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About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 27, 1904)
t r m . r 2 " - ; . 1 2 II--.. ' D ... f ..... , r -K AKK a fortune of 1 1 a.nrio.ono. Add to It the wedding of a Spanish grandee to a beautiful peasant girl. Mix the two with the murder of the girl bride by her marquis husband. Add three sudden deaths, a Catalonlan blacksmith, a Paris blackmailing syndicate, stir thoroughly In the boulevard press and you have the latest sensation at the French capital. sea Paris Is the birthplace of sensationalism. No other city the world could have had the Dreyfus case. In no other jUtal on the globe could the Humberts have deceived a i ile nation. And now Paris has the mystery of the millions the Marquis de Cata-Riera. The name of the mystery tnds like the alliterative title of a lurid melodrama. And iai a melodrama with a most tragical motive, for It I bled an Ignorant Catalonlan blacksmith to nearly grasp r millions of a well known Spanish marquis living In Paris I I to cover him with Infamy. a Plot Exposed by a Newspaper. I Fortune tely, however, one Paris newspaper, the Matin, j 5 used to he carried off Its feet by the wave of excitement Ich swept over the French capital. All the other news- 5ers of Paris were denouncing the Marquis de Casa ra as a forger and a thief. The evidence against him waa d mountain high. Then the Matin sent a commissioner j Spain. Unheralded, unknown, the envoy followed the Ml of the Catalonlan blacksmith, the man rho had raised jj hue and cry against the marquis. When the Matln'a tnmlssloner made his report the whole structure of black Ill crumbled, for it had been planned In fraud and built J forgery. j But the story of It all forms one of the most Interesting .apters of Paris sensationalism since the development and poure of the Humbert swindle. I Somewhere back toward 1873 the Marquis de Casa-Rlera, ?st of the name, lived In a splendid palace In the Calle del Jcala, in Madrid. He owned vast estates In Catalonia, was mensely wealthy, and waa private chamberlain to Queen fttM-lla. He was BO years old and looked 38. He waa a J-lal favorite In court circles and a man whose honor had 1 ver been tarnished, even in the reign of extravagance and lclal corruption of the times In which he lived. ( t Then all In one unhappy. 111 fated hour the Marquli da .aa-ftlera lost his honor and hla position at court and be y;me an exile. Married a Peasant's Daughter. . While vloitlng his estates In Catalonia he met. In this 111 jtt-d ln,ur a peasant child. She waa the handsomest child fe marquis had ever seen. Bh was the daughter of a poor, sinrant tenant. The marquis' placed the peasant girl In a Ihuol, where she was educated. She developed Into one of t moat beautiful young women of Spain, and when she was t years old the marquis, who was then BO, made her his wife. In less than a year .the Marquis de Casa-Rlera murdered 'a bride and her lover, confessed the deed to the queen, and fd to Paris. Through the Influence of the queen, who was en In the height of her power In Spain she afterwards be kme an exile, too the marquis was pardoned, but ordered sver to return to Spain. He kept the condition of hla exile nd never again set foot on Spanish soil. He purchased In rls a home almost equal to a palace. Through the kindly tfluence of the queen he waa enabled to keep his estates In lain and gradually disposed of them for cash. In 1HH1 he led. leaving a fortune of 70.000.000 francs (114,000,000), most f it carefully Invested In securities. This fortune has stead- M I wedding of a Spanish grandee to a beautiful lA 'V y C-J I -7? r I I peasant girl. Mix the two with the murder J V j-f- j- A -51 J jlVv JL I of the girl bride by her marquis husband. Add V L vraC I Va UU I three sudden deaths, a Catalonlan blacksmith. , fs 3l fr ''TV. Jr PW Col a Paris blackmailing syndicate, stir thoroughly r-rs.Yi lfV ejT f,Nl "W-ii A IKrfTr In the boulevard press-and you have the latest V ijM 4 W Yv tSf. Price of Engagement Rings, Has HE modern girl's love for finery and Jewelry aa P W I expressed In the engagement ring has sent the I I price of diamonds up 80 or 40 per cent In the A I last three years." Thla la what a State street Jeweler says, and hla statement la verified by others In the same line. The engagement ring la getting to be ao Indispensable to engagements in thla day and ige that the girl who admlta her betrothal without at the mme time shyly exposing the diamond solitaire that twlnklea 5n her little left hand Is extremely rare and hard to find. J No diamond, no engagement," may be set down aa the mod ern watchword In matters of the heart. Cupid alone is not ufflclently strong to ensnare and hold the hearta of Baldens fair to one man. He must have an assistant, and that In the shajpe of a narrow band of gold aet with a single fX 1 v 3 Hn A diamond; and the diamond must cost from $70 to $100. " Twenty years ago people didn't buy so many nor such expensive engagement ring aa they do today," said the State street man. "Then the announcement of an engage ment was enough, and when the wedding was held a wedding ring was produced, and that was generally all the Jewelry that waa worn by the happy bride. The diamond as an en gagement ring was extremely rare and because of this small demand waa much lower In price. 