The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1922-11-18
WAS A HUGE PLOT


/
Knight, Is. living on his farm along
| the Blue river north of Manhattan,
felt the lure of adventure waited 10
him from a Spanish prison Imagine
his surprise when the monotony OF
farm life was interrupted one day
| few weeks ago by the receipt of
letter addressed to his father. Erve
knight. who had been dead for
dozen years. The, letter was post
marked Barcelona. Spain 1t was
written in English, in the most beauti-
full script. and read as follows:
Dear Sir: Being imprisoned here for
| fraudulent bankruptcy beseech YOU
! to help me to obtain a sum of $360,OOQ
| 1 have in America, being necessary TO
baggage. paving to the registrar of the
court the expenses Of my trial and re-
secret pocket where I have hidden two
checks payable to bearer for that sum.
t al dep paTf Tiz % $1,000 C cannot RE
ceive YOUR answer in the prison, but
you can send cablegram to person
in my confidence who will deliver ii to
me. addressed as follows: Antonio Lokr,
% Paseo Pedro III, Mansesa, Spain.
r. de L"
Now Wilbur knight had fallen heir
to some $4,000 or $4,000. it is said,
upon the death of his father, who was
a widely known and highly respected
farmer OF that community. But the
young man couldn't help thinking
what he could do with 100000 more.
He also couldn't refrain from con-
trasting the job of guiding plow ana
milking the cows. to matching MS
wits against he Spanish authorities
for the possession of a portmanteau,
in a secEet pocket of which was hid
den greh wealth He almost Nmag-
ined he could hear the guitars strum-
ming i1 quaint. historic old BARGE
Iona, and see dark-eyed, coQuettish
Spanish maidens dancing the fan
dango. So he sent Antonio Lokr a
cablegram, wIrded thus: Letter re-
ceived. Await lawful instructions. T.
Knight"
Receives Another Letter.
One may also imagine how much
like years the weeks seemed to Will
bur until he received another letter
from Barcelona 1t was signed by
Roberto de Silva and consisted of eight
closely written pages in the same
beautiful script, telling in detail the
story of his fluctuations and giving
explicit instr -tions IS to how to pro-
coed with the rescue of the portman-
teau, the checks and-the beautiful
were always filled with tears of grief
for her poor father, and the unhappy
fate which had befallen them both.
Before ALL" said the senor's let
ter in part, II must tell you, as you
will hereinafter see, that the person
aiding us-in this matter is a jailer
of the prison, who is a good man
and whose confidence have gained.
is his brother-in-law."
Then came the story of his bank
ing business in Santa Cruz de Ten
erife, Canary Islands. of his foolish
speculation, his fraudulent bank
ruptcy and his flight to London,
where he banked the money and OBJ
tanned the checks. After hiding them
in the secret pocket, he said, he re-
turned to Santa Cruz and met his
dear daughter, starting at once for
Barcelona, where he intended to en-
bark for New York. But the whole
plan fell thru. for he was unexpected
ly recognized and arrested.
"Under sthIse circumstances" con-
see, being without friends and without
assistance, I beg you to come here
to pay the costs and the expenses and
to take cha of the checks, with
liberty, because in SPAIN all is OBJ
tanned by money, saving thus the fu-
ture of my darling daughter, who
after my a. est was placed in an or
phan asylum on the outskirts of Bar
celona -. You will thus save me
this mon : ard assure the welfare of
my daughter. whom INST confide to |
you during m captivity. I have no
relations and 1 cannot trust in my old
friends of the Canary Islands because,
knowing my position, could expect
from them nothing but treachery and |
deceit I know no one here and the
least indescretion could lose all for
ever.
Obtained Confidence of Jailer.
ct am happy to tell you that I~have
obtained the confidence of the jailer
in charge OF the warehouse where
the baggage IS kept, having offered
him $10,~ 100 If he would get me some
family papers n my portmanteau, but
he refused, saying he would have to
break the seals to do so, which would
cause him to / > perhaps imprisoned
and to lose his situation. If he had
accepted I should have sent my
daughter to on carrying the checks
with her"
However, Senior de Silva went on to
explain, the jailer finally agreed to
get the family paper provided some
Of the banke S friends would come
and pay the -ourt expenses and his
fine just as soon as he should turn the
aforementioned papers over to him.
And this was what the senior was
asking Mr.. Knight to do.
Accompanying the letter was an i'm
posing copy of the bankers sentence,
bearing many official looking sigma
lures, and another imposing copy of
his receipt for his baggage, together
with a translation of the alleged news !
paper clipping. telling of his arrest, |
and the most explicit instructions re-
garding his voyage to Spain and the |
persons with whom he should COM |
municate upon his arrival There was
the wording for a cablegram he |
should send the day he should leave
New York, and the wording for a |
telegram he should send from Paris |
There was even a note to hand the |
cab driver who would take him to a |
hotel upon his arrival in Barcelona.
He Thought OF the Daughter.
The thought of the beautiful |
daughter. whom I must confide to \
you during my captivity" naturally i
didn't detract from. the lure of the |
proposition for a Kansas farmer boy,