The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1912-03-04
SPANISH LETTER
WRITER CAUGHT?
ARREST OF A GANG IN BILBAO,
SPAIN, BELIEVED TO BE
MUCH. WANTED BAND
OF CROOKS.

With the arrest I'm Bilbao. Spain, OF
a gang of swlndlers and the capture Of
their complete paraphernalia, the
Spanish police believe that they have
at last succeeded I'm putting an end
10 the Vaccinations of a rogue who
Tor the last ten years has been known
&c the press of Europe and America as
"the Spanish prisoner"
HIS operations first attracted pub
lie attention after the Spanish Am
erican war when certain soldiers. both
Spanish and American. who had been
quartered in Cuba. began to receive
mysterious letters
The gist and nature OF the letters
20 the Spaniards was, that a fair Am
erican heiress, whose brother had been
IN Cuba had often heard her brother
speak Of the addressee. until she be-
gan 70 entertain for him a tender ar
fiction; and would he not send her his
photograph.
Usually the youthful. romantic Span
lard, although not remembering the
brother. complied with the request.
Then succeeded a correspondence.
which finally developed the fact that
the girls brother had died. and that
she had been left with her great wealth
without any protection but a wicked
guardian. who would force her 10
marry him so that he might become
possessed of her fortune. ooh. for on
~ few hundred dollars" that she
might fly to her Spanish lover who
would know how 10 thwart the wicked
guardlani Usually the son OF Spain
fell into the trap. All over Spain there
are sad eyed youths waiting for the
appearance Of fair and wealthy AM
erican senoritas.
The system the Spanish prisoner"
employed with Americans was slightly
different Usually the letter declared
that certain parsonage. pursued and
prosecuted on account Of his politica.
or religious ideas, had buried in some
known spot, or deposited in a bank,
large quantities OF money in bonds orI
specie. and that. in order TO redeem |
them, a sum of $500 or $4,000 must
be sent-the amount demanded cur
iously fitted in with the known cir |
Cumstances Of the addressee. As the
writer usually and apparently wrote |
from some Spanish prison, he became !
known 10 the American press as "the
Spanish prisoner" Many Of these let
tiers have been received by copper
country residents.
Covered Wide Field.
More recently his agents have been
operating in The Hague and San Fran
cisco Recently a tenor at the Madrid /
opera received a newspaper clipping
stating that his long lost uncle had |
jest died in California possessed Of |
millions. while a local law firm had |
actually been engaged TO look for him. /
who was sole heir TO the property.
The agency at The Hague caused 10
be published in the English press not
ices Of the demise Of certain persons
whose ancestors had fled 10 Holland
during the religious prosecution of the
middle part Of the sixteenth century
and had died wealthy without any
Dutch heirs. In these cases certain
London solicitors became the uncon-
sctous agents or "the Spanish prison.
err and actually transmitted the mon
ey necessary TO present the claim to
The Hague, where IT was never heard
OF again.
In the house raided by tho police i'm
Bilbao were found a collection OF pho
tographs, letters and other documents
and long lists Of Spanish American
and English names. with biographical
rotes attached. showing how Il had
been possible to conduct the business
with so much plausibnity.