Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1910-01-01
Government Takes Hand
in the Spanish SWindle
:, Plans and Methods of Work Are
Laid Bare by State Department

The so+called Spanish Swindle.'
which is still being carried on as an
international game, has reached such
proportions that the state department
has taken the matter ~ with view
of warning the unwary. The Tribune
has received the state department
circular, which is as follows:
1.-THE so.caIIed Spanish swindIe."
The department of state at Wash
ington, has received report from the
American consul general at Barcelona.
Spain, in regard to the band of swim
dlers operating in various towns and
cities in Spain, who make practice
Of writing to persons in the United
States respecting the imprisonment of
relative and the guardianship OF a
child.
The consul general states that the
alleged prisoner generally describes
himself as a political prisoner from
Cuba; he is at the point of death and
has but one friend-the prison priest
through whose good Offices he is
enabled to smuggle an occasional let
ter out of the prison fort.
The prisoner is rich. He has a for
tune in cash on deposit in the United
States, but the certificate of deposit
is concealed in a secret recepticle OF
his valise; the valise itself has been
taken possession of by the court at
Carthagena, which tried and condemn
ed him, and will be held until the
prisoner Or his representative has
satisfied the costs of the trial. The
prisoner has an only daughter; dy.
ing 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 his
emergency his thoughts turn to his
distant relative in the United States
whom he has never seen and Of
whome he knows only through hear
say or the family tree. Will the dis
tant relative assume the guardianship
Of the darling daughter and the darl-
ing daughters fortune of about $780,
90. II the distant relative accepts
the trust, one-fourth of the prisoners
entire fortune will be the material re-
ward. The good priest will go at
once to the United States and take
the darling daughter with him. There
is but one condition: the ready money
which the prisoner took to Spair,
has been exhausted; the distant rela-
tive is therefore requested to send
enough to librate the valise contain
ing the secret recepticle and the car
tiicate of deposit. This money is to
(be sent to the good priest at any al.
dress indicated, and, having received
it, 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
letter of the series. It is quickly fol.
lowed by another in which the pris-
oner pathetically states that his lit
tie 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 letters is from the
good priest himself, who in brief.
touching terms and l1ooelessly bad
English, announces the death OF the
unhappy prisoner the gdod priest
adds that the darling daughter is IN
der his care. He is ready to put his
promise into execution and start for
the United States as soon as he shall
have received the necessary funds
from the distant relative. The good
priest frequently incloses with his let
ter a bogus newspaper clipping an
nouncing the death in prison at Bar
celona of the famous Cuban patriot,
sometimes called Augustin Lafiente),
the newspaper notice only speaks,
cunningly OF the confiscated valise
and the darling daughter.
1t is simple scheme, but presented
in such plausible way that almost
any unsuspecting distant relative"
OF European extraction would be
more or less deceived by the glad
prospect of falling heir to the agree.
able custody of darling daughter
with a big fortune, and one+fourth
interest therein as an additional rec.