The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1914-02-24
SOME or THE NEW mArnpINs

| Humbert the vast sum, and In this VIII
II was stated that the money should so
to these nephews and to Madame Hum
bert's twelVn-yea sister, Mario
d'Aurignac,
The story was further continued to
the effect that negotiations were held
between the Humberts and the Craw-
ford nephews and the following plan
decided upon: Until Marie should come
OF age, all the bonds, stocks and ,other
securities should be kept untouched in
huge safe that was built into a room
, of the Humbert mansion, Go Avenue de
| Ia Grnnde Armee, Paris. Legal con-
sent for the compromise was obtained
] People In passing the Humbert home
in Paris were wont to nudge one an
other and say: There Is whore the
loO. 100000 franc fortune Is locked up
All this notoriety helped the Humberts
socially and financially. Large sums
| OF money were readily turned over to
them on the strength OF the legacy, and
even the mighty Bank of France len,
Madame Humbert whatever money She
! requested. BY the time Marie came OF
age the Humberts had borrowed about
ST. 100000.
Then came the awakening. There
had never been any fortune. There
had been no Robert Henry Crawford
New York millionaire" The whole
thing was gigantic fake. The Hum
berts had lived for nineteen years In
the most lavish eplendor on practically
nothing.
There was n train OF ruined credi-
tors. one OF which committed suicide
The Humbertss banking concern col
| lapsed, and thousands OF poor people
lost all OF their savings. The Humberts
were finally pursued. brought, to trial
and the whole family found guilty.
| The first exposure occurred on May
IL, 1902. when the detective department
or Paris made an examination OF the
| Hnmbert safe at the direction OF the
court. They found therein. instead OF
securities worth Sl2OOOOOO, nothing
but an old baton. some old papers and
the official seals which had made tho
swindlc possible.
| In the meantime the Humberts had
escaped and search was made for
them all over Europe. They wero
finally arrested In Madrid on the TWEEN
tieth Of December OF the same year.
and were only taken after n desperate
attempt on their part TO escape. They
were brought to Paris under police
surveillance. They had had num-
Der of secret hearings. but the first
public hearing was on February IL,
1903. when the case Of NJ. Cattani was
taken up.
1
land swindle was not begun until Au-
gust s, 1903, which was held before
the Seine Assize Court. The prisoners
were Madame Humbert, her husband,
Frederick; her two brothers. Romano
and Emile Daurignac. The trial
brought out much damaging evidence
against the Humberts. but they main
tain that the operations they had con-
Quoted were In good faith. and they
said that public. prejudices TINT were
raised against them caused the bank
ing firm to fail.
| The trial lasted until August 2a.
when the whole family was found
guilty. The foreman of the jury an
nounced that the verdict waa anlrma-
tive concerning the question OF fnlsi-
fication and swindling ana negative
upon tho subsidiary questions.
! The court sentenced Madame Hum
bert and her husband each to five years
Imprisonment and the payment OF 500;
| Emile was sentenced to two years and
!tomaine to three years. The Hum
berts served their sentences. and of
late years no;hing further has been
heard OF them.