The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-05-05
A MIsER,s LAST. MEAL.
/ He Was Said to Have Been a Million
aire Once Well Known in New
]
From the Philadelphia Enquirer.

York.
From the Philadelphia Enquirer.
Advises from Paris tell the following
peculiar story:
"A millionaire, who years ago was well
known in New York society, died in a
miserablY furnished garnet on the fourth
floor of tenement in the Rue Vivienne,
where for several years he had managed
to exist in order to escape payment of
taxes. His name was Alphonse Moliere.
Sixty years ago he was born of wealthy
parents, who, upon their death, left him
fortune of S250,00 BY iudicious man
agement and investments he gradually in
creased this to fully 81 900, 600
For time he lived high, and the best
OF everything was none too good for him.
In the latter part of the COS he visited
the United States, and was for long
time resident of New York city There
he was received in the best society, and,
as his Investments at that time were
highly productive in the matter of inter
est, he was enabled to spend money like
water. In 1873 he returned to Paris. For
a time he kept up communication with
the friends he had made in the United
States, but gradually his communications
became fewer until he was no longer
heard Of
For some time past the frequenters of
the National Library have noticed a thin,
gaunt, gray-haired old man, attired in
threadbare clothing, who visited the in
stltution daily, who spent from eight to
twelve hours reading the newspapers and
Illustrated periodicals. He brought a
frugal lunch wrapped in a piece of paper,
and, TO all appearances, was a man who
while living in the depth of poverty, was
anxious to make that poverty as genteel
as possible. One day last week, when
leaving the institution. he fell exhausted
in the street. apparently overcome with
weakness. Hewas able to gasp out the
street ana the number of the house where
he lived, and thither to a miserable room,
in still more miserable tenement, he
was carried.
Sisters of Mercy were summoned and
his first demand upon them upon being
resuscitated was for the few cents which
he had in his clothing. Although the
weather was extremely cold. he had no
fire in his room, nor was there even a
stove upon which TO cook his meals In
quiries of the neighbors developed the
fact that it was his custom every morning
to beg small quantity of boiling water
In this he place an egg and little bottle
of milk, and when the chill had been
taken of these he breakfasted. the whole
| involving the modest expense of one and a
half cents.
Thus fortified, he passed his days at
the library, and at night took a repast at
! a restaurant of the very lowest class. He
washed his own linen, borrowing the soap
for the purpose. Privation had more than
| aged him. for he had the appearance of a
man who had reached a century of life.
1t was too late for the medical aid
that was summoned by the Sisters to be
of any avail, and the next morning he
died
In a trunk were found a few pieces of
paper, backs of prospectuses, grocers'
paper bags and margins of newspapers
upon which he had scrubbed his library
notes, 2-cent piece and a bank book show
that he had to his credit no less a sum
than 81 200, 900.