Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1879-06-15
The Peasant millionaire, :

The The Peasant millionaire Mi 9l' ,"
By the murder of Josef Weyer at |
Szentes, Hungary, the Emperor of Aus
tia has lost one of his wealthiest and
most noteworthy subjects peasant who
was much more CURIOUS character
than ninety mine out Of hundred peers
and princes Of the realm. Weyer was
popularity known as the ''peasant million
aire. - Sixty years ago he began life as
aEsmall farmer. AT the time Of his death
he enjoyed an income Of 500, 600 guldens,
in spite of which he lived in modest
farm hOuse, dressed like peasant, ate
food which his wife cooked, and in,
dulged in no luxury except horseback
riding. .Iz ssI5s. VS.. 81. 81, 4 5,55jsa.
The latter might be regarded as ne.
cessity. though. Like most Hungarian
farmers, he was an extensive cattle
breeder, and his herds were scattered
over miles Of vast grazing plains. He
counted his houses and farms, too, by the
score, and up to,the day Of his death
Ikept'all of his vast possessions under his
personal supervision.
Many curious stories arc told of the old
farmer prince and his eccentric ways.
He was peasant to the core in spite
ofhis enormous wealth, and looked it.
At one time he bid at an auction sale OF
oxen, which, according to Hungarian
fashion, were put up BY Jokes. There
were 800 yokes, and the old man bought
| the whole 600 beasts. The auctioneer
was stranger, and when the miserable,
shabby little. granger who had bid so
steadily was pointed out to him: he wax
ed wroth.
"Josef Weyer," he said, "do you not
know that it is forbidden by law to hoax
public auctioneer?''
''Surely, sir, SURELY was the reply
"The price of the oxen you have bid
for must be. paid down. Cash! do you
understand? CASH."
! The old man dived into the breast Of
his dingy dolman,; hauled out a ragged
old blue silk handkerchief, and without
a word counted out pile of 1000 gulder
notes, that made the auctioneer's mouth
water.
! cts a pity you have no more bull
locks" he said, as he rolled the remaining
notes up and stuffed them back into hi
breast;'I was in hopes to be able to bu,
a thousand or 500
1 During the state of siege which sue
| ceeded the Hungarian revolution al
3 edict was enacted forbidding the peas
ants ofthe Thesis valley to use saddl
horses without a special permit from
the military governor.
One day some gems ID 'GTn1es overlook
Josef Weyer riding along some twent
miles from Szentes, on his favorite hors
and demanded his pass.
: at is at home IN my house in Szentes,
he said.
, :sIndeed! And how is it that 20
] venture to affront the law by travelin
: without pass2''
ssTraveling? Why, / am not travelling
8 / am only visiting my estates"
The .gens-d'arnes grinned. They far
cied they had prize in this old begga
! who with sweep of his hand claime
Z proprietorship of dozen leagues Of lanl
i Perhaps he was even one Of the dreade
Il revolutionlsts. At any rate, they arres
8 ed him, laughed at his request to send
t his house for his pass, and as the Judg
was busy ordering insurgents off 3
Q patches to the fortress or the grave, b
9 was locked up for several days. He di
! .not grumble, and true to his busy il
:; stincts pottered around the Jail doin
. light chores till small Official who kne,
= him found him cleaning window.
: "Good heavens. Herr Weyer" he e,
q claimed, "what are you doing here?'
q oDont you see, my son? Cleaning Il
windows The gens-d Farms arrested n
It because had no pass"
10 The man secured bis release at once.
d short time afterward, on the day of b
4 marriage, a lawyer handed him the dee.
2 Of a comfortable little farm and ten GOV
4 and oxen. Old Josef Weyer had not 70
= gotten the good turn he had done him.
= Weyer purchased his farm from Coul
. Steven Karoly, WHO let him have it {
i easy terms, in view Of his poverty. Ma
a shall Haynan fined the count Of ha
al million gulden for befriending Kossut
d after the capture Of Ofen by the imp
IS rial troops. The Counts resources we
+ badly crippled at the time, and his ste,
ard was in despair at his inability
make up the amount Of the impositio
when little old man, smelling rank
', of sour milk, called on him and state
a. that he had heard Count Steven wantt
l. to borrow some money.
- SWELL, what business of yours is that
- 81 thought might help little, 81
- The Count was good friend to me on
q God bless him land would like
* help him if could.' {,
!. The steward laughed heartily.
= "Why, my dear fellow, do you kno
how much money the Count needs}"
70 Excuse memo, sir.n
Ill 'Two hundred thousand gulden.
you know how much money that ISL"
'Lookl look! muttered the old ma
as scratching hls ear. .sWhy. I haver
brought that much with me, to
sure" l:,y.
= 81 should fancy not IT,
= "But here is hundred and eigh
y thousand. III go home and bring Il
i rest IN the morning"
ID Josef Weyer was assassinated me
q brutally by a drunken vagabond at
Id public house in Szentes. The miscrea1
who was mad drunk, was shot dead
III the police in attempting to secure hi
The colossal fortune of the peasant m
az lionaire will probably go to the State,
OF his wife is dead, and he is not known
=. ~ have any heirs.