Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-04-09
Antonio MuSica, lettering To-
ward Prison, Treasures Only
Memento Of Mother.
PLANNED TO SCUTTLE SHIP
Beautiful Mysterious Woman,
Who Trails One Of Sons, Adds
New Angle to Case.

An absorbing story Of high finance,
which included the proposed scuttling
of a ship for stake Of $500, 600 the
raising of 100000 on swcepings Of
Chinese hair worth less than 500.
and the final breakdown of the chief
Gnancier as he wept to retain loci,
of a woman's hair We're unfolded to-
day by Barney \. Flood and Edmund
Leigh, New York detectives. just be
fore they left Atlanta with four mera-
bers of the Musica family, arrested
in a gigantic international swindle.
The two detectives, revealing for
the first time startling features Of a
case that has attracted national in
terest, spoke kindly of old Antonio
Musica once millionaire several
times over, now Z. lettering prisoner
70 years old, trying pitifully to wipe
away the shadow of the cell opening
before him.
Feeble and broken. they said, the
ialleged swiudler found his only com
! fort I'm a locket that hung about his
mock on "a gold chain and that con-
tans n few strands of womans
! Lair-a symbol at once of his bliss
and his misery. When the old man
was searched after his arrest he
begged to he allowed to retain the
! locket. and the detectives granted the
request
1T is my only memory of my be-
| loved mother in Venice said Musica,
as he fingered the locket lovingly
Sons Aid lettering Father.
Philip, one of his sons. supported
the former millionaire as the prison
ers. including two other brothers, Ar
thur and George, left Chief Beavers
automobile and made their way
through the Terminal Station shortly
before noon TO board the train for
New York None Of the men were
handcuncd. as the detectives have
found them model prisoners.
"But, believe me- said Detective
Leigh to-day. lin spite of their meek
mess they are as daring "a family Of
/ swindlers and as brilliant, as have
seen. and I have hunted EN- from
Singapore around TO San Francisco.
81 have just learned IN going over
some OF the old mans letters that
Philip. the most adventurous Of tnp
| sons. was planning to charter a ship
and load Il with the human hair in
which they traded. The manifest
was To show that their cargo was
worth $6O0.O when as matter of
| fact a few hundred dollars would
have been a high price. The ship
| insured. II was 10 be sent out from
some European port scuttled in mid
ocean. and the $500 eco collected a
very pretty scheme, too. but just then
| the bubble b oke and Uncle Sam
| and the New York detective Gepar.-
mcut closed i'm.
Anybody tina; could get 5000
900 bin of laIiug on bin of goo )
worth just about $50 would have Nlj
no trouble getting away with "a siu-
pie tRiug like scutt,iug ship AM
that's Just exactly what our Musica
friends did. Hair that was specified
as huge quantities of the almost
priceless tresses of Bohemian maids
the most precious hair in the world,
including your Atlanta giris-wLs
I found 10 be the sweepings Of the
coarse output Of Chinese traders.
Borrowed Nearly Million.
"On these fake bills of lading. made
both In Naples and New York, the
| Musicas borrowed hundreds Of thou
sands Of dollars before the authorities
/ got wise. They came of an old re-
/ spectcd Italian family and they lived
in splendor on the $4,000 they
cleaned up When they finally ma le
their getaway from New York they
/ took with them more than SS5,ooo in
cash. We recovered $4,000 of il 81
New Orleans and it's iu charge ~
the Federal Court down .,.sra now.
Their, an, ID Tot of features .n
tnl- astounding case that ave ygt
to %, cleared up and nave am iGea
that a woman could help TO c'.ar
/ them up. 4 mysterious woman. IS
handsome as you'd meet i'm days
walk. has met Philip in various cities
on his flight South She probably
/ mas access TO any funds they may
have hidden and I sure would ike
40 make her acquaintance"
The prisoners were as tagiyurn as
ever as they left the city for New
York. They have talked very little
TO even the detectives except TO de
fend their sisters and announce their
! willingness 10 shoulder an the blame.
The sisters. Lucy and Grace. are
sill iu New Orleans.