The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1896-04-20
rHe MAN WHO MADE MONTE CARLO.
traits of the Man whose Peculiar Enter
prise Ruined Thousands.

traits Of the Man whose Peculiar Enter
prise Ruined Thousands.
One evening In the days Of the second
empire crowd of men were reading the
evening paper In salon in the Rue de Ri
wolf.
"Ah," said one, breaking the silence,
ESQ five millions IRE still wanted to finish
the new opera house."
A silent listener took up pen and fill
ed in and signed check for that amount
without word. BY and by, when the
new opera house was finished, that silent
man was somehow the only person forgot
ten in the distribution Of seats for the
grand opening night.
Charles Monselet is responsible for this
curious little anecdote, the hero of which
was Francois Blanc, director of the Casino
of Monte Carlo Blanc was man of vast
ambition, born fnanoier and admins
traitor, who might, under certain condi-
lions, have been Rothschild, but who
lives in history as mighty organizer OF
gambling enterprise, and was really one
of the simplest of men, To see him in his
brown overcoat, his gold spectacles half
dropping off his nose, one would have TAX
en- him for a petit RENTER, whose widest
-
grotto In his little garden, with little plas-
ter rabbits, and fountain which, like
Wemmick's, would almost wet the back
of ones hand.
Before his Monte Carlo days he had been
the guiding spirit in the direction Of the
Casino of Homburg. Benazet, according
| to his flatterers, was the Louis Quatorze
/ of Baden Baden. Blanc, who was imper-
vious to fattery, might with equal justice
have been called the Colbert of Homburg.
| A hard headed, silent man of bourgeois
exterior, man without enthusiasm and
weaknesses, who kept lavish table and
ate sparingly, who directed huge gam
bling machine and permitted himself nc
more exciting dissipation than n quiet
game of billiards after dinner. / have
heard it said in the Tattersall family that
old Dick, the founder of the historic cor.
ner, never made bet Of more than pail
of gloves in his life.
So Francois Blanc rose superior to the
attractions of his own table, despised
trente-et- quarante and was afraid of rou
lette. What he was not afraid of, how
ever, was spending money. To compass
his business ends he laid it out lavishly
and he might, SO they say, have been cred
tied with many acts of genuine benevo
lence and public spirit, whereoi the s'or!
OF the opera mouse at faris may serve al
an example
After the war inc glories Oh hohpurt
and BADEN departed, ana on tneir run
rose Monte Carlo. Monte CAIRO was IN
great, the GROWING achieVemeht Oh iran
co.'s Blanc's lhe-the desert cape, which
by mere force oil mlliions, ne turned ih,'
one OF the most wonderlul Oh tne garuen
OF the Mediterranean llttoral' but IL wa
not done without Keen opposition.
mace the fortunes OF the Nicols IN splte
themselves "A! every iresh oppusi.io,i II
SIMPLY opened MS purse, anu ,he eo,uel
shower tell IN tne sacred name Oh ioca, III
terests. Mime. blahc' ,ne mos, e4ce,ieli
OF wives, was tower OF s.reng,h 10 MN
Where questions Oh arr anu eieeauc
came IN hers was 'he uirec.lng splri.' an
the good man, whose thougnts ana tal
were OF figures ana nhance' was con'en
that her taste shouid/crown MS work'
needed marc head 10 wltnstand 'ne az
tacks that were maze upon MN. Ever
day s post Drought with H. hundred proi
osltions ana threats. Ihey were peopi
VINO had lost thelr money ana oemanoe
It's return WIN herce menaces-specuit