Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-05-06

process in Europe, was preparing 10 WISH
this country TO make those who had useu
the dye pay for it. So Paraf pushed ms
explorations into another field. lie pre-
tended to have discovered a new color
which he called oloverine, and TINS time
his victim was a wealthy damask manu-
facturer of this city. While conducting
his bogus chemical experiments, Whlch
was his usual method Of giving eclat TO
I his pretended discoveries, an explosion
occurred which nearly ended the career
/ of both Paraf and his victim. The result
/ Of the clOverine venture was tnat Parai
secured another barrel of money, and the
/ manufacturer was obliged to 20 out or
( business after spending his fortune on
worthless invention. Parat spent tnls
money as he had the first, and after a few
months he was again penniless, with MS
trunks and those of his alleged vile IN the
hands OF the hotel keeper.
10 was at this point in his career that he
made a bold stroke by which he victim
lied ex-Gov. Sprague, of Rhode Island,
and made that then wealthy gentleman
+ pay for his luxurious tastes for more than
a year. Gov. Sprague was on business
visit to this city, when Paraf called on
him at the Fifth Avenue hotel, with the
air OF a man who had millions to give
away, although at this time he was abso-
lutely reduced to eXtremlties. He told
new method Of employing the extract OF
madder in calico printing at cheaper
rates than that in ordinary use. BY his
facile speech and cunning arttice he sue
ceeded in convincing GOV. Sprague that
there We're millions in the new discovery,
HIl Parat went to Providence with his
stim, where he performed Lis deceptive
experiments in such a manner as to sat
sfy the Governor. The result was that
Paraf received SO, 600 cash for his inyen-
ton and a promise Of a part Of the pros
pectiVe profits derived from its use. On
the basis this fraud the erection OteXten-
slye madden dye works was begun in PrOvi-
deDce. and a new office was opened at No.
- Broad street, in this city, with costly
fixtures and a half score Of well-dressed
clerks and bOOkkeepeTs. Parat took up
his principal residence in Providence,
where he spent Gov. Sprague's money
lavishly and became the pet OF society.
He superintended the erection Of the
works. for which service he drew a large
salary, and tor about a year everything
flOurished with him. BY this time, how
ever, the Providence madden works had
arrived so near completion as to call for
the services of the Cheyalier Paraf to
demonstrate their practical utility. II
was then found that Parafs wonderful
discovery was not applicable to opera
lions on an extended scale. and Gov.
Sprague awOke to the fact that he had
been sWindled to the tune Of a cool half
million.
Paraf returned again to this city, and
teOk up his residence at TwentY-tifth
street and Fifth avenue, in the building
now occupied by the New York club.
During his madden experiment he had
spent over 100000, and he now set to
work to spend what little money he had
Iaff a IA IA 4 w IA =
only a few thousand dollars, but he lived
In a style such as few men with millions
at their back would affect. His enter
tainments were numerous and costly,
and one Of them gwen to Hassan, the Tu-
nisian Ambassador, is still remembered
as a marvel of richness and luxury. 1t
was not long before the last dollar was
squandered, and then the woman who
had so long passed as Nine. Paraf finally
abandoned the adventurer and went to
Paris, where she was lost sightOf. Paraf
was very poor for months, and finally be-
came seedy, and was forced to borrow
small sums to pay his bills at cheap res
taurants.
In the Spring Of 1872, however, Paraf
came to the front again as a capitalist
and spendthrift. This time he appeared
IS the inventor of ''Oleo margarine"
/ This substitute for butter was really in
Z NtulFu ny "a Il Ttutu CuCAul5b Utultu mbkt
/ MOurier, during the siege of Paris by the
/ Germans, when the French government
/ offered a reward TO any person who would
/ produce q substitute for butter. Par3t
/ stole the process from his cOuntryman,
i but he was undoubtedly the first man to
4 introduced TO this country. A stock
company was formed with a capital of
/ $500, goo, and a factory was built for the
/ manufacture of the article. Paraf was
] s,..l D. 10 fa.k In, ,r,1 hn n 1.-Two
/ more eXtraYagantly than ever. He pur-
chased a brown-stOne-trOnth house atFOrty-
ninth street and Fifth avenue and dOu ,-
| led his living expenses. In 1873 he went
to San Francisco to establish a factory
there, and while he was absent his fellow
stockholders discovered that he was not
the inventor Of OleO margarine. They at
once purchased the American right from
the real French discoyerer, Te-organized
the company, and left Paraf out. On
learning these facts Paraf hurried back To
New York. He accused the company OF
having swindled him, and the stOckhOld-
ers threatened to have him arrested for
fraud, but nothing came Ofthe threat, and
finally Paraf shook the dust Of New York
from his feet forever.
Paraf had worked his mines In the Uni
ted States TO bedrock, and he now turned
about TO find new fields for exploration
Of Chilli We're an attractive bait, and he
started for South America to secure the
wherewithal TO supply his deficiencies
1t was here that he embarked in the most
stupendous scheme which his fertile mind
had ever evolved, and the execution Of
which shows the gullibility of human ma
ture to an astonishing degree. PARA
went to Santiago, where he assumed the
character Of a man Of wealth, and soon
ingratiated himself with the dons of that
rich city by his elegant enterta 'nments
and pleasing manners. A gigantic scheme
for extracting gold from copper ore was
J the means chosen to penetrate the Golfers
OF the rich Spaniards. Paraf professed tC
have discovered a method Of doing this
and the simple gentlemen of Santiag,
swallowed the gold-tipped hook eagerly
A Joint stock company was Launched
E with a capital Of sl.2j0.00O, immense
smelling works were erected NJ lliguera,
de Lapata and assays OF copper wer,
E made by Paraf, in the presence OF the of
iicials of the company, which returned
large percentage Of gold. The Chiliani
went fairly wild over the "great diseOy
) ery," and Paraf was hailed as a secouC
r Midas, whose touch had Transformed
I their base metals into gold. The produc
4 ton Of this magic gold continued unit
5 one day Don Aldaricio PradO, who ha,
! invested $4,000 in the scheme, had hi
5 suspicious aroused from the fact that th
nagnVa unpnr yfaidad mara tban gfno ,