New Britain herald., 1930-08-15
FUGITIVE BANKER
 DESIRES PRISON
PariSian in Spanish Foreign
 LeSiOn-To His Dislike
BY NuNOTT SAUNDERS NES Service Writer


 Paris. Aug. l5 - For comfort and raaCe. 2 French prison has amaz- lngly become the most attractive ~tuge in life for Senor Laureano .arlos de Nlllanueva, Venezuelan Iplomat sportsman. social swash- nHckler and former highly respected .mpIoyee Of the Paris branch of the %auoral City Bank of New York. Ha raarfully confessed this after .asving a few days as a private in .aa Spanish Foreign Legion.
 Nnlanueva has confessed 10 the .anlpuIaton of funds entrusted to ..n hv friends and he is wanted for he disappearance of something over nzlf a million dollars. His case has -,Irred banking circles, astomshed ha distincuished society which he adorned, and caused international complication Of a 'very delicate na- -ure'
 AS senor Villaneuva. this hand some man Of 82 danced the tango beautifully and played a fine game ot polo. As Alexandre Avial he is only a raw recruit in the spanish Foreign Legion. subject to the iron discipline Of that strange command and sHeltering under the fierce Moroccan sun, breaking stone for building Biffian roads.
 Found By Friends
 TilIarauvs fled when tho crash vas imminent because Of his dug sling Of accounts. Ten days later he vas found by TWO faithful friends. tired physically, broken nor mallv, ritIously pleading 10 he al lowed to return to Paris and face justice.
 My only desire now is 10 go back and he a prjsoner' h. said. Then, speak, oc the Foreign Legion which h. had joined in q final fling of courage, he added.
 T never supposed that this life was so hard.
 Investigations proceed, influential friends have made appeals 70 high circles n Spain for an annuIment Of NiIarueva. 5 enlistment. and It IS re- norte dthat the French Foreign Or ice may ask for his eXtradluon. The road would be -aasy 70 th" compara- lively soft berth Of q prison cell If t were not for the urWritten rule ot the Foreign Legion.
 Many Criminals Enlist
 Men usually join this service, which is even stronger in France than in Spain. 10 escape from Socl- arv. They sign under any name they rnoose and no questions are asked. ~rav may be soldiers Of fortune or botlv pursued criminals. but once n the Foreign Leglon they lose their i4en-ty except 10 their command. TO nlanwrecruits this complete isolation iz their only reason for joining
 The ranks are filled with men from all corners Of the earth. but +hev are on level The regime is da1o7rIess. the work hard. r there -s any fighting to ha done the le- zsonraires go first. To many of them fighting chance for life is better -has what they would face out Of .raS service Many break and pass :r-o oblivion. hut the strong often 1-arn to love the legion and take n~lda in their eEnIolts.
 f Aleyardre Aviat wanted as Tilla0ueva. is released from the spanish Leglon 10 face charges in France his case vill be almost q pre- radert It has been pointed out htHe hat the morale Of the legion would he weakened and that recruiting would suffer
 To Life of Suffering
 "The case involves an extremely delicate point" said an official of -he Exench Foreign Office when ask d about what pressure would b. brought 10 obtain Villaneura's eN- tradition. And he added that con siderable delibaration will be reGuir- cd"
 There was ut.e doubt that NIl- laHeuva. had had enough Of the le- zion when he was found in a Nor roccan mountain camp overlooking the sea, near Ceura. His shapely hands were bruised, his sleek black