Rock Island Argus., 1893-12-28
QUEER AND GIFTED.
an ARTIST WHO PAINTS MONEY LIKE
THE REAL THING.

a Soldier. Socialist. Artist and Josrnniist. |
and he Hes . noiSy-HIs Great Regard
ror Rsbclais-Some oG HE Remarkable
vaintiags Described.
Poor Victor Dubreuil. who lives in
Forty-fourth street, paints United States
currency so that it looks real, and yet he
rarely has in his pocket two coins to
jingle together.
Over tho liar Of Seventh avenue sa-
loon hang several Of his pictures. Ono is
called Barrels o Money" The barrels,
or kegs. are Of good. stout oak. set in q
row three deep. and from their yawning
months 81. =. $40. $50. $s5 and $50 and
$l0O. $200 and $500 bank notes. apparent
" fresh from the United States treasury,
arc escaping by hundreds. The bills in
some Of the barrels are weighted down
with heapinS shovelfuls Of gold coin Of
tho larger denominations. These seem
to glitter in the light. and so do tho dia-
monds and turqnoiscs which have fallen
from the kegs and lie sparkling beside
them on the floor. With them are large
bank note sandwiches done up in paper
wrappers. over the edges of which crisp
new edges OF the bills curl temptingly.
To the left of this painting hangs an
other OF about the same size, which, rs
it not only tells = story Of its own. but is
the key to the life, struggles and aims OF
the man whoproduced it. is the most i'm
portant and interesting III the place. The
spectator appears to be standing inside
the railing of bank or large mercantile
counting house. Before him is the tell
er's or bookkeeper's desk, upon which,
cleverly foreshorteneda and painted, lies \
ledger. the ruling and writing on the
pages of which are well simulated. To
the left of the book is a bottle Of ink,
from which n pen protrudcs. Under the
desk lies an overturned stool. The cash
drawer. with its brazen handles, is open,
and a desperate looking man. with un-
kcmpt, tawny brown hair and long
beard. s1uints along the glistening barrel
Of loaded seven shooter ON the other
side of the grating around tho desk.
while an aged cronc in Il red cloak stands
beside him, and with her skinny arm
thrust through the open window in the
grating transfers, with greedy and tri-
umphant leer. bally packages of rcalis-
tic bank notes from tine drawer 10 q fold
OF her skirt.
Stand in what part Of the room you
Will. you arc compelled to gaze down
the barrel Of the revolver which covers
the Spectator ut all points, and to shud-
der at the hungry leer of the woman,
which. strange 20 say. is Enthusiastically
seen to linyer upon her careworn face,
although her eyes, those windows of the
soul. ere hidden by her blood red cloak.
The woman is the artists cx-washer.
woman. now gathered TO her fathers.
Her desperate looking accomplice with
the pistol is the artist himself. and the
entire picture is the key to the aspira.
/. tions. disappoiu:mcnts. joys and sorrows
of Victor Dubreuil, ex-financier. soldier
journalist, organizer. porter and stable.
man. and Mt present artist, author and
socialist agitator.
This will bc better understood when i,
is explained that the title Of the picture
is "a Prediction For 1900; or. a Warning
TO Capitalists"
81 am vat you peeps call vairsateel.'
, said the artist. Il paint ze steel life, z.
| genre, ze landscape. &c portrait-any
! Sing vatevarc. gone to Amerilue.
have no monnaie. l so to Thcophil.
Kecck, 20 bankairc on Clinton place
work zcre rs s;apleboy dwendy-tw,
hours day for four mons. get dwell
dol!aire u mons. BY my economic saf,
forty-fvc dollaire. Zen say: .Dubreuil
you owe monnaie. You must pay heem
You cannot get reech as n staplcboy
Vat. zen, will YOU do:' silt, 4 will pc
COON one ar;eest.' So do so."
Besides being an artist. II. Dubreui
has been soldier, serving with tin
in banking house and then went int,
the business on his own account. II
became interested in the formation of ,
company which should do for Franc
and Africa what the East India compan,
did for England and India, with the diff
ference that through Dubrcuil's compan
the workingman, not the capitalist, wa
to reap the reward. To further tli
scheme. he became a newspaper man
and for SIX months published La Polii
ique d'Action. Judging by his own state
ments. this journal was 30 searclingi
and caustically truthful as to arous
first the ire and then the fear Of capital
lists. who. according to his story, RUNE
him.
| During his good fortune and his ba
there has been one occupation that hil
always engrossed this soldier banker
socialist-artist. 1t has been the study q
Rabelais. with the intention of explain
ing him to his fellow countrymen an
the world.
In the quiet retirement Of his studio
on West For;y-fourth street. the Sc
taught artist tolls day and night to fiji
y y