Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1912-05-06
WAS DARING sWlNpLER.
Humble innkeeper's Son Posed as
Prince, Marquis and Monsienor of
the Church and Stole Millions.

Nerve was What kept this phenom-
email rascal skating gracefully over the
thinnest Kind of ice. And his nerve
has not deserted him. now that the
ice has broken under him and he has
sunk overhead in the muddy waters
OF trouble.
Behind his prison bars he seems in
deed--like most clever efiminals-to
take a sort of professional pride in his
achievements. When he rallied that
denial was henceforth futile he shrug-
ged his shoulders ana said:
Il congratulate the Roman police.
have travelled all over the world and
got away with many hundreds of
thousands of lire ] have always sue
ceetled in evading the police. and in
two days I should have left Rome. My
ability is SO great that once when I
was arrested in France under the
name of Prince al Bemonte a lawyer
wanted to defend me for nothing, and
the public prosecutor said to me:
You are the most intelligent man
have ever known.
However, that which l stole | stole
from the rich. 1 never trimmed any
What a pity that the law must pun
ish met / have helped an infinite num-
Der of poor priests. To-day l had an
appointment with another preIate; in
stead, l am in Jail. What a PITY"
This unique scoundrel is a sort of
combination of Tartufre and Barry
Lyndon. He posed as priest and
wore priestly garb, but he was not
content with that, for he Wore pur-
pie at his throat and a purple girdle
which indicated that he was a mon
signor of the church, and his visiting
cards always had Monsignor" pre-
fixed to the name. This latter varied
II was changed frequently, but always
it sounded noble and was generally
the patronymic of some family famous
in the councils of the church.
The bearer of these noble names and
ecclesiastical titles had no right to
any of them He was never a priest
He had no right 70 wear even a cas-
sock, much less the purple of a pre-
late. He is just plain Giovanni Bat
tista Gindri. son of respectable Tur-
in hotel keeper. lie obtained his ia
miliarity with church affairs while
receiving his education in an eeclesias-
teal seminary. His father probably
hoped that he would become priest
But the youth found his vocation
along very different lines
Just when he began his career OF
swindling is uncertain, but il must
have been when in his teens. He is
now q years old. Eight years ago. in
1904, he was arrested and sentenced to
six months in prison for swinding
Father Bleageville, a French mission
ary
But recently he has been having
comparatively easy sailing, although
he has had TO he careful, as warrants
for his arrest had been issued in Tu-
rim, Milan, Novara, Saluzzo and other
cities. and the police Of all Italy.
France. Germany and Austria We're
looking fer him.
Only by his suprem nerve did he
elude them. His name changed like
the eolors of a chameleon. Here he
was Mgr the Able Jean de Sevigne,
there the Right Rev. Marquis de
Saint Mars, elsewhere the Right Rev.
Prince Granite Iii Relmonte; in some
places he was Mgr Jean Boni de Gal
lier DIES Marquis de Villarmoir: again
he posed as the Rev. Mgr. Edoardo
Lanzetti. In one of his swindling
games he was private secretary IL
the Archbishop Of Paris"
AT his boarding house in Rome he
was simply Edoardo di Santo Stefano.
theological student
II was only by such lightning chan
ges of name and residence that he sue
eeeded in keeping the fraudulent game
going with impllnity for so many
years.
1t would be impossible and useless
to make a list Of those he had swim
died 1t is believed he has got away
With several millions of francs in all
The greater number OF his victims
have made no formal complaint