The Point Pleasant register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, W. Va.) 1909-1939, 1910-02-09
SPANISH SWNDLE
BEING EXTENSIVELY WORKED AGAIN
LETTER FROM DEPT. OF STATE.

luBLOH, uAS FeceNGu IGPVIS hOhi
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
practice of writing to persons in the
United States respecting the i'm
prisonment of a relative and the
guardianship ola child.
The consul-General states that the
alleged prisoner generally describes
himself as political prisoner from
Cuba; he is at the point of death and
has but one ftiend-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
fortune in cash on deposit in the
United States, but the certificate of
deposit is concealed in a secret re-
ceptacle of his valise; the valise it
self has been taken possession of by
the court at carthagena, which tried
and condemned him, and it will be
held until the prisoner or his repres-
entatiye has satisfied the cost of the
trial. The prisoner has an only dau-
ghter; 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 relative assume the guardian
ship of the darling daughter and the
darling daughters fortune of about
$50, 900; If the distant relative ac-
cepts the trust one-fourth of the pris-
oner's entire fortune will be the ma
tenal reward. The good priest will
20 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 exhaust
ed; the distant relative is therefore
requested to send enough to liberate
the valise containing the secret re-
ceptacle and the certificate OF depos-
it. The money is to be sent to the
good priest at an address indicated,
and, having received it, the good
priest will at once secure the valse
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 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 hopeiessly bad
English, announces the death of the
unhappy prisoner; the good priest
adds that the darling daughter is I'M
der his care. He is ready to put his
promise into execution and start for
ene Cnlteo 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
eelOna of the famous Cuban patriot
sometimes called Augustin Lafente)
the newspaper notice also speaks
cunningly of the confscated valise
and the darling daughter.
1t is simple scheme, but present.
ed 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 a darling daughter
with big fortune, and one-fourth