The evening world., 1891-07-29
FAILED EVEN At HARI-kARI.
But Col, Leybourne, of Catholic
Bank Fame, May Yet Die,
His Gigantic Financial Scheme That
Astonished the World.

A cable from Rome this morning announces
that Col. Leybourne, who astonished the
world some eighteen months ago with a dar-
Ing financial scheme, had attempted suicide
there yesterday In the japanese style, hari-
Kari, by discmboweling himself with a razor.
The colonel Is lying In a very precaripus
state, with little hope OF recovery. Money
losses are said to have been the cause NJ the
attempt.
When Col George william Cameron Ley
bourne, {. f., appeared In New York IN De
cember 1859, with his prodigious idea of
establishing an international catholic bank,
with a capital Of slOO,OoO,OOO, - one
Imagined that disappointment II any kind
would lead him to attempt suicide.
His was an innnits nerve, and the exposure
and downfall which followed the publication
of his gigantic scheme was regarded as simply
an Incident tn the career of a man who would
not b. affected by trincs.
II Was Dec, Z, 1850. that the announcements
was made that the stupyndDus enterprise was
on foot to establish the Universal Association
Rank nad Trust Company In this Cl;y under
the special benedictl0n Of the Pope, with a
capital u 100000 600, to receive. care for
and invest not only the enormous revenues Of
the Church hut the private fortunes NJ It's
members The moneys NJ all other persons
and sects were TO D. received and invested a.
well
The ANNOUNCEMENT created a sensation IN
Wall street. Tho bank was 10 hav. the sane
tipn and support not only u the Vatican. but
thc foremost catholic prclates and fnauciers
u the world
An option had been secured. II was stated,
on the broad charter u the Commercial Trust
tpmpahN, which was obtained In Tweed :
time aud permitted almost ANYTHING. The
JuiV'r-al Bans had also obtained the refusal
0f the second fipor and basement Uf the new
| wilkes building, al Wall aud Broad streets.
he basement was to b. itted up with nre
and burglar proof vaults, and the second
SOor was to be- used "A the main oftice.
The Colonel himself was content TO live
with his wife IN cheap nat at l. 33 East
] Twenty-siNth street This, however, the
debonnAir colonel gave Nut, was simply 20
escape the importunitiss OF people who had
learned OF his great idea
| Col Ley ybourne vas then about sixty years
] OLD He Is Scotchman II herculean proper
| tons, q feet 3Sa inches In height anc weighs
I $40 pounds He claimed To belong To The
ROYAL Engineers, and had the Crimean medal
with the words Alma Bslaklaya and Sebasta-
/ POI engraved on the clasps. lie said he had
| been badly wounded a. BalAkIRyA
lie also had the Baltic medal OF ls54-55,
and another, the Napoleon, for services al
/ Montabello, Palstro, Turbegp, Magenta, Man
gan and solierino. lie had also fought
through the Franeo-PTussian war, and. ate
leaving the army, had spent most Of his timf
In Turkey. Persia ana Egypt, building rail-.
roads ahd following the profession OF civil
| engineer
The Colonel made a good impression per.
sonAlly, bu' his bold plans were suddenly
knocked sky-high by the reputation, frst, OF
| Archbishop Corrtgan, and successfully Of all
the men whose names he had depe ndrd upon
TO place the Universal Bank In operation.
All this did not abash the Colonel aud ht
again approached Archbishop COrrigan, this
time with bribe Of 10000 shares OF stock
He was kicked ont Ot the rectOry, and wheI
the Pope denied over his own signature that
he had ever CountenAnced the banking
scheme, Col. LeybouTne's career in thl,
country came to an InglOrious end.
Ths military authnTities u England after.
wards announced that he had no right 10 thf
medals he wore, or 10 the title Of Colonel Oi
the Royal Engineers
Then II was also learned that the Colonel
nrst began his financial career IN 1857, wher
he established the RmigrAnt savings Bank i1
Rome. II was only small anair, but II wa,
large enough 20 bring him In contact with
the clergy Al ths Vatican.
He gained the confidence % the cardinals
and even the Pope, and then conceived the
idea OF this bank TO secure the business VI the
entire Catholic world.
Since he len New York Col. Leybourne had
not dA1Lled the earth again sufficiently q
bring him into vide public notice.