A charge of fraud now being investigated by the French police irresistibly reminds one of the celebrated Mme. Humbert, her safe and her mythical legacy from the "Crawfords." It came to light through proceedings taken by a Paris banker named Bange agains; a Mme. Léotardi, living with her husband in Paris, The banker had advanced money to Mme. Léotardi on the strength of a large fortune which she alleged had been left her by an American woman, Miss Lilian Fair Heller. These proceedings were soon stopped, Mme. Léotardi having repaid the advance, but in the meantime the amount of the supposed legacy, some Frs. 500,000,000, at the present rate of exchange, had attracted the attention of the newspapers, and investigations were made.
It appears that, about two years ag0, a woman calling herself Miss Lilian Fair Heller called on a Marseilles notary, M. Gasquet, accompanied by Mme. Léotardi, and" executed a power of attorney giving Léotardi power to effect, with the help of the notary, purchases of real estate to the amount of Fre, 2,000,000. No such purchases were made, for excellent reasons, og will be seen later on. In July, 1921, the notary received a letter signed that the writer was in poor health Lilian Fair Heller," intimation and enclosing her will in a sealed envelope. Shortly afterwards, Mme, Léotardi informed the notary that Miss Heller died on July 9, four days after the despatch of the letter to the notary, on board her yacht, 'Th' old Chap, in barcelona Harbour, Mime Léotardi added, that she had been left the whole of Miss Heller's Property, on condition that she took care of Miss Heller's pets. She aso mentioned that Miss Heller had a brother named Wilbur Heller. and that the greater part of the fortune consisted of shares in a steel works at Boston, Mass.
As the law forbids a notary to open 2 will without formal Proof of the testator's death, M. Gasquet wrote to the French Consul at Barcelona, for a copy of the death certificate, but it was impossible to find any record of the death or of the presence at any time of Miss Leneal at Marseilles was consulted Heller at Barcelona. The American ut the replies to his queries were that no one at Boston had, ever heard of Miss Heller or her brother Wilbur, and that there were no cee works at Boston.
called on him and asked for an letter to the notary, Mme. Léotardi ortly after having sent her
advance of Frs. 15,000 to meet the cost of going to the United States to fetch the death certificate. He, of course, refused. She then, ac-
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.