The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1892-11-26


Trial of the Directors to BE Held In Janu-
of Arton, the Briber.
PARIS, Nov. 2.-The case Of the govern
ment against the Panama Canal Company
was called in the Court of Appeal to-day.
The defendants are NJ. Ferdinand de Los
eeps, chairman of the board of directors:
nj. Charles de Lesseps. his son, yice-chair-
man; NJ. Marius Fontanes and Baron Gotta.
directors of the company, and M. Eiffel,
the ~well-known contractor. None Of the
defendants was present. The case was
adjourned until Jan. 10. counsel for the de-
lar guaranteeing that they would
then appear. The president of the Court
of Appeal reserved his decision ON the
question of whether he would enforce the
presence of Nj. Ferdinand de Lesseps. The
charges that appear in the indictment,
which is q very voluminous document. are
breach of trust and mslversstion of funds.
1t will be remembered that. during the
debate in the Chamber of Deputies last
Monday, NJ. De la Haye named NJ. Arton as
the person w tho did the bribing, and that IL
was partly due to his disclosures that pro-
ceedlngs were begun against the canal of
ficials. Nj. Arton-or, to give his real
NAME aron-was but q few months ago
cutting u wide swath in certain ~sciroles III
Partisan finance and Bohemia. In Jun
last he fled from the gay capital to escape
punishment for embezzlement of q
large sum from a dynamite manufacture
ing company. of which he was a director.
Arton, alias Aaron, made his appearance
in Paris, nobody knows whence. as Q young
man, ana soon became known by his ex-
~travagance. His debut in Partisan life
was celebrated by q succession of fetes or
orgies which ruined him at the very outset.
With no money In his pocket Paris was no
place for him.. so he left the asphalt of the
boulevard for Argentina. whence he re-
tnrned, six years later. with a fort
une made nobody knows how. I'm
mediatelV upon his return he indulged IN
q little bit OF humor. which he took the
troG BILE to see chronicled by the historians
OF the boulevard. and Paris knew him once
more. And this il how he did it. he went
60 lunch In one of the fashionable cabarets
of the boulevard, and when his bill was
presented TO him INDUCED in the luxury of
getting into D heated argument with the
proprietor of the establishment on the pre-
tense that his bill was incorrect. Ho had
not been charged sufficiently by the
modest amount of 1000 or 5000
sisted upon payln He himself hugely
enjoyed the Joke. explaining that be vas in
debt for the amount when. six years prevl-
Dusly. he had left foE south America. So
did the proprietor enjoy IL in the end, unac-
NO AV u w GtO I'LL
back from the new world after a lapse of
several years and lnsist on wiping oil their
~'slate."
But Arton had not come to Paris for fun
alone. but for business. He was not
IN holy odor among his Jewish CO.
religionists. and so he changed his
religion and his name. Aaron became Ar
ton and be took oct a certificate of baptism
as q passport into Christian society. Still.
unlike most 'verts. he did not shine rs an
austere Christian. but he showed his activi-
ty In sundry banking transactions which
were to bepefit the Catholic partv and ulti-
mately and especially himself. He became
one of the founders of n Catholic banking
Institution. which. lt was whispered, cost
the Pope some loss of money, but this did
not prevent NJ. Arton being created a count
by the Vatican.
Next he appears as an intimate of Nj.
Barbe. and through him attains the posi-.
tion of managing director of the Societe de
Ia Dynamite. While holding this position
he induced one of the co-directors. NJ. lie
Quay. TO issue a large quantity of neRoti-
able paper. This operation ended in what
the French call u krach. Two gigantic
speculative operations and Arton's enor-
nous personal expenses swallowed up the
company's assetsA
Nj. Arton. be 1t said, few his kite pretty
high, INDUCED In several extravagantiy ex-
the Monde ue Ia G~nlsnterie fetes that were
sumDtuous. and one OF these, which took
the shape of n ball at the Hotel Cont
mental, has left agreeable memories in the
mode on Pom samuse. His office was on
Rez-de-chaussee of 3 Rue Rouget de Isle,
but he was seldom to be found there.
He was more likely TO be met with in q little
hotel of his own. In the Rue They. where a
perpetual fete was going on, The nabob.
not the financier. was in evidence there.
His household expenses were rated ut $40.
600 francs q month, a pretty handsome fig-
ure for n bachelor. Moreover. he was more
than liberal with his presents. Did O Ger.
tain LADY lose some valuable jewels at the
opera he FASTENED to replace them; SO
quickly. indeed. that he did not wait LONG
encugh for the article to be found and re-
turned to the owner. Did another lady
wish to give q feet To her bonnes amies. a
ball was given to crafty her caprice at the
Hotel Continental. when Anton. dis.
guised as Jupiter. tossed 1000 francs
into the lap of the person who was ap.
propriately costumed as Dame, and, like
her. wooed with a shower of gold. Did this
Dane of the gutter clamor for q suburban
villa. she at once was rendered the most
.eoquettIsh little house on the pretty slopes
at the foot OF which meanders the Seine
OF course, Arton never missed q theatrical
premiere. He capped the climax ON one oc.
casion. wben he took . special train, in
which be Travelled for Q fortnight through
cut France. personally inviting people t.