The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1910-03-02
SW|NDLERS'
TAKE MONEY
BY Representing Themselves as
Political Prisoners From Cuba
in Jail in Spain-Peculiar
Game Worked.


The Department OF State, at Wash
ington, has received a report from
the Am erican Consm- General at Bar
celona, Spain, in regard to the band
of swindlers operating in various
towns and cities in Spain, who make
q practice of writing to persons in the
United States respecting the impris-
onment of relative and the guar
dianship 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 fort
une in cash on deposit in the United
States, but the certificate of deposit is
concealed in secret receptacle of his
valise; the valise itself has been taken
possession of by the court at Carthag-
ena, WHICH tried and condemned him,
and will be held until the prisoner or
his representative has satisfied the
only daughter; dying in his prison,
his sole thought is of this beloved off,
spring. 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 of the family tree.
Win the distant relative assume the
guardianship of the darling daugh-
ter. and the darling daughters fort
une of about 100000? If the dis
tant relative accepts the trust, one
fourth of the prisoners entire fortune
will be the material reward. 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 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
titicate of deposit. This money is to
be sent to the good priest at an adj
dress indicated, and, having received
1.-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 daugh-
ter
The above is generally the first let
ter of the series. 1t is quickly fol-
lowed by another in which the pris-
oner 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, announces 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 United States as soon as he shall
have received the necessary funds
from the distant relative. The good
priest frequently incloses with his
letter a bogus newspaper clipping
announcing the death in prison at
Barcelona of the famous Cuban pa
triot sometimes called Augustin La
fiente); the newspaper notice also
speaks cunningly of the confiscated
valise and the darling daughter.
1t is simple scheme, but pre-
sented in such a plausible way that
almost any unsuspecting distant
relative" of European extraction
would fall a victim TO it.
For nearly twenty years these sam
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 other
countries The confederateS in ques-
ton select man and find out all
they can about him; they get hold of
family names, family origin, and
family characteristics. This informa-
ton is transmitted to the rascals in
Spain, and letters are at once writ
ten 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
police may act, and mere attempt
10 obtain money by false pretenses
does not appear to warrant arrest.
The money must be actually paid over
and the prosecuting witness must be
present in propria persona to testify;
otherwise prosecution would be use
less.
Recently the letters written to the
distant relative have varied some
what from the original; the political
prisoner having become "a noted Rus
sian banker who absconded, leaving
a deficit of some millions of roubles
killed 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 intro
duced by the gang. The scheme is
the same, and the public is warned to
place no credence in such or similar
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-
tons have resulted. owing probably
to the popularity of the Spanish Law
referred to in the report of the Con
sul-General at Barcelona.
Department of State,
Washington, D. c.. Oct, 1909