'This condition may be aald to have lasted up to ten years ago, when the diamond solitaire began to gain In favor among the young people on matrimony bent. It grew rapidly, and now may be said to amount to something akin to a (ad, for it la seldom that we aell any other kind of a ring to an engaged couple, and It la seldom that a couple geta engaged nowadays without the young man blowing himself for a nice big diamond. StlMX0XD).(OX0)(0) iich Ape Involved Murder TThree UDDEN BEATHS tV JEaUACKMAUXN"' Risen Forty Per "Twenty years ago the young man about to be married had only to worry as to whether he had the price of the necessary household furniture, a dress suit, etc. Now, even before he contemplates asking the girl he must arrange his affairs so that he will have enough money or credit to buy a ring In case she accepts him. This phase of an engage ment Is really getting to be a problem from the viewpoint of the young man. He will have to go far and hunt hard to find a girl who will not expect, and even demand, al ring to bind the engagement. No young man wishes to be con sidered cheap In such a momentous matter as the procur ing of a bride, and the result Is that the average Chlcagoan of the better class when he geta engaged spends from $75 to $100 for a ring. " Occasionally one apparently buys the diamond before he Is actually sure that the girl will accept him, as Is shown by the fact that every once In awhile we have a young man come In here In high spirits and buy a first class ring. Next day, or at the most a few days afterwards, he Is back here to return the same, with a look of gloom on his face that Is unmistakable. Presumably he had taken It for granted that he was the Idol of somebody's affections and was badly mis taken. Or possibly there was a quarrel. There might be Tss -ii-ar -t rriTTn .mi - m. nn 1 A .ll ily Increased until today It is tstlmated to amount to 00,000 000 francs, or 18,0U0,IKX). Two Wills and Two Heirs. The marquis had made two wills and both were founi after his death. In the first one he left his entire fortune to a cousin named Rlera, who Is still living, a nonagenarian. In Barcelona. In the second will, dated In 179, two years brfore his death, he revoked the first will and bequeathed the Milk of his estate to his nephew. Jop Mora y Rlera, and failing him to another nephew, Alexandro Mora y Rlera. The sum of l.noo.nno francs was given to a third nephew Lamed Oonzalo, brother of the other two. Then began that series of sudden deaths which within the list few months form-d so sensational a feature of the effort to obtain the $1 oun.uio by forgery. JosS Mora y Rlera. the direct heir, died suddenly In Madrid Just forty-seven days after the death of his uncle, the mar ouls, who had willed him so great a fortune. Thereupon Alexandro and Gonzalo Mora y Rlera took possession of the fortune. But In another month Gonzalo died In Madrid, leav ing a widow, who married a Spanish sous-prefet named An gelotti. In a few weks AngelottI died suddenly, and his wife, the former widow of Gonzalo. survived him but a short time. Of all the direct heirs and their descendants mentioned In the will of the first Marquis de Casa-Rlera only Alexandro was left alive. He assumed the title and took up hla resi dence In the mansion In the Rue de Berrl In Paris, where ho has made his home ever since. J J Helped the Humbert Imposture. For twenty-three years Alexandro de Casa-Rlera lived In Paris. He was noted for his courtliness, for his charities, for his eccentricities. He was the friend of the Humberts and aided them, even to the extent of placing in their hands the vast sums In stocks, bonds, and cash which filled the safe In which the Humberts had declared was deposited the fortune of the mythical Crawford. It was this temporary loan of wealth that enabled the Humberts to postpone the hour of their final exposure. Of course, Alexandro de Casa Rlera's money, stocks, and bonds were returned to him. There