The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-01-19
An Incident a. Monte Carlo.

A cablegram announces that the bang ct
Monte Carlo suspended one evening last week
before the extraordinarily successful play Of an
unknown American, says the Chicago Neirs,
This has happened Cnce before. Two years ago
our admirable friend. Billy Knox. having had a
yicissitutinOus experience on the London ed-
ton Of the New York Herald, concluded 20
sever his connection with journalism and make
a tour OF the continent. He was particularly
anxious 10 visit the Riviera and Monte Carlo
was the spot he pinned 20 try conclusions with
So be had his sovereigns changed into francs
and of be started, With numerous letters Of in
Of his proposed journey. Billy spoke
French very we'll presumably be
cause he roomed for one winter with Monsieur
Willard B. Hereby at Springfield. At any rate
be made friends wherever he went, and at Nice
it was all he could do 70 resist the blandish-
ments OF lie Comtesse de Bourbon, a wealthy
widow who wanted TO engage him permanently
as her secretary and type writer. The comtesse
was sister Of the Count Of Paris; the brother
or her late husband was one Louis de Bourbon
a handsome, convivial. careless lad who, bank
rupt in pocket, had become a dealer in the
prlDcely gambling house at Monaco. Finding
that Billy Knox was bound to leave her, the
comtesse gave him letter to her degenerate
brother in-law He will give you pointers on
the game, Billy" said she, in French.
So Billy started for Monaco andwhen he got
there he called on Louis de Bouron. They be-
came fast friends. Louis came on watch about
IL o clock every night. He ALWAYS took off his
1870.
deal. Every twenty minutes a Niger brought
him whisky sour. Louis was considered the
crack dealer in those parts. Whether be gave
billy Knox any pointers or not we do not
know and therefore cannot say. But one even
ing Billy had such run that the BANK had to
close down.
The prince Of Monaco himself was dealing;
being blind he had TO determine the denomina
ton of the cards simply by the sense Of touch
This required severe skill, but having been born
blind the prince knew his business. Billy kept
nd kaWar Nwava aawa~rF
Two thousand-ten thousand-forty thousand
one hundred thousand francs 1t kept a valet
DE chambre busy sweeping Off the napoleons
into Billy's gripsack. Billy kept betting on the
queen and kept on winning.
Wow! squealed the prince every time Billy
touched him for that pile.
By and by the prince scratched around in his
cash box TO find that he hadn't sou left Just
then--it being II o'clock-Louis de Bourbon
came on watch.
by your majesty's leave. says he, doing off
his blazer, 81 will relieve iyou."
II have been relieved already" answered the
prince ruefully. There is not bean in the
drawer; we're busted-turn off the gas and shut
up the house for the night
OF course there was much confusion and a
vast amount OF scandal. Billy didn't wait to
participate in it. He shouldered his gripsack
and took the first train for Italy. 1t is esti-
mated that his winnings reached the equivalent
Of $4,000. A month later the Paris Figaro ex-
planned that Billy had imposed on the blind
prince by adroiTly ringing a cold deck on him
a pack OF cards composed wholly OF queens
Ordinarily the imposture would rave been de-
tected, but of course his blindness prevented
the unfortunate prince of Monaco from seeing
through the trick.
Now, as we have said, 1t is Impossible TO de-
termine from the evidence before us whether
Louis de Bourbon was priyy to the plot This
much, however, we know, and it is significant:
Billy wrote to Louis de Bourbon about a year
ago and got him to come over the sea and out
to Chicago to serve the worlds fair enterprise
as an attache OF the advertising department
You may have seen Lonis around worlds fair
headquarters; a tall, pale. distingue young man
with gray eyes, smooth-shaven face and black
hair that falls in tumble over his white fore
head. Louis dresses In a style of his own-al-
ways In black, with wealth OF shirt-front a
Byronic collar, somber flowing bow and care
less SLOUGH hat But he is famous raconteur
is Louis de Bourbon, and the girls admire him
passionately.