The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-06-06
SW|NDL|NG SCHEME
SHOWN BY LETTER
Citizen of Scottsboro Fails to
Become a Victim
BIG FORTUNE AS BAIT
Some Confidence Man Tries to Work
an Old Game II Such a Form
to Appeal to m
Easy Mark

Scottsboro, June ESPECIAL -Henry
Barclay of this city is in receipt of the
following letter:
Madrid 11-5-'10.
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 modest fortune, saving at the
same time that of my darling daughter
Before being imprisoned l was estab-
iished as banker In Russia, as you will
see by the inclosed article about me of
many English newspapers, which have
| published my arrest In London I be-
seech you to help me to obtain a sum of
ssSo,000 l have in America and to come
here TO raise the seizure of my baggage,
paying to the registrar of the court the
expense of my trial, and recover my port
manteau. containing a secret pocket,
where l have hidden the document indis-
pensable to recover the said sum-
AS a reward | will give up to you the
third part VIZ, $4,000. cannot receive
your answer in the prison, but you must
send cablegram to person of my con-
fidence, who will deliver it to me-
Awaiting your cable to instruct you in
all my secret I am, sir, yours truly,
"A. DEMIDOFF.
First Of all, answer by cable and not
by letter. Ramob Cable, Silvia 80, Ma
drid. Accept Barclay"
The letter dovetailed into the newspa per
clipping and explained the secret pocket,
the thing which has mystified the author
tiles. 1t is old scheme and has been
often worked to the financial loss of thou
sands of dollars to gullible Americans
Evidence of a scheme to pull off an in
of people for few thousand to assist a
pseudo banker and his ina ginary fair
daughter out of prison and to hold their
fortune of $3.50 900 have come to the knowl-
edge of the police department through
half dozen letters written to parties in
this country who were to be victimized
out of any amount they could be induced
to give up. The writer of the letters is
evidently an American, and has adopted
the motto of the famous Snowman, P. T.
Barnum, who declared that his country
men loved to be humbugged. He is sup
posed to be In prison in Spain for man.
slaughter and wanted In Russia for bank
fraud A clipping purporting to be from
a foreign paper is inclosed, telling brief
story of the trouble
W. P. Oneal, a prominent contractor of
this place, left his home to take the 3
O. clock train for Chattanooga this morn
ing. He was walking on the track to
the station and on hearing the train blow
started to and had gotten to the
switch and got his foot fastened in the
guard rail and fell, when the fast Wash
ington and New York limited was upon
him. With superhuman effort he threw
his body from the track with his foot
still fastened and in this position awaited
the fast approaching train, which ran
over and crushed his leg into a pulp.
His cries were heard by people living neal
the railroad, who went to him and assist
ed him home His limb was amputated
below the knee. The engineer of the train
did not see him, 1t Is thought, as he
never made any effort to stop the en-
CINE.