Spanish Swindlers.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 7872, 14 July 1905, Page 4

Spanish Swindlers.

o AUHEST or • IH'ltlKD THKASI.'HE" Ii.VM! rix MAUUID. JIAHHID, Mn.\ ■>:<,. Hie lainims "Spanish prisoner." whoso plaintive appeals' for iutuls t,i assist him ftr rccoverine; a luirie-l treasure have for years past extracted liirsi- sums In,in credulous Knolish victims, hits at last hi-eip arrested, toßf'thcr with Ins ohiof associates in tln- swindle. Tho sran- was broken up at file in. stie a t; nn of the dermaii Consul, anil the leaders-a.v now in „ real Spafiisiv [prison, awaiting trial. A stvtinjr lioiiv of police invaded t-ic office. The* was mi diflioiiltv i. lin.line- it. for the address was ejvcii to every person whom tho ffanp attempted to swindle. H Was the most business-like place, fifriijsheri with all the apparatus of n large commercial agency with a flourishing iiorcifin Connection, telephones, copying- machines, pigeon-holes, stacks of notepa i>ei- and envelopes, and the finest international collection of directories to he found in all Madrid.

The head of the firm, in an innerroom, was ffoinp throiißh his nviil and dictating; letters tn his typist. In the outer office live men and three women wese busy writing letters'. Some interesting ilis-riveries wer... made when the promises were soai-cls ed—forced odicwil stamps;, confidential lists of mimes and addresses from every town of importance in Europe ami miil'iluilinoiis bundles of letters from victims, all neatly docketed. Ihr p a purs showed that the ijnng worked every country of Europe, (n!rticulafly (Sormany a.-;<l England. Eight other men. suspected of complicity, weee s;<ni-3ivrt. and it is expected that acti<i|i will he taken in Barcelona, wln-rc there is n similar swindling agency, probable n branch of (hat in Madrid.