was never any suspicion that he was In any way con nected with the Humbert swindle. He simply befriended them through a belief In the truth of their story, with which they so long deceived the Paris police and the French courts. But In all these twenty-three years In which Alexandro de Casa-Rlera lived undisturbed In the possession of his for tune In Paris, envious relatives were plotting to secure his millions, even at the cost of tarnishing the family name. There were a number of nephews and cousins of the first marquis living In various parts of Spain. No one knows how long ago the plot was laid or who began It, but the basis of the conspiracy must have been founded years ago, for the devious trail of the purposed fraud lay through many prov ince of the old Castilllan kingdom. Blacksmith Claims Millions. But the superstructure of fraud and forgery was com pleted at last, and three months ago Pierre Rlera, a great -- . - m v ate r l is Cent in the Last Three Years. romances of Interest written if these cases could be traced to the bottom. Yes, farce comedies, also." A West Madison street Jeweler coincided with the State street man. "The engagement ring Is the thing nowadays, without any doubt," said he. " No girl allows herself to get engaged without getting a diamond from the object of her choice. It Is the thing, absolutely, and the young man who can spend the most for a ring is liable to standithe highest In the affec tions of the maiden fair. Not thai the dear girls of today are avaricious or grasping, but they do love to dress In things that are In style, and nothing Is so stylish as the diamond solitaire. "Women naturally like to shine In fine garments and otherwise, and nothing shines so beautifully or satisfactorily as a diamond. The consequence Is the modern craze for nne engagement rings. The young man who Is going to take to himself a bride has, undoubtedly, got to make provision for the ring before he can consider himself betrothed. Seventy five or a hundred dollars would be about the average price, although this will vary greatly among the different classes. The Increase In the price of diamonds was surely influenced by the modern craze." The statements of the men would seem to outline a gloomy. pa,th for the young man stricken with some young lady and whose finances do not spell $75 or $100. Is It possible that there are young men In this city who are eating their hearts out In silence, allowing the love that slumbers in their breasts' to go unexpressed because of a lack of sordid dollars? Are there romances blighted and ruined because of the sway of the almighty fashions. It were easy for the timid man of limited funds to refrain from asking hla be loved the mo mentous ques tion because he know that he will be unable to give her a ring that will make her shine brightly In comparison with the other girls who become en gaged. But love will find a way for Its votaries. even when In oppo sition to Mme. Fashion. So there Is now the easy payment diamond house. Many of these have sprung up In the city with in the last five years, and have done much to aid and 8ENTJ The oalr preparation of the kind 011 llie iiiMrkrt, If itmitnl faithfully, will lona luatrs and beau ty to th brow and lulu, grad ually darkeolne; tihmi, MmulaJinf their giMwia awl mating lb em C(r Iton ud luDf. Not a d... Bain ill Jar, lOo. DltR H PHRt M for the COM. FLCXION, 6O0. m. Jar. Poattlvelr en res moth nmtn.iiun burn, rtUii. 8 and all akin bluintnlteii. Sainil Jar. lOo. diii: am viorvrr taixxm rOUJJUH. 35c. For tnOM. nurntry an4 bath. Bald everywhere, or direct prepaid uu receipt of pr.ee. (Kiajupii btkeu.) book lot Frit. IlKKAM ( HKAM CO., 34 I'nlon fei-i N. V. City. -r , , Y50c I t" J fl TO-DAY f , I ' FOR A J . J Dream Cream - Vh-Hf I n iw.r . V: " .(i''5 I nephew of the eld marqul. arrived In Paris to spring the sensation and to garner in the millions, Pierre Rlera was a blacksmith living In Catalonia. He was shrewd and cunning, but Ignorant. But he was able to convulse all Paris with his sensation. He had no rmar,, not even to dress decently, but In Paris he found a wlKlr.g syn dicate, eager to supply him with funds to overthrow the mar quis, provided he was willing to divide liberally, and Pierre Rlera. having everything to gain and nothing to lose, agrtel readily enough. One day Paris was surprised by the sensational announce ment that the Marquis Alexandro de Casa-Riera was an Im porter the mean son of the secretary of the first marquis. Pierre Rlera. supported by the syndicate of money loaners, brought forward his alleged proofs. Pierre Rlera's case was this. He showed that the first marquis, for many