, 1875-05-30
Ub& Gbnaup Ufibu,r,
Sunday MorntnR. May 30, 1875.


AN AMERICAN sPIrzLER.
Our readers may not have forgotten the
career Of unique financial genius known a.
Fr1u1ein ADELE SP1rNER, who went into
the banking business in Munich two or three
years ago, aud acquired q large line Of deposits
by paying II OF IL Per cent on all the money
thht WAS brought to her. Ftau1ein Sp1rz1ER
simply placed the deposits in her safes, paid
the interest out Of the principal, and used
the residue in defzaying Ter personal ex-
penses, which were on magnificent scale,
and in giving charity dinners to the poor,
which increased her popularity among the
working classes, who were her easiest dupes.
Traulein Sp11zLEB's career came to an end
only when the deposits in her possession hsd
all been exhausted Then she gracefully
submitted to criminal prosecution for OBJ
tcining money under fa1ss pretenses, and
retired with the serene satisfaction Of hav-
ing made hay while the sun shone, and
the distinction OF having done the
larges: business on the smallest capital ever
known in banking circles. The romance Of
this gifted ladys early career traced her back
to New York conce1tsaloon, and it was sus-
pected at the time that she had acquired her
fngnciM theories in her American experience.
This is strongly confirmed BY Mr.. B. F.
ALIENS autobiographical confessions printed
IA TIE TRIBUNE OF yestarday.
Had the most skillfu1 accountant-for in
stance, the Bank Examiner in this city-had
aocess to all of the books of all Mr. A11xs's
banking concerns in the various States and
Territories, covering all the time and 1ansac-
Eons recounted in this remarkable diary, he
would hnve failed to attain 50 clear and vivid
statement of Mr. A11Es's financial opera
lions as the running comments Of this daily
record give the reader Liko Frau1ein
SP1ruEa, Ar. ALLEN took no account
Of personal expenses, and did not care
how much interest he paid; he only give
up when the Inst dollar Of the principal was
gone, aud be could no longer make PE1x8
paJ PAUL Mr. ALLEN seems to have been
perfectly conscious all this while that be was
setting se.io-oonic part "he sustained his
roe, as the plAy-critics say, to the very Last,
and then he wrote, as GRrAA1D1 might have
written after all his antics: "The play is
over" It Was probably the first time in
years that B. F. ALLEN had breathed natural
II and freely. There must have been feel-
ing Of relief when the safe wss finally empty
TINT he had sighed for in vain during years.
ALIEN had many things to be thankful for
when the curtain was rupg down, not the
1east Of which was that he was playing in
Chicago, H.. and not in Munich, Bavaria.
We have no desire to 60 back of Mr.
AILEN's personal record of his operations,
and 20 We find that his 1ate fnaacial ca
zeer begins with his appointment as
Receiver Of the Missouri l. Mississippi
Railroad, with half million dollars in nego-
table bonds under his control We have no
personal statement Of how he used these
funds. They may have gone into Iowa lands,
Des Moines banks, New York banks, Illinois
banks, Chicago real estate, impecunious
nswspapers, personal expenses, charitable do
nations, ETC. they may have been divided up
among the manifold claims that are made
upon the man who has the reputation OF,
aad lives like, millionaire. At oil events,
there was that supreme indifference to the
day OF settlement which is characteristic Of
4hs American hnancier Of the ALLEN stamp
I'LL the day came around, when HI. ALLEN
innuXurated with the assistance Of legal
sAeut) heries Of delays, It was pending this
Legal psrrying that Mr. ALLEN found an oppor-
eonlty to purchase Chicago National Bank,
which had important political connections,
tho assurance OF certain newspaper support,
Aad line OF deposits amounting to $780,
Go. It would puzzle Less expert financiers
ewing half million past due and unable to
psf it, how to buy bunk that had a capital
ssock OF $500, o,ooo; bat it did not trouble lr.
ALIEN. Besides, he found material assistanos
from the gentleman who owned majority Of
tbs stock and controlled the bank, and who,
i is Eaid, accepted a check ot Hi. A11Exs On
The Cook County National Bunk for S265 600
when Mr. A11Es had no funds there, and
drav tho money to pay himself for the stock
be suld- # this was the way Of it, the depos-
i:ors in the bank were mada to pay the 1etir-
ing President full par value for his stock, the
valne Of which vas then matter Of doubt,
and to present it to the incoming President,
Almost anybody would have been willing te
purchase bank On such terms, but the op
portunity was especially grateful to ar. ALIEN
aa 1t opcnea up large line Of deposits to BIZ
personal control BE mada note Of it il
hin daily recora.. SIT viii help mi
TO work oai the Receiver matter
my intention is to get tho bank'
nonsJ 70 help mysslt individually" he wrot1
down. And hs did work out of 1t, to the ~
= 1iona cost af ths atoekholds11 md depoaltot
L.