The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1895-04-17
AWFUL STORIES
Told of the Doings ut n Swell Club in
Rome.


Americans visiting Rome would do well
to fight shy of the Hunt Club, which until
quite recently has been the most exclusive
and chic institution of the kind in Italy, be-
ing the Italian counterpart of the Jockey
Club in Paris and Vienna, of the Union
Club in Berlin, of the Yacht Club at st.
Petersburg, of the Veloz at Madrid the
Club des Mobiles at Brussels and the MARI
borough in London. For there is no club
that l can recall just now which has
many glazing and ursavory scandals to it's
credit, says "a Rome letter.
A few years ago the envoy of a South
American republic was discovered cheat
ing at cards there and expelled. A year or
two later a young patrician bearing the IL
lustrious name of Lamberto Colonna, was
detected in playing unfairly at a game
known as Dutch whist the fellow member
who was the first to lay his hand on the
arm of the culrrit and to charge him with
the Offense being Count Antonelli, nephew
of the celebrated cardinal, since Tilted by
Premier Crispi's daughter, Italian Minister
Plenipotentiary at Buenos Ayres. On the
preceding night he had won 900 francs
at ecarte from member of the club the
Duke Monzuoli, at a single sitting, and the
GOO, 600 francs which he had cleared at the
Jockey club at Paris during the course of
the preceding summer were probably won
in the same way He was numerically
trashed and kicked by those who had lost
to him before he was finally thrown, hat
less and with his clothes in rags, into the
street.
About nine years ago there was still an
other scandal, owing to one of the most pop
ular members of the club being arrested
in the club dining room on a charge of for
gerry. 1t seems that he had forged the name
of a fellow member, the duke of Tramastra,
to a number of promissory notes, which he
had discounted by Saracc, the usurer most
in vogue in Rome, and who is incidentally
Of m hicri
Duo Ludovico Ingami, the forger, managed
to secure his liberation on ball. which, of
course, he Immediately jumped, and is be-
leved to be in this country at the present
moment.
And now we have a young Italian diplo-
mat, the Count Visone, son of the former
cabinet minister of that name and of one
of Queen Marguerite's favOrite ladies in
waiting, and himself quite recently officiat-
ing as charge d'affairs at Berlin, raising
money at the club on bogus check and
running away to the United States. It
seems that, having lost 1900 francs at bac-
carat, he nonchalantly drew a check on a
Berlin bank for Is, 600 francs, which he hand
ed to the club steward, saying: Pay 5000
francs to these gentlemen and give me the
balance"
This was done, and the count pocketed
the 5000 with which he vanished from
Rome. the check returning few days aft
erward from Berlin dishonored, with a
note to the effect that the amount of his
credit at the bank in question did not ex-
coed a. OF course his name was at once
removed from the roster of the diplomatic
service and from that of the club.
But such an occurrence as this can only
hasten the final smash-up of this thorough
ly discredited institution from which many
of the most prominent members, including
the Princes Doria, Odescalchi, Chigi and
Palavncini, have recently withdrawn with
the object of founding new club bearing
the name of the Union in the Palazzo Sci
ARA.