New Britain herald., 1922-07-22
ALL THE SUCKERS
 AREN'T DEAD YET
Fortunes Spent Trying to Free
 Imprisoned Beauties"

Granada, Spain. July 2e-Americans
 have quit coming 10 Spain in ofarch
 Of the beautiful and wealthy princess
 Imprisoned In dark, damp tower by
 greedy uncle who Is anxious to an- mex her fortune.
 The historic old Spanish swindle
 apparently has gone out of fashion in The United States, but it Is still in vogue in other parts of the world. lGermany has recently supplied quite crop Of kind-hearted gentlemen who ,advanced money for the release of the
 dark-eyed Spanish beauty who was
 suffering in a rat-infested cell and
 slowly dying on diet Of dry bread and water while the bats lowered about her head and added to the ter
 TOTS Of her solitary confinement.
 Granada has always been a popu- lar center for the men who have contributed to the relief of impris- oned beauties. Washington Irving and scores of lesser writers have cred ited Granada with having more beau- tiful women than any otber city in the word. The legend of the Rose of the Alhambra and the stories of the three beautiful princesses, Zayda, Zor- ayda and ZorahSyda, hover about the Alhambra and make 1t the natural refuge for disappointed investors in distressed beauty.
 Vaudeville stars always have found the names of Moorish princesses profitable on playbills. They carry with them . the atmosphere of the harem, of the yelled face and the or iental dance. They suggest the AL hambra and millions of gold, and the priceless Moorish jewels which Boab- dil and his court are reported in le- gend to have secreted in their beauti- full palace before 1t was surrendered to Ferdinand and Isabella. Boabdil and his queen are supposed to be hid ing in a cavern in the neighboring mountains waiting for a magic call from Mohammed which will restore them to their old glory in the AL hambra. Every tower, every turret, every minaret and every dungeon in the old ,Aihamhra has its legend.
 So it is not strange that search CTS for princesses should come to Granada after having sought vainly for mythical castles in mythical moun- tains. Most of the modern Spanish princesses are being held captives in castles by the sea. Castles by the sea are so much damper, and then it is much more romantic for rescue parties to approach the rock coast in nht tOc a,.I x~ princess, who will promptly tear her clothing to bits and make a rope with which she will lower herself from tile gloomy tower.
 Many of the impostors who are marketing adventure to credulous in- vestors give their princesses the names of famous women who have been dead for centuries. Moraymah and Aishah queens of the Moorish regime who have been dead for over 400 years and many other celebrities of history and legend have lent their names to princesses supposed to be in distress.
 Hotel keepers in Granada have be- come skilled in detecting visitors who are searching for imprisoned beauties. The usually make very guarded in- quiries and seldom admit they have been duped. Frequently they inquire | for gypsy fortune tellers, or astrol- ogers, who probably charge we'll for heir services. Letters concerning the | distressed princesSes are usually marked strictly confidential and in- structions are given that nothing l must be said to anyone lest the life ; of the princess be endangered. Most of the dupes are too much ashamed | of their plight to confess openly that they have been gulled, but an occa- sional victim approaches some of the | foreign consus or seeks the aid of the Spanish police in trying to recover money advanced to the swindlers.