
Spain, where he was apprehended and
charged with manslaughter.
This change Of character, however,
is immaterial. and in the future more
new characters will probably be in
troduced by the gang. The scheme
is the same. and the public is warned
to place no credence in such or SINH
lar letters
Every effort has been made by the
department Of state and its represen-
tatives in Spain to unmask these
scoundrels and bring them to justice.
and the Spanish authorities have also
been active and several members OF
the gang have been apprehended and
held for trial. but so far no convic-
tions have resulted, owing to the pc
culiarity of the Spanish law referred
to in the report Of the consul-general
at Barcelona.