Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1883-08-25
A RUSSIAN NABOB.


tune.
Paris Correspondence Of the PhlsdeIphia Times.
was seated at the Cafe de la Paix yesterday
afternoon, enjoying a 'Mazagran." when .
rather old and by no means neat-looking for
egner sat down at table next to mine. / had
often seen him In the Bots de Boulogne, fire.
quently at the Coincide Franchise, sometimes at
the circus and once out at the Pavilion Henri
". at Saint German. He is little old man,
with care-worn face, hesitating step. round
shouldered, has modest, almost slovenly out
ward appearance, and yet he is somebody NV
neGhbor Of yesterday was the Baron de Steip-
litz. the richest man of all the Russians He is
in Russia what the ROthschilds are in France
wkat Jay Gould or Vanderbilt are In America
almost state within the state. He has mil
lions upon millions at his command and vet he
has sore eyes Not OF very ancient origin ia
this rich Muscovite. His grandfather left Han
over and took up his residence in Russia during
the reign OF Alexander L. There he abiured the
faith ofhis fathers. but he retained the specu-
iatlye genius OF his race. He was successful in
all his ventures and hOnOrS were heaped upOn
him. One day he was presented to the soy
eregn at the head of delegation Of the leading
merchants. The Car called him Baron" by
mistake. and of course the title chung to him
ever afterwards. Since those days the banking
house OF the Baron de SteiglitZ has negotiated
very nearly all the loans of the Russian govern
ment. while. as for the sOre-eyed old fellow here
in Paris. he is the banker OF the crown aud the
adviser of the minister of finances During the
course ofhis financial exploits he mporarily gave
UP his own business i'm order to take in hand the
management OF the Imperial bank During this
period his already fortune increased pro-
die.i0usly.
Once when there was to be an issue Of a new
loan. in which there were annual drawings for
prizes, the governor Of the bank perceived
that such a security was destined. owing to its
lottery feature and the fOndness OF the public
for gambling. to have a rapid rise. He accOr-
ding j subscribed for an enormous sum and the
result justified his foresight tor his profit in this
one transaction has been estimated at not less
than ten million dollars. Another successful
financial operation also contributed to largely
increase the fortune of this lucky Baron about
the same time. but it was at the expense of the
Muscovfte treasury. In 1861, when the paper
rOubIe was away below par. de Steiglitz per-
suaded the Car to order that specie payments
Should be resumed. There was not q sufficient
metallic reserve in the bank to meet all the out
standing paper. but the governor believed that
when the public had the power to change
paper for gold they would not take the trouble
TO do so. He soon found out his mistake, for
the rush was SO great that the military had to
be called out to preserve order. and then the
Baron at once saw that he might make a good
thing of it for himself personally. He began by
getting al! his paper money cashed in hard
coin. and then when the bank again suspended
specie payments and the rouble had fallen to q
lower point than it had ever before touched he
SOLD his gold and was several millions the
richer This successful financial operation cost
the Baron de SteiglitZ his place as governor of
the bank and he returned to banking on his own
account. For several years the Baron has been
leading the existence of a retired man, living on
part only of his income. an income estimated
at the enormous sum Of four million dollars
He Is widOwera and childleSs. and it ia probable
that the whole Of his fortune will go to an
adopted daughter. who is the wife of Senator
PolotZoy, and to his collateral heirs The demi-
mOudaines of this gay capital have no influence
over this old beggar for he is devoted to the
memory of his dead wife. She died some wears
ago and the Baron erected O sumptuOus chapel
over her tomb. and at his palace in st. Peters
burg the rooms formerly occupied by her are
left unoccupied. The old man often spends
whole hours in meditation in the boudor
where she used to love to sit between two
splendid paintings, one by Rubens the other
Titan.
This old banker does not enjoy at St. Peters
burg that kind of popularity which is enjoyed
here in France by the ROthschiltis He has
neither the fOndness for display, nor the public
spirit. nor the benevolence of the celebrated
jew bankers i'll the Rue LATTE. He is of a sad
ana gloomy temperament, seldom shows him
sell IN public and does not throw away his mil
lions but lives retired and somewhat shabbily
He is less Of a Maecenas Lucullus than he
is a Timeon of Athens One day however, he
1ndui@ed in an act of magnificent spIendOr. He
gave reception, to which all the nobility of
It. Petersburg was invited and at which
Madame VOlpini sang for the entertainment OF
his guests. When the prima donna finished her
moroccan the Baron offered his arm to the cele-
brated cantatrice and leading her to table on
which were displayed several richly filed Jewel
cases. asked her which one of them she pre-
ferred. But" said Nine. Volpini. thought
iessly they are all equally handsome The
next morning they were all sent to her home.
When he was quite young man the Baron
had occasion to visit a town in the north of
Russia He arrived one night at an unimpor-
tant station. The snow was falling heavily and
the road was blocked. 1t was impossible to 90
any further and yet the prospect Of passing the
night in a Russian country inn had nothing at
tractive about it. gentleman residing in the
neighbOrhoOd cOurteously offered him q good
supper and a comfortable bed When supper
was over and they were sitting before the fire a
game of cards was suggested and at daybreak
the Baron had lost all the money he had about
him and was some 5000 roubles in debt. The
gentleman asked him to place that sum to his
credit On the books OF the bank. saying that
some day, when he visited st. Petersburg, he
would call In and draw it out. Years passed
away, the gentleman in question was ruined in
business and forced to sell his estate. He called
one day at the bank without dollar In the
world and related his mlsfortunes to the Baron,
who made no reply, bnt As the gentleman was
leaving the cashier handed him a package con-
tanning not three Thousand but thirty thousand
rouDles and every roube was worth half dollar.
might mention a few other traits of this
Kind and could also mention several illustra-
tive OF his avarice. 1t is said that he knows to
q larthing the exact amount of his fortune, and
although the posscssor OF SO many millions he
cannot risk a few francs without feeling anxious
about them. The Russian ambassador laid q
bet with him OF a louis on the result OF the last
grand prix. The BarOns Joy when Frontin won
was as amusing as his anxiety just before the
race was disgusting. If 1 was as rich a man as
that Old fellow sitting next to me I'd drink my
coffee out ola Seyris cup instead of q common
tumbier, even II did have sore eyes. J. II. H.
A California Idiot
Ssrato9s Correspondence OF the Brooklyn Eagle.
very handsome young lady, whose name IL
A. w. Rich, from California, and on her we'd
ding tour, has created quite sensation in Sara
tosa. She is stopping at the Grand Union, and
Is to be seen walking up aud down the piazza
or the hotel for hours at time in company
with beautiful little black aud tan dog She
seems to be wonderfully fond Of this pet The