Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1870-06-30
TOO MUCH PROSPERITY.
story of Two victims of wealth.
Correspondence of the New York world.l

PARIS, June u.
We have had within the last few days
examples to show not only that gold can
not command happiness, but that it is
not unfrequently a curse, rather than a
blessing. sa Ga1a
Prince Anatole Demidoff and Count
kouchelef never knew peace and quiet.
They amassed the most wonderful crea-
tions of art, in all its FORMS from the
Oriental poinard, enameled with ara
besques as intricate as delicate to the
Danes sculpture, whose charms were
heightened by simplicity and boldness,
They had palaces in town and cottages
in country in Russia, in France, in Italy.
Adorned as these abodes were by the
spoils of art they could rest in none of
them. They were constantly on the
railway or in the public inns, as if the
very sumptuousness of their homes made
them distasteful to them. They seemed
to be clogged with honey. The wretched
roads of Spain, of Asia Minor, and of
Palestine, and life under tents, where
only scanty food, of inferior quality, i'll
served, was to be had, seemed preferable
in their sight to the railways and inns of
the civilized world. Their very wealth
drove them to suffer the pangs of pow
erty as something more endurable than
the pangs of riches.
The wearisome life and the unchecked
indulgence of passions antedated years
Prince Demidoif was so outworn that his
parasites here called him Prince Decom-
position. lie indeed seemed as if de-
composition had begun; hewalked with
difficulty, his eyelids hung heavily, half
concealing his pupils; burrows reticulated
and denticulated his face, and his lower
jaw drooped almost idiotically -paraly-
sis had made lodgment there, and had
destroyed the salivary glands condemn
ing him almost to Tantalus' doom In
cessant thirst was his, and he drank every
five minutes, but he could not drown that
craving. Wherever he was--in church,
at theater, in ball room, or in green
room---a servant constantly stood behind
him to appease that unquenchable thirst.
Count Koucheleff did not look so old, but
he locked still nearer the grave; of a
truth, he seemed to belong rather to the
grave than to the earth--an estray on
some respite from the never recrossed
bourne. His pallor was unearthly. He
was so wasted that he seemed less flesh
and blood than mere skeleton. Epi-
lepsy was his tyrant
Prince Dcm;doff * understand 70 have
regretted tbe life into which his nassions
had driyen him Prince Demidoif longeJ
70 assemble brilliant company~Lis ennal
bv talent or birth, or weaitb-aronnd
him in rooms adorned bv art The wish
came Too late His chaysctar was stained
hy ,La low oonnany Le boJ Lent Us
M; m;stresses were r;vetted 70 him bv habit
His ;gnoble comnanions could not easily
10 hbSken Of fnfrmit;es had ;mna;red
bodv and mind So ba Law in tbe miro
;ntn yvb;cb be had been dr;yan and from,
,vh;oh With oil bis l;fe be conl5 NOT evtr;.
cote b;mself Connt KoncbeIoT had no
desire TO see GOOD comnanv His Meas.
nre was 10 he Surrounded by fawners and
aat,ereys and other narasites and ali tbe
knaves who cant TO fatten on his wealth |
as vultures on quarry. His rooms we're
SIleJ with these neonle from morning
t;ll mast midnivbt It was known he had
siod o0o in goid m snend n wear .Tndge
e tbo lnovss were nnmaronsI Again
b;s r,Io was tbot onvbodv introduced n nd
invited bv him 10 dinner or to snnner
considered himself in possession Of a
Standing invitation. As YOU NAV imag-
inc the dinner table and sumner table
never lacked ouests His bili for meals
at tbe hotels where he lodged was CON
T.ontIv sl0o n dav
" He th.sz away money foolishlv One
dor be rave q dinner 10 EIGHT friends :"
NJ rb;ch EiHed IA rrrots3 foncupy were
Sorved This ditb alone cost S50D He
,noi, !, into his head no had ;nvantad' a
go s,aau NY, 49, Twbioh wonld in sneed ontstr;n
iii yessals aaoat on tbe water he snent
seo M ',S1s oos, on n : -Whsn II was launched !,
.onld not be made 70 move A Christ.
,n"s 49, ara ba had q Chr;stmas tree bronebt
- nv Co. h;s gnesss There were on Il SEQ
1oo N y, var,b AZ, of ;ewelrv He freonentIv
~ W. "S ,an,bI;ne nart;ss II was rsrely ,
i~is ~, 'i-aJo or Garcia ou;tted thorn with
la' 'H M, sIo 0oO in the nockets of each
y W AL. ..,.,D