The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-08-03
IMPOSTURES
The Age-Herald:
To the Editor of

ords of mans experiences so deficient as in that great branch of '.impostures. Of imposters some stars of the first mag nitude have been looked at, named and set down in the catalogues; but of inn pastures the compilations are most meagre, If there are any deserving the name of catalogue of impostures. New ertheless, by fit devices, nearly all men may be gulled. One of our great jour nals recently fell into most absurd trap. set for it in the broad open light of day, with hardly any attempt at concealment; but it fell in incontinently.
 About the easiest method of appealing to the gullibility of man Is by tickling the ever most sensitive organ of his ex- terior anatomy commonly known as the purse. and which, scientifically and of- ficially, may be called his pineal gland.
 This delicate organ is acted on by all the ingredients of which are found ready to hand at almost every turn
 By way of illustration I beg leave to discover to the interested readers of The Age Herald package of dope" prepared in far-off Spain for administration to some selected subjects of treatment In the state of Alabama. In the package was a clipping from a newspaper published in the city of Madrid wherein an account was given of the apprehension, trial, conviction, sentence and amercement of an alleged ex-banker of the city of Paris by the name of Dupont, who, having es- caped from his creditors in Paris with certain holdings of personal property of the aggregate value of 5000 francs, was said, nevertheless, to have escaped with about 4000,000 francs in exchanges which could not be discovered among his effects. In the city of Madrid he became involved
 in personal difficulty with fellow coun- tryman of his who had recognized him as the escaped ex-banker of Paris and threatened to expose himS to prevent which Mons. Dupont slew his country man. His arrest and trial discovered all except. of course the hiding place of the exchanges). In the package was an- other paper purporting to be a copy of the judgment entry of the court wherein it appears that Dupont was sentenced to three years imprisonment; to pay to the family of his deceased countryman the sum of 10000 francs, and in addition to pay about $500 of costs of his trial
 Another document purported to be a copy of the receipt of the bailes of the effects of Mons. Dupont which were seized upon his arrest and these, as this docu- ment relates ,are to be sold at public out cry unless redeemed by payment of the fine and costs of trial before September Il prox.
 Upon these documents the imposter in this case works up the most ingenious imposture. He pretends to be this same MT. Dupont who is incarcerated in Mad did pretending that he has worked him self into the good graces of his keeper, who has undertaken to permit him to remove the false bottom or top of a trunk -one of the articles held by the deposit tary of his effects which have been seized provided the full sum required to redeem his effects is paid before September II. Concealed under this false bottom or top are the missing bills of exchange, drawn by a French banker on an American bank, and Mir Dupoint proposes to divide with his proposed gull in America this vast fortune MT. Dupont claims that on his way to Madrid after his escape from his creditors he stopped by the city of Saragossa, and left his only daughter at an orphan asylum. and the American gull is to stop by Saragossa on his way to Madrid and get the young lady. He is to meet the aforementioned keeper at Saragossa. who will recognize him at the Hotel Gold Cion by white handker- chief he is to carry in his left hand un- til accosted by the keeper, who may be a little late in arriving at the Gold Cion; but the American senior is to be perfect ly patient and to possess his soul in peace. and perfect confidence that the keeper will show up, and after assuring himself, present himself. These two are to take the young daughter of MT. Du- pont to Madrid, and there the $11.9OO odd having been paid to the deposition of Mr. deemed, and MT. Dupont will open the se- cret recess and take out the fortune in exchanges. Mons Dupoint proposes to cable forthwith to the American bankers on whom the bills of exchange are drawn, and in the course of few hours he gives assurance a reply will be received which will confirm the valadity of the bills. and arrangements are to be made for disposing of the bills and dividing the proceeds into three parts, one of which is to go to Mons. Dupont. another to Mile. Dupont and the third to Mons. Gull of the genus homo, order primates, species Americanus.
 His first letter introducing himself to the American gull tells simple, straight forward story of his misfortunes; of his incarceration in durance vile in Mad did where. Mirabile dictu. to use the poet