Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-03-19
SW|NDLER IN
HUMAN HAIR
VICTIM|zES
ATLANTANS
Antonio Musica Said to Have
Made 81, 900, 900 From
Various Bankers.
ARRESTED ON STEAMER
STARTING FOR HONDURAS

NEW ORLEANS. March Icon
Tossing to swindles involving S1,oOO,OOO
or more, and admitting that certain
their dupes, Antonio Musica. alias
Fuscale, is held by police here, to-
gether with four sons and two daugh-
ters. The family party was arrested
to -day, and more than $500 900 in cur
rency and checks was found in their
valises. their pockets and concealed in
the women's hats.
The arrest was not accomplished I'M
til after the accused had made des-
peratc fight
The father declared that he is a hair
importer, with a business establishment
at Sc 10 50 Front street New York.
Human hair" which he claimed to ex-
plot on a gigantic scale, was the COM
modify, on the basis OF which the frauds
were alleged TO have been committed.
Besides mentioning bankers in At
Ianta as his victims Musica named
financial institutions twenty in num-
Der, of New York, New Orleans, Lon
, don and some German cities as having
contributed to his ill-gotten fortune.
Advices from New York state that
Musica and his son, Philip, were in
dicted yesterday for fraud of $16,7s3
on j. and w. Seligman, bankers. Two
hundred cases of human hair" con-
signed to foreign firms, confsested on
pier there, were found to contain only
brick when opened. Musica owns hair
stores all over the world.
The sons are Frank, George. Albert
and Philip, and the daughters, both
beautiful, are Louise and Grace, aged
10 and %, respectively. Their arrest
was marked by dramatic incidents.
They were all asleep in their berths on
steamer about to sail for Honduras
when detectives entered and aroused
them to place them under arrest The
father and his four sons fought vi
ciously and came on only after a battle
lasting several minutes
Attempt to Discard Money.
While the men were struggling the
two daughters attempted to throw into
the Mississippi river 100000 in cur
the plan was detected just in time to
prevent them from doing so.
AS the prisoners were being taken to
the police station, the father seized a
magazine revolver from the pocket of
his son Philip and attempted to com
nit suicide. He was prevented only
after another fierce struggle with the
detectives who had him in charge.
More complete search of the party
81 - 70
vealed the fact that they had in their
possession currency amounting to
nearly 1900 600. all in large denomina
tions. Aside from the currency. one Of
the daughters attempted to throw over
board from the steamer, the detec-
tives found $4,000 in the pockets of
Grace Musica and $4,000 in the stock
ings of her sister, Louisa The party
also had about 100000 in negotiable
securities
Came From Mobile.
The party came to New Orleans
from Mobile, where, advices state. they
narrowly escaped arrest. Information
reached them there that detectives
were close upon their trail Fearing to
go to the railroad station, there tol
purchase tickets. they went by automo
bile to Theodore, q small station on
the Louisville and Nashville railroad.
on the way to New Orleans They had
only been away from the hotel where
they stopped short time when Chief
of Police Crenshaw arrived there in
search of them. Learning that they
had started for Theodore, Crenshaw
and the detectives started in pursuit,
arriving there shortly after the train
had departed for New Orleans.
No knowledge of the Musica family
or its swindling methods could be dis
covered among Atlanta bankers or
business men today. All of those APP
preached said that they had no deal
ings with the firm of that name, nor
of that nature of business.
THE WEATHER