LINDBERGH SOUVENIRS

Evening Star, Issue 19781, 3 February 1928, Page 2

LINDBERGH SOUVENIRS

ALLEGED FRAUD IN PARIS. The Paris police have put an end to a curious form of money-making which Gaston Pinjalet, a commercial traveller, is alleged to have practised with ranch success—for he was on the way of becoming a wealthy iftan through selling small portions of tlio fabric used on the wings of aeroplanes. Pinjalet confided to a concierge that on the night on which Lindbergh arrived at Le Ronrget after flying across the Atlantic he succeeded in obtaining a portion of the fabric of the machine as a souvenir. The concierge was urged to keep his secret and readily gave a promise not to disclose his valuable possession to anybody. The “secret” leaked out, however, and the commercial traveller received visits from people begging for a. small portion of the fabric.,and offering to pay for it.. The souvenir hunters did ■pay, and in time Pinjalet,. it was stated, had as many as twenty visitors a day, who parted with sums of from 100 francs for a few square inches of canvas.

The assertion is made that Pinjalet had sold sufficient to cover, three giant aeroplanes when several buj T ers f began to wonder how he had succeeded in cutting so much fabric from Lindbergh’s aeroplane. Suspecting a swindle, they informed the police, who called on tho commercial traveller and came to the conclusion that he had been deceiving people, all the time. In his lodging 40yds of aeroplane fabric was found. He was promptly arrested.