Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1896-10-01
a VALLEY ZOE MonLEMEN.
sOme Have Lived the Lives Of Ranch
mon and BeGome WeAlthy.

mon and Borome Wealthy.
Eastern people have little idea Of the
great number of younger sons Of Brit
Ish and European noblemen who have
come to this part Of the state either
to seek their fortunes or to avoid the
Ignominy their poverty might bring up
on them in their native land or es-
cape the consequences OF youthful in
dlscretions to which the sons Of great
foreign families seem to be prone, says
a Colorado letter to the Buffalo EX-
press Down at the entrance to Chey-
enne canyon, three miles from tho
lonely spot where Helen Hunt Jackson
was bureid, there is an estate Of hun
dreds of acres owned by Count Pour
tales, German. He came here to in
crease fortune which was beginning
to dwindle in the old country and to
improve his health. He brought with
him his pretty young wife. She had
been leader In the most fashionable
society in Germany, and was noted for
her beauty, but here she went into
comparative retirement. There were
plenty of social functions at the
springs, but they did not interest her.
Her husband, In company with sever
al business men, built the Broadmoor
casino on hik domains and attached to
it gorgeous restaurant, parlors, dane
ing halls and barroom. 1t was a mag
nificent building, built entirely Of wood
with broad porches along the front and
rear. He built little artificial lake
in the shadow of the mountains and
the white-capped peaks were reflected
in it's waters He ran an electric car
line out past it and he hired a German
band to play on its banks. People
could sit on the porches Of the casino
and listen to the music and watch. the
boats on the lake. 1t was delight
full place. Then, after 1t was all com
pleted, he admitted the public at so
cents head and made money. But
he was more shrewd, energetic and
far-sighted and fortunate than most
Of the noble foreigners. He was only
one out Of hundred of them or their
sons or relatives who attained much
success financially.In Colorado Springs
there are two or three baronets in pref.
ty poor circumstances. They usually
do not wish to be known as having
titles. One of them, at least, is known
only to very few people as noble.
They live quietly and economically
and pass their time away playing polo,
But the spot where the impoverished
noblemen or their sons, or second sons,
are most numerous is few miles above
here, in Wet Mountain valley. OF late
years 1t has been called the Valley Of
the Second Sons. 1t is literally filed
with degenerate noblemen and their
sons and relatives. Only the poorest
of them have come to this valley. Some
of them have bought land, on which
they have built themselves little homes
They live the same kind Of life as the
ranchmen round about them, chop
their own wood, milk their cows and
raise their own vegetables. They have
parted with all the luxuries of civili-
cation. They wear old clothes and big
sombreros, and it is hard to tell some
of them from the ordinary uncouth
A stranger goes into the
valley sometimes and meets one OF
these second sons, or, it may be,
nobleman himself, and after making
his acquaintance and treating him in
the same informal way with which he
might treat any Of the ranchmen there
abouts, is greatly surprised to learn in
some roundabout way that his new
friend is a person of such distinction.
It has become quite common thing
for impoverished noble families in En-
gland to send all the sons but the heir
to Wet Mountain valley. There are so
many of them here already that it must
seem like home to them. They are
pleasant lot of men and they enjoy life.
Most of them are having much bet
ter time in the lonely spot in the noun
tains than they ever had before in their
lives.