Glacier County chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1931-1940, 1939-03-10
CROOK, DISGUISED,
TOURS WORLD AS
POLICE HUNT HIM
Spiro, 100000 Swindler,
Gets Eight Years Penal
Service in England.

LONDON.-After having, by a Sc
ries of DISCUSSES. eluded for l3
months the police of eight countries
and toured the world a hunted man,
Stanley Grove Spiro has been sem
fenced in the Old Bailey, London,
to eight years penal servitude, for
stock swindling involving $4,000, 900.
A man called Graham-his real
name is Strakosch-is, it was stated
in court, being hunted in the United
States after absconding from ex-
tradition proceedings. Except for
this fugitive, all Spiro's accomplices
have been rounded up
Brains of a band of commercial
brigands,' the Recorder called
Spiro, adding that he was the head
of a society that made war on the
community by deliberately planned
activities.
Never Robbed Poor.
The convicted man made no COM
ment. His boast has been that he
had never robbed widows or the
poor, and to a reporter of the Lon
don Daily Express he had said
II have walked on the shady side
of the street of finance too long to
complain about what is coming to
me. / have had the sweets for a
long, long time. l can take the
bitter now"
Stanley Spiro, who was born in
South Africa AZ years ago, married
the daughter of a canon of the
Church of England. She died of
cancer in Switzerland a few months
ago. She knew he was the head
of several companies. but nothing
whatever of his crooked TRANSACT
tionS.
His fraud was simple. He bought
an old-established Scottish brokers'
business and opened London Of
flee. This gave him 500 clients
wealthy people-who had trusted
the firm for half a century Spiro
used the good Scottish name of FL
phinstone. Later, he was Mr.. Roy
ston, sometimes Mr.. Richards"
occasionally Mr.. Mortimer"
With his clients he always first
did legitimate business. Then he
induced them to part with valuable
securities and receive in return
shares that were worthless.
Puzzled by Success.
Spiro founded worthless concern
called Scottish Gas Utilities corpo-
ration and a colliery company. Their
shares were exchanged for real Sc
curities. Yet Spiro was puzzled by
his own success as a seller of shares
to shrewd and hard-headed bust
ness men.
His own story Of how, while the
police of all countries were on the
lookout for him, he escaped detec-
ton, follows:
Il eluded the police with a six
inch beard and perfect-fitting wig.
And | was hunChback at times"
(Here he slouched up his Shout
ders.) And my stomach came out
to here" (Here he held his hands
a foot from his waistCoat)
Il got my hunchback and my
stomach in Berlin. had them made
for me. They were of papier-mache.
There we're straps on the hunch-
back so that could fasten it round
my shoulders. and there were straps
for the stomach, too.
No one would ever have known
me when l was wearing them. l
walked into England-right under
the noses of two specials who were
watching me. Right under their
noses, boy!-that gave me thrill.
Il was arrested three times while
was away. Once in Mexico, once
in Germany and again in Austria.
had no passport or papers Each
time l talked myself out of it.
never crossed frontier by train.
always walked across-slipped in
unnoticed."