The Union daily times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1918-current, 1922-07-03
Granada, Home. of
Beautiful Women ?

Granada, Spain, July 1.-Americans
have quit coming to Spain in search
of the beautiful and wealthy princess
imprisoned in a dark, damp tower by
| greedy uncle who is anxious to an
mex her fortune. =,
The historic cid Spanish swindIe an
parently has gone out of fashion in
the United States, but it is still in
vogue in other parts of the world
Germony has recently supplied quite
crop of kind-hearted gentlemen who
advanced money Cor the release of the
6ark-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
rors of her solitary confinement.
Granada has always been a popular
center for the men who have contrib
uted to the relief of imprisoned beau
ties. Washington Irving and scores
of lesser writer's have credited Gran
ada with having more beautiful wo-
men than any other city in the world.
The legend of the Rose of the Alham-
bra and the stories Of the three beau
tiful princesses, Zayda, Zorayda and
Zorahayda, hover about the Alhambra
and make it 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 .ha-
rem, of the veiled face and the orien-
tai dance. They suggest the Alham-
bra and millions of gold, and the
priceless Moorish jewels which Boab-
dill and his court are reported in le-
gend to have secreted in their beauti-
full palace before it was surrendered
to Ferdinand and Isabella. Boabdil
and his queen are supposed to be
hiding in cavern in the neighboring
mountains waiting for a magic call
from Mohammed which will restore
them to their old glory in the Alham-
bra. Every tower, every turret, every
minaret and every dungeon IN the old
Alhamba has its legend.
So it is not strange that searchers
for princesses should come to Granada
after having sought vainly for myth
cal castles in mythical mountains.
Most of the modern Spanish prin-
cesses are being held captives in cas-
ties by the sea. Castles by the sea
are so much damper, and then it is
much more romantic for rescue par
ties to approach the rocky coast in
ships and wave to the imprisoned
princess, who will promptly tear her
clothing to bits and make rope with
! which she will lower herself from the
gloomy tower.
Many of the imposters 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
I regime who have been dead for over
400 years, and many other celebrities
I 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.
They usually make very guarded in
quiries and seldom admit they have
been duped. Frequently they inquire
for gypsy fortune tellers, or astrolo-
gers, who probably charge well for
their services. Letters concerning the
distressed princesses are usually
marked confidential and instructions
| are given that nothing 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 occasional victim
approaches some ON the foreign con.
suls or seeks the aid of the Spanish
police in trying to recover money ad.
vanced to the swindlera.