The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-02-19
DE LRssRPs AT HOME.
Mrs. Crawford's Sketch OF Frances
Grand Old Man.


Mrs. Crawford's Sketch OF Frances
Grand Old Man.
From London Truth
What misfortune it is for M. de Lesseps
that he did not die sooner By living go
long he has prevented legendary halos
croling round his head. IL was very bad
of De Lesseps to act to the degree he did, as
the cat's~paw Of the knaves who robbed the
Pansma share and bond holders but he was
over 10 when be went into the affair, had
no technical knowledge TO direct him in a
great engineering bubble, and had ten or
eleven young children. What would not
every good pRterfamilias so weighted be
ready to do for such family, which
now, with the two sons OF the first
wife, amounts to a bakers
dozenl Lesseps is good-hearted man, but
he was all his life foxy. l look upon him
as a gasconadiug chRrlatan, but am not pre-
pared to hold him 80 guilty as those depu-
ties who were brihed to vote the Panama
lottery bill. He was IN for Panama, and
possibly gambled against his own life,
thinking that when the wind-up came he
would be in Aoraham's bosom. don't think
that he made much more than his salary as
chairman, and the shares allotted to him
for the use of his name. The sons may have
been better business men, though have no
precise reason to go upon In saying this
The salary OF the father was 96, 900 a year
He was always in need of money. and would
have sold his founders shares In the early
days of the enterprise.
Nine. de Lesseps then bought maRnif-
cent mansion in the Avenue de Montaigne
for Il then heard EGO, 900. 1t had stabling
for the ten or eleven ponies of the young
people and the saddle and carriage horses
She was a most expensive wife for French
man living in Paris. There was a Mrs.
Camp in constant attendance, with a pair
OF Sisters Of Charity. Two housekeepers
and two governesses were required, aud the
nursery maids and other servants were
endless. Not that she was willfully ex-
travagant or fond Of show. The table was
simply furnished, aud all the children
were dressed alike in blue serge, bought
I wholesale. But being a creole, she was in
dolent aud careless, and needed 70 live in a
large way. They had three country houses
wide apart, and all well kept up. l can
quite believe her when she says that her
children are scarcely provided for. They are
her images, but not so pleasing. They
worship poor old De Lesseps, who was quite
a mother to them. He attended to their
nursery affairs and breakfasted and lunohed
with them, she being, while these meals
were going forward, generally in bed.
As the St. Joseph OF the eleven or twelve
little ones he was delightfully."- interesting
multiplied paternity he was great fun, and
he meant to be so. Queen Isabella was the
godmother of the child born the day the
big bubble was launched, and Central
American bishop the godfather. Panama
| once after fall on the bourse recovered 10
francs on the news that Mime. de Lessons
had just had baby. Some days later the
academy elected the babes father q mem-
Der. The press would have borne him up to the
skies had ib been able. Its financial writers
grew fat on Panama. Whenever there was
! to be an issue of Panama bonds they
dropped down on the Service de Publicite
for blackmail and we're not easy to satisfy.
| Journalist deputies, who had little but their
pay Co live upon, suddenly kept carriages
and formed friendships with young ladies
on the corps de ballet and actresses of the
Fransais. Panama paid for the bombance.
Men Of high standing did not scruple to
feather their nests az the cost of the holders
of bonds and shares.