years prior to his death, had been en tirely blind and was almost on the verge of mental Insanity. His secretary had almost complete control of bis every action. It was the secretary who drew the will of 1S7D, which left the property, first to Jos, then to Alexandro, and Gorzalo. Building the Web of Deceit. Pierre Rlera declared that both Alexandro and Gonzalo Mora had died in 1S7A, a year before the will was drawn, and that the secretary knew IL Pierre produced family docu ments and registers of births, marriages, and deaths to prove his assertion that Alexandro and Gonzalo had died in 1S78. As further proof he produced copies of the death register of the parish of San Martlno de Sarroca In Spain. This death teglster showed plainly enough that Alexandro and Gonzalo Mora were buried In that parish In lS. The secretary of the first marquis, too old to palm him self off as Alexandro Mora, stole all the family documents when the old marquis died, gave them to his son, and sent Mm to Paris to assume the title and secure the fortune. It was the son of the secretary who In 18S1. according to the story told by Pierre Rlera, .assumed Illegally the title of the Marquis Alexandro de Casa-Rlera. Paris Jumped to the conclusion that the story of Pierre Rlera, the Ignorant blacksmith of Catalonia, was true and that the aged and respected Marquis de Casa-Rlera was an Impostor, who had enjoyed stolen millions for twenty-three years. The appearance of the marquis was against him. He does rot look to be more than flo years old. Yet If he waa the leal Alexandro Mora named In the will of 1879 he must be at least 81. Spanish Authorities Aid Fraud. The case found its way Into the courts. The affair was complicated by the unexpected course taken by the Spanish authorities. Every effort was made In Spain, apparently, to bolster up the story told by Pierre Rlera. Permission to search parish registers was refused to the attorneys employed by the marquis. The marquis himself told a straightforward story In court. He asserted that from 1842 to 1851 he resided with his uncle, the first marquis. In Madrid. In 1C1 he went to London to learn banking In the house of Messrs. Frederick Huth & Co. In 1875 he shared his uncle's exile In Paris and was with hlra until his death in 1881. But the sensational press of Paris was with the syndicate backing Pierre Rlera. It was declared that the marquis waa the mysterious Crawford and that his heirs were the nephews whose long litigation with Mme. Humbert enabled her to Impose upon so many millionaires. In short, no story seemed too extravagant of belief for the Paris boulevardler press to print, and the case began to look dark for the marquis. Then one day the whole fabrlo of fraud and perjury fell to the ground. The Matin printed proof that Plerra Rlera'tl death registers and other papers were only clumsy forgeries. The case was dropped with a suddenness that sent Pierre Rlera back to Barcelona In haste, to avoid arrest and prose cution. He had made the gambler's throw for a stake of H 8.000,000 and lost. abet the fad for diamond engagement rings. The swain of slim pocket need not worry how he is going to get the Jewel to adorn her finger when she coyly says " Yes." All that he needs Is the necessary $3 to make the Initial payment and he can get all the rings he wants for $1 a month. It matters not that the payment for the ring will stretch out long after the engagement Is over and the honeymoon come and gone. Two loving hearts are made one and the female end of the contract can go Joyously among her friends with her left hand held unconsciously before her and let the other girls know that her Charlie Isn't "cheap." In the meanwhile Charlie may be walking to work and rolng without cigars in his efforts to make the monthly pay ments and keep even. But why Intrude a tragio element Into the discussion of pleasant things. The rings are some thing that the girls will have and they generally get what they want. " Get engaged without a diamond to wearT" repeated the peroxide of hydrogen Aphrodite who stands behind the gen tlemen's neckwear counter In answer to a question. "Well 1 ahoulil say not. What do you think I c'ud tell th' other (Iris when I told 'em I was engaged? Tell "em he couldn't i. fford tuh get a ring, eh? Well, I should say not That 'ud look good, wouldn't It? Me getting a piker who couldn't xtand fur a diamond! Nay, nay, Willie, the fellow who's going to win a lady now has got to produce a diamond when he asks the question. Ain't that right, Hortense? He wants tuh know'f any girl 'ull get engaged now without a ring." 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