Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-07-31
GERMANS REPLACE
YANKEES SEARCHING
FOR STOLEN LADIES
Historic Swindle Seemingly Is
Out of Date in United
States.

Granada. Spain. - Correspondence
of The Associated Press. l-Americans
have quit coming to Spain in search
of the beautiful and wealthy princess
imprisoned in a dark, damp tower by
a greedy uncle who is anxious to annex
her fortune.
The historic old Spanish swindle ap-
parently has gone out of fashion IN the
United States, but it is still in vogue
in other parts of the world. Germany
has recently supplied quite a crop of
kin%d-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 a diet of dry bread and water while
the bats lowered about her head and
added to the terrors of her solitary
confinement.
Credited With Beauties
Granada has always been a popular
center for the men who have con
tributed to the relief of imprisoned
beauties. Washington Irving and
scores of lesser writer's have credited
Granada with having more beautiful
women than any other city in the
world. The legend of the Rose of the
Alhambra and the stories of the three
beautiful princcsses, Zayda, Zorayda
and Zorahayda, hover about the AL
hambra and make it the natural refuge
for disappointed investors in distressed
beauty.
Vaudeville stars always have found
the names of Moorish princesses prof
liable on play bills. They carry with
them the atmosphere of the harem, of
the yelled face and the oriental dance.
They suggest the Alhambra and mil
lions of gold. and the priceless Moor
ish jewels which Boabdil and his court
are reported in legend to have secreted
in their beautiful palace before it was
surrendered to Ferdinand and Isabella.
Boabdil and his queen are supposed to
be hiding in a cavern in the neighbor-
ing 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
Alhambra has it's legend.
Move to Sea Scene
SO it is not strange thai searchers
for princesses should come to Granada
after having sought vainly for mythical
castles in mythical mountains. Most
of the modern Spanish princesses are
pNIliE hViu &uptlNtN Ill NaStlfS w tlt
sea. Castles by the sea are so much
damper. and her it is much more ro-
mantle for rescue parties to approach
the rocky coast in ships and wave to
the imprisoned princess. who will
promptly tear her clothing to bits and
make a rope with which she will lower
herself from the gloomy tower.
Many of the imposterS who are mar
keting adventure to credulous investors
give their princesses the names of ia
nous 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 prin-
cesses 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 astrol-
ogers who probably charge well for
their services.
Send Confidential Letters.
Letters concerning the distressed
princesses are usually marked strictly
confidential and instructions are given
that nothing must be said to anyone
lest the life of the princess be en-
dangered. Most of the dupes are too
much ashamed of their plight to con-
fess openly that they have been gulled,
but an occasional victim approaches
some of the foreign consuls or seeks
the aid of the Spanish police in trying
to recover money advanced to the
sWindlers.