Los Angeles herald., 1891-04-26
rid. the suaye address

theirs failure. He had never worked, and his
life had been that Of literally allowanced
heir who expected some day to succeed to
ample estates. Thus suddenly thrown upon
his own resources, he resolved that the
world should take the place of his father in
furnishing him support.
At school the young adventurer had
from inclination devoted much time to
chemistry. The knowledge so acquired he
now put to practical USE Going to Glas
gov he sought out wealthy firm of cloth
dealers, and persuaded them that he pos
sessed secret for new and cheap dye.
The tradesmen bit, and bought the secret
for "a, 200. Paraf promptly fed to Paris,
where he ''did up" his uncle in a precisely
similar manner and secured from him $10,-
600. Being in funds and anticipating that
the air of Europe might soon become un-
healthy the chevalier took passage for
America.
He loomed on New York like society
star of the first magnitude. For his rooms
at the Everett House he paid $125 week.
He kept cab standing at the door night
and day. He took baths scented with
costly perfumes. He gave dinners at Del
monico's, and arranged theater party
nearly every night. Not satisfied with
these means for ridding himself of cash he
forced loans on his new acquaintance in
sums ranging from $100 to s., 900. When
nearly at the end of his pile he went to
New England and found some gullible
manufacturers who gladly handed him
$4,000 for an ''aniline black" dye.
Back in New York again, he tackled the
professors of Columbia college and fooled
them ito the queens TASTE" He showed
them how to make butter out Of animal
fat, and modestly said that it was "a little
invention of my own" A company, the
first to produce oleomargarine in the
United States, was thereupon formed.
They gave Paraf d big price for his secret
and elected him president 1t cost them
three cents pound to turn beef fat into
butter, and as they marketed it readily for
fifteen cents all the stockholders were ju-
bilant. Incidentally the chevalier dropped
over to Rhode Island and sold the exclusive
right to use wonderful madder dye to
Governor Sprague for $4,000. Then he
married Mr.. Smiths daughter, and ere the
honeymoon was over had to "jump the
town" 1t came out the 'dyes" and "but-
teri were the discoveries of foreigners, and
were protected not only in Europe but
also in America by patents.
At San Francisco Paraf started gold
mining company, CLEANED up" everything
in sight and fled to South America. At
Santiago he established smelling works,
and duped the Chilians into the belief that
he could get 5000 in gold out of a ton of
copper Shares in the works, of par value
of 81, 900, actually sold for $140,0O0 each. An
accident disclosed the fraud and the chew
alier went to prison for five years. Until
this exposure his wife had believed in him.
She continued to love him through it all,
and upon his release accompanied him to
France, where he died four years ago.
Mrs. Paraf lived three years longer, and
then passed away at Bergen Point, N. j.
Of.this union three children were born
Olga, sixteen years old, who is now at
school in France; Lucie another daugh-
ter, now five years of age, who lives with
her grandparents in New York city, and
the boy Alfred, who is now fifteen. Some
months ago Alfred deliberately left his
comfortable home and joined himself to a
gang of Bowery thieves. The other day
they ran short of funds, and young Paraf
with two companions, went to Bayonne,
N. j., secured entrance to Mr.. Smiths
country house and stole $1,000 worth of
jewelry. They were caught and locked up,
and as Mr.. Smith declines to interfere on
behalf of his grandson the young s0ape-
grace seems due for a long term at the
Elmira reformatory.