Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1896-08-06
MARRIAGE BROKERS.
Thrifty Matehmakers and Their Fair
Victims

While there are some people who re-
gard matchmaking as a mere pastime
and are content with the sport which
it affords in the shape of more or less
innocent intrigues, there are others
who look upon it as a matter of bust
ness and as a bona fde industry of a
profitable character.
OF these latter some take their re-
Enumeration in the shape of jewels,
Others in social preferment and others
again, in cold cash, like, for instance,
the gentleman who claims to have ne
gotiated the match between Prince Carl
Isenburg- Birstein and an American
heiress by the name of Miss Lewis, of
prince for the sum of $4,000 in the
shape of commission on the fortune of
his American bride. 1t is not often
that the obliging broker is bold enough
to sue as in the instance of Prince
Carts former friend and the fact that
the latter should have ventured to do
so shows that he has but little social
position or prestige to lose. But as a
rule the brokers, especially when they
belong to society, have at their dis
posal far more efficacious means of
compelling payment than the courts of
law, and cases have been known of
couples who, having failed to fulfil the
stipulations of the prenuptial contract
for the remuneration of the broker,
have been literally driven out of so
ciety and into exile.
If very strongly defined impression
prevails that the majority of the So
called international marriages-th is
to say, matrimonial alliances between
impecunious but titled Europeans and
American heiresses-have been
brought about by brokers, and, above
ALL brokeresses, working in the matter
for the sake of a pecuniary reward, the
matchmakers in question have only
themselves to thank for the suspicion
to which they are exposed. For when
dame VIGOROUSLY impecunious takes
leading part in bringing about
union between pauper noble and one
Of the rich daughters of Uncle Sam 1t
is naturally imagined that she, that Is
to say, the matchmaker, derives some
species of benefit from the husband or
from the wife for her share in bringing
about the alliance. Sometimes these
suspicious are unfounded and unjust,
but in the majority of cases they are
quite true. Thus there is at Paris at
the present moment, an old countess,
a lady of American birth (whose hus-
band, although a French nobleman,
distinguished himself fighting as a
union general during the civil war;,
who VIGOROUSLY makes a living from
this particular form of brokerage. In
Vulnerable are the matches which she
has brought about between rich Amer
lean girls and impoverished mobiles of
the old world But the feat of whici
she is more proud than any other,
and which has brought more grist to
her financial mill than all the others
combined, is the union which she ne
gotiated between Prince Roland Bona
parte and Marie Blanc, daughter of the
founder OF the great gambling estab-
lishment at Monte Carlo NJ. Blanc,
it may be remembered, died, leaving a
colossal fortune to be divided between
his son Edmond and lis two daughters,
one of whom married Prince Constan-
tine Radziwill, and the other Roland
Bonaparte.
In view of these facts, it becomes in
teresting to look back and recall to
mind the names of those who have
taken the most active part in promot-
ing international marriages and 10
speculate as to whether their motive
in the matter has been cash or mere
Snort. One of the most persistent
matchmakers during the last ten years
has certainly been the daughter Of Mrs.
Paran Stevens. Mrs. Arthur Paget, wife
of the gallant colonel of that name who
is an extra equerry o. the prince of
Wales. 1t is to the good offices of Mrs.
Paget that are ascribed the marriage of
Count "Bonni' de Castellane and Miss
Anna Could of Miss Consuelo Wander
bilt and the duke # Marlborough, as
well as of Miss Grant and the earl of
Essex, while in the same way Mrs.
Ronalds and Lady Randolph Churchill
have many international alliances to
their credit. Nor must that we'll known
lady be forgotten who received so
superb a diamond bracelet from the
wife of one of the wcalthiest of our
multi-millionaires for having succeed
ed in bringing British royalty TO her
London house, and for having launched
her upon the sea of Mayfair fashion.