A sure way to get rich from Big Teresa (7 photos)

When a person really wants a lot of money, but opportunities to make a fortune in an honest way is not, then the time for creativity comes.





This story is notable for being almost two years long. century and has continued even today. The Aurignac family, which from a widowed father and 4 children, lived in Bozel - a small French village in the early 1870s. The dad who was not a fool to drink, after libations he boasted to noble fellow villagers origin and showed an old sealed chest. There, as the man claimed that documents are kept for a luxurious estate in Auvergne, which daughters and sons will inherit after the death of the "count".



Teresa Humbert

In 1874, the father left the sinful world. But in the chest were not padlock papers, but just a brick: the pseudograph turned out to be large joker. It seems they laughed and forgot. But no. Aurignac's daughter Teresa worked as a laundress in the house of the famous lawyer Gustave Humbert, who then became a senator, and later rose to the post of Minister of Justice French Republic. The enterprising girl apparently inherited the gift materialization of her father's fantasies and declared that she was heiress of Chicago millionaire Robert Henry Crawford. Which one she worked as a nurse and very touched the rich man with her care. In connection with what Robert made a will on her, leaving a sympathetic French girl untold wealth. The only condition for obtaining it was publication of the papers only after Teresa's younger sister, Marie, who assisted in the care will reach the age of 21.





Teresa with her husband and daughter

Humbert's son is a budding young lawyer Frederick so was impressed that the heiress of the millionth fortune that he married Teresa. Naturally, no bank refused a couple a loan, because the guarantor was the name Humbert and looming on Teresa's wealth horizon.

Suddenly, two nephews of the deceased millionaire appeared with another will. according to which the inheritance was divided between them and Marie, while Teresa received only a modest annual annuity. Woman went into a frenzy. Humbert Sr. was brought in. Reached out endless trials that lasted almost a quarter of a century. Since it is one, then the other parties deliberately dragged out the process and did not appear on meetings.






Postcard, circa 1903. Prefect accompanied by magistrates during the opening of the family safe

It was decided to place Teresa's documents in a safe. Humbert Sr., who by that time had taken over as Minister of Justice. What guarantor can be more reliable?

Time passed. The couple continued to lead a luxurious life and take loans. Not particularly in a hurry to return them. And as soon as the banks tried make claims, the millionth immediately popped up as arguments inheritance and authority of the minister's father-in-law.

Finally, in 1902, after long ordeals, the court ruled in benefit spouses Humbert. When the bailiffs came to their house for an autopsy safe, the couple was not found (the old Humbert by that time had already been several years since he died). Like most valuable things that spouses prudently took with them. But the safe remains. in which after The autopsy revealed only a bundle of old newspapers.



Teresa and Eva after being caught in Madrid

But at the same time as the story of the inheritance, the lady opened insurance company Rente Viagere, which actually represented financial pyramid. And from a provincial girl turned into business tycoon Big Teresa. So in addition to debts to banks, she also owed a lot of contributors.

Found spouses by pure chance in Madrid. A vigilant neighbor noticed that they were receiving a suspiciously large amount. French newspapers. In 1903, a process took place in Paris. before the court the spouses Humbert, Teresa's sister Marie and ... the nephews of the deceased appeared millionaire Crawford. Which turned out to be the Orignac brothers Emil and Romain.



The cunning family came up with the perfect plan - to delay process through the absence of a second party. Let andfake. The bankers, realizing the scale of the catastrophe, backpedaled and began to assert that Funds were given out on a whim. And potential the inheritance of the borrowers has nothing to do with it. After all, adequate clients are clearly not would carry their savings to an organization that so frivolously throwing away other people's money.

A crime family that enriched itself by a total of 120 million francs, paid a fine of 100 francs per person. True, the spouses were imprisoned for 5 years for forging documents, Romain received 3, Emil and Marie are 2 years old. But lawyers got involved, because legal incident - it is impossible to forge non-existent documents. So that the swindlers soon got out and prudently departed for the States.

In 1983, the film Teresa Humbert was released about the adventures of a clever swindler with Simone Signoret in the title role.