Polk County observer. (Monmouth, Polk County, Or.) 1888-1927, 1910-03-01
EXPOSES old SWINDLE
DEPARTMENT OF STATE WARNS
AGAINST SPANISH BUNCO GAME
Dallas Man Gets Cunningiy Worded
Letter From Spain, But Re-
fuses to Bite.

Seeking to protect the people of the
United States from the SpaiiiSn
prisoner swindle," the Department OF
State is sending out warning 10 All
parts of the country. The swlndiihs
game is not new, but this fact mas not
prevented many persons from falilng
victims to it in the last few years. IL
is reported that even a prominent pusi-
ness man of Portland was SO thorough
ly deceived by these swindlers rev
months ago that he advanced theIh
$1,000 before discovering the true ma
ture of their game.
Only few days ago, business man
of Dallas Received letter from these
bunco artists, the epistle being dated
at Madrid, Spain, and purportihg 10
have come from a wealthy polltlcai
prisoner doomed to life Imprisonment
in a Spanish dungeon. Representing
himself to be a distant relative py
marriage, this prisoner begs the Dali
las man to- assume the guardianship
and care of his (the prisoners) only
daughter. who will be sent to Dallas
from a French convent in care OF the
trusty priest who has smuggled TINS
letter out of the prison. In return LOT
the care and protection of this daugh-
ter the Dallas man will receive as his
reward a sum of money approxlmaths
1000 pounds Sterling This money
is in English bank notes, and Is MD
den in London, it's hiding place being
known only to the prisoner ana the
priest, While $450,000 looked good TO
the Dallas man, it is hardly necessary
to say that he didn't bite.
Department Exposes Swindle.
The. letter written by the De-
nartment of State completely exposes
the swindle and is highly entertaining
reading The communication reads as
follows:
"The Department of State, at wash
ington, has received a report from
the American Consul-General at Bar
celona, Spain, in regard to the band
of swindlers operating in various
towns and cities in Spain, who make a
nractice of writing to persons in the
limited States respecting the imprlson-
ment of a, relative and the guardian
ship of a child.
"The Consul General states that the
alleged prisoner generally describes
himself as a political prisoner IRON
Cuba: he is at the point of death ano
has but one friend-the prison pries'
through whose good offices he is en-
abled to smuggle an occasional letter
out of the prison fort.
''The prisoner is rich He has a for
tune in cash on deposit in the uhlte'
States. but the certificate of deposit Il
concealed in a secret receptacle OF hi
valise; the valise itself has been takei
nossession of by the court at Cartha
gena. which tried and condemned him
and will be held until the prisoner O
his representative has satisfied tn
costs of the trial. The prisoner mas al
only daughter; dying in his prison. nj
sole thought is of this beloved OH
. spring. He has no friend or relative Il
, Spain to whose care he can comm
her. In this emergency his thought
:, tnrn to the distant relative in the Un
tied States whom he has never see
and of whom he knows only throug
hearsay or the family tree. VIII tn
: distant relative assume the guardlah
: ship of the darling daughter, and Tn
. darling daughters fortune of abot
sac. 600? If the distant relative accept
!. the trust one-fourth of the prisoner
entire fortune will be the material rf
ward. The good priest will go at ono
tn the United States and take the dal
ling daughter with him. There is b'
one condition: the ready money Whlc
the prisoner brought with him
: Spain has been exhausted; the distal
relative is therefore requested TO ser
enough to liberate the valise contain
ing the secret receptacle and the ce
ti6cate of deposit. This money is to
,r sent to the good priest at an adore
indicated, and, having received It, II
good priest will at once secure the v
lise and start for America, the land
* the free and the home of the braV
ne with the darling daughter
Urges Hasty Action.
lis ''The above is generally the first lf
ter of the series. 1t is quickly follow
IN Inv another in which the prisoner pat
nv etieallv states that his strength is ra
n idlv failing and the end is near.
rls lbeseeches his dear distant relative
np assume the trust and be loving fat
r. er to the darling daughter. The thl
rp letter is from the good priest himse
who in brief, touching terms,
-. honelessly bad English, announces |
=, death of the unhappy prisoner;
good priest adds that the darn
daughter is under his care. He is rea
81 10 nut his promise into execution
i's start for the United States as soon
oi he shall have received the neeess'
- funds from the distant relative.
good priest frequently incloses W
his letters a bogus newspaper elipp
announcing the death in prison at B
INT celona Of the famous Cuban patT
-ad fsometimes called Augustin LAMENT
10. the newspaper notice also spe'
ia eunningiy Of the confiscated vaiise
tbs the darling daughter.
26, 1T is a simple scheme. but presen
the in such a plausible way that aim
md anv uususpecting distant relative
md FuroDeau extraction would be more
A less deceived by the glad prosper
vas falling heir TO the agreeable Gust
res. Of a darling daughter with bfg