St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-06-03
he IS A COSMOPOLITAN.
RUSSikN CITIZEN WHO gAS HAD A
R0KAaY1c CAREER.
HE SPEAKS MANY TONGUES.

Hobnobbed " it'll Royalty-Organ-
lied Many European Excur-
sions - Helped to Introduce
George ~. Pullman's Sleepers
z in Europe Introduced
u Col. Mann's Boudoir Cars.
Joseph Nelken, called "Baron" gener-
ally. is unique character who has re-
Gently taken up his residence in st. Paul.
He is Russian by birth and coSmo-
poiitan by inclination. He has spent
most of his life in seeing the world and
has had a romantic career. He is OF
familiar terms with the majority of the
languages of Europe, and needs no in
terpreter any place. Before coming to
this country. Mr.. Nelken spent many
years in England. France, Italy and
Belgium, besides the time in his own
country. His familiarity with great
cities and languages gave him an entire
10 circles of distinction. For some time
he was employed as courier by many of
the most prominent tourists in Europe.
In 1878 he was employed by Col. Mann,
inventor of the Mann boud0ir car, and
with hun went through Europe. At
the time Col. Mann was introducing the
first car OF the character ever seen lU
Europe. He placed his cars in service
between Paris and Cologne and between
Paris and Berlin. At length large coll
tracts were made with several of the
leading RAILROAD companies Of Europe.
In 1874 George NJ. Pullman went to
Paris and also engaged the services of
MIR. Nelken. Pullman was exhibiting
his sleeping ears 10 railway companies.
The first magnate TO ride in one OF MIR.
Pulimau's sleepers was Baron Alfred
de Rothschii., he taking trip from
Paris to the first station outside the city.
Through the instrumentality Of Mr.:
Nelken, party of railroad directors and
representatives of the leading newspa-
perS OF Pari, look an excursion i'll Pull
sian sleepers to Turin. Italy. Acting
gnder instructions from his employer
Mr.. Nelken issued tickets at this place
for general inspection of the cars, and
the desire 10 See them was so great that
general tour of the country was made
and Rome was finally reached. Hum.
bert, than prince, visited the cars with
his staff. Vienna, ST. Petersburg, and
all the principal capitals of Europe
were visited in turn. At st. Petersburg
the cZar, who was af.erward murdered,
visited the cars.
In 1876 Mr. Neiken was employed as
courier at The Grand hotel in Paris dur
Ing the exposition. Among the many
prominent guests he chaperoned were
Admiral Casey, of the United States
flagship Franklin Col. John w. ForHey,
Lord Alfred Padget, and many other
European aristocrats.
In 1880 Mr.. Nelken started in on his
own account anu organized an eXcur-
sion from Brussels to the battlefield of
Waterloo, making rate OF 81 for the
round trip. Heretofore trips 10 that
point were made by stage coaches at IS
Tor The round "trip. Ever since that date
the fare from Brussels to the historic
Battlefield has remained 81.
IN 1852 he organized the first excur-
Son ever made fromBrussels to London.
Including in the round trip tickets the
sOtel fare. The first day at London the
party attended the great London derby,
i'll which twenty-four horses ran and
the American horse lInquoiS won. Dur
ing the remaining six drys the party
visited the Crystal palace. Windsor
castle, Nine. Tousseau's exhibition, the
art galleries, Creedmore guards and the
parks. ....
Two months after this he ran all ex-
cursien from Brussels tosNienna. on the
occasion of the royal marriage of Prin-
cess Stefani and Crown Prince Rudolph
of Austria, who afterward committed
suicide. There were 200 in this party,
filling two first-class hotels in Vienna.
The rOyal marriage was the finest sight