The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1875-07-08
A CELEBRATED ADVENTURES.

Il
CAREER OF THE COUNT SAINT GERMAN THE
SENSATION HE CREATED IN PARIs-HIs Sc
CRET OF LoNGEvITY-SURMIsEs AS TO WHO
HE WAS.
All the Year Round furnishes the follow
ing sketch of the famous Count Saint-Ger-
main: This famous adv enturer is supposed
20 have been Hungarian by birth, but the
early part of his life was by himself carefully
wrapped in mystery. His person and his
title alike stimulated curiosity. His age was
unknown, and his parentage equally OBJ
scure. We catch the first glimpse of him in
Paris. century and quarter ago, filling
the court and the town with his renoWn
Amazed Paris saw man-apparently OF
middle sge-a man who lived in magnifi.
cent style, who went to dinner parties,
where he ate nothing, but talked inces-
sanity, and with exceeding brilliancy, on
every imaginable topic. His tone was, per-
hsps, over trenchant-the tone of a man
who knows precisely what he is talking
about. Learned. speaking every civilized
language admirably, great musician, an
| excellent chemist, he played the part of a
prodigy and played it to perfection. En-
dowed with extraordinary confidence or
consummate impudence. he not only laid
down the law magisterislly concerning the
present, but spoke without hesitation of
events two hundred years old. His snec-
dotes of remote occurrences we're related
with extraordinary minuteness. He spoke
ofE scenes at the Court of Francis l., as if
he had seen them. describing ex-
actly the appearance OF the king,
initiating his voice, manner and language
affecting throughout the character of an
eyewitness. In like style he edited his
audiences with pleasant stories OF Louis
XIV. and also regaled them with vivid de-
scriptions OF places and persons. Hardly
saying in so many words that he was
actually present when the events happened,
he yet contrived by his great graphic power
TO convey that impression. Intended to as
tonish, he succeeded completely. Wild
stories were current concerning him. He
was reported to be 800 years old, and to
have prolonged his life by the use of a
famous elixir. Paris went mad about him.
He was questioned constantly about
HIS SECRET OF LONGEVITY,
ard was marvellously adroit in his replies,
denying all power to make old folks young
again, but quietly asserting his possession
of the secret ofarresting decay in the human
frame. Diet he protested, was, with his
marvellous elixir, the true secret of long
life, and he resolutely refused to eat any
food but such as had been specially pre-
pared tor him-oatmeal, groats, and the
white meat of chickens. On great occasions
he drank little wine, sat up as late as any
ordinary precautions against the cold. To
ladies he gave mysterious cosmetics, to
preserve their beauty unimpsired; to men
he talked openly of his method of trans
muting metals, and of a certain process for
melting down a dozen little diamonds into
one large stone. These astounding asser-
tons were backed by the poss- ssion of sp-
psrently unhpunded wealth and a collection
of jewels of rare size and beauty. From
time 10 time this strange being appeared in
various European capitals under various
names-as Marquis of Montferrat; Count
Bsllamore, at Venice; Chevalier Schoening
at Pisa; Chevalier Weldon. at Milan; Count
Soltlkof, at Genoa; Count Tzarogy, at
Scbwalbach; and finally as. Count Saint
German, at Paris; but after his disaster at
the Hague, no longer seemed so wealthy as
before, and has at times the appearance OF
seeking his fortune. At Tournay he is "in-
teryiewed" by the renowned Chew
in an Armenian robe and pointed cap, with
long beard descending TO his waist, and
ivory wand In hand-the complete makeup
of a necromancer. Saint-Germain is sur
rounded by legion of bottles, and is occu-
pied in developing the manufacture of hats
upon chemical principles. Seingalt bsing
indisposed, the count offers to physic him
gratis, and offers 20 dose him with an elixir
which appears TO have been ether; but the
other refuses with many polite speeches. II
Is the scene OF the two augurs. Not being
allowed to- act as physician Saint Germsin
determines to show his power as an alcheul-
ist; takes twelve-sous piece from the other
augur, puts 1t on red-hot charcoal, and
works with the blow-pipe. The piece of
money Is fused and allowed TO cool. "Now,"
SAYS Saint Germsin, stake your money
again" "But it is gold" "Of the purest."
Augur No. 2 does not believe in
THE TRANsMUTATIcN,
and looks on the whole operation as trick,
but he pockets the piece, nevertheless, and
finally presents it to the celebrated Marshal
Keith, then governor of Neuchatel. Again
in pursuit of dyeing and other manufactur-
ing schemes, Saint -Germain turned up at
st. Petersburg, Dresden, and Milan. Once
be got into trouble, and was arrested in
petty town of Piedmont on q protested bill
of exchanges; but he pulled out hundred
thousand crowns worth of jewels, paid on
the spot, bullied the governor Of the town