STILL GOING STRONG

Gisborne Times, Volume LXXIII, Issue 12092, 3 November 1933, Page 4

STILL GOING STRONG

“SPANISH PRISONER” TRICK. LETTER TO GISBORNE RESIDENT. Jk That old, old way to “easy money,” tile “Spanish prisoner” trick, is still going strong and yesterday a Gisborne resident received a letter from Spain couched in very much the same terms as employed nuinbeiless times in the past. On appearances this letter is written in a definitely foreign band, but a closer scrutiny indicates that it is a mimeographed copy. A realistic touch is added by the fact that the recipient’s name is mentioned in the concluding portion, but, no doubt, a flood of similar epistles has been broadcast to persons similarly named. The stamp on- the envelope is a Spanish one. but the address is typewritten—apparently prisoners in Spanish prisons have access to a typewriter! Other interesting features of the letter are the occasional lapses from correct English, as “babe” for ‘have* and the use of the singular tense incorrectly. while, as usual there is the testing of the dupe by asking him to go to the ei'pense of cabling to prove Ms bona tides. The text of the letter is a s follows;

“Dear Sir,—Being imprisoned hero by bankruptcy T beseech you to help me to obtain a sum of 2,700,000 Swiss francs I babe in Switzerland, being necessary to come here to raise the seizure of niv luggage, paying to the Register of the Court the expenses of my trial and recovering rny portmanteaux containing a secret Pocket where I babe hidden three checks payable to bearer fo r that sum, “As reward I will give up to y°u the third part, viz., 900.000 Swiss franc's. “I cannot receive your answer in the prison, but you can forward a cablegram to a person of my confidence who will delivers it me addressed as below? ‘ Awaiting vour answer to instruct you all niv secret I only sign “C.E. “First of a]] answer bv cable, not by letter “Badia “Lista Correos 457 “Santa Coloma Fames “Espana “Conform©:——”