A SKILFUL SWINDLE.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 5, Issue 1310, 22 February 1883, Page 2

A SKILFUL SWINDLE.

M. Rouher, in a letter addressed to ; the Justice, explains that the wonderful story recently current about the alleged discovery of jewelry and bank wtes worth 8,000,000 francs, belong ng to the Empress Eugenie, was :oncocted by an association established ' A Barcelona some years ago. -This lociety, he affirms, was in.the habit of writing to different people to say that i Mr So-and-So had been sent to Madrid iu charge of the property in question, but had unfortunately been obliged to bury the treasure on his roy, the place named being always in ilose proximity to the .residence ;o£ the person to whom this particular missive md been dispatched. It was added ihat on arriving in Spain the messenger lad been arrested and imprisoned, vhile his. luggage, contained an account )f the spot; where the treasure had been jarefully concealed, had also been ieized by the authorities. In order to render the tale plausible, inventories mch as that published by the Jmike, ind represented as emanating from the •Chancellerie Imperiale," a department. vluch, asM. Rouher explains, never lid. exist, were enclosed in the letters, iogether with other missives, all, of lourse, spurious, but imposing in haracter. Ihe individuals to whom hese communications, were addressed ra - e politely requested to forward a e\v hundred francs to the. unlucky irisoner, with a view to onabling him o bribe the official keeps watch ind guard over his luggage. As soon is he W|S once more in possession of lis plan the buried treasauo would be, ixhuuied, and the whose and it had been depositeSL would laterally have his share. ■ M. Kouher s of opinion that the Barcelona associaion roust have made a good thing by ts inventive faculties, as it has kept up he business for fully 12 years. The windle has long been.exposed, and M. toiiher adds that he himself drew the .ttention of the Paris Ambassador in Paris to it some time ago,