New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-07-31
4 SWINDLER ~ SOCIETY.

The story of the life of the young adventurer
who reached the end Of his rope and committed
suicide in police court cell the other day can
not be pleasant reading for ii number of people
in good society. 1t too forcibly suggests that
the Snowman knew what he was talking about
when he said that people liked TO be hum
bugged. a Lithuanian peasant. who started
rs an old clothes dealer in Dublin, swindled
that town by various devices, and finally served
a term of imprisonment for forgery, came to
this country posing as Russian nobeman, be-
came n lion of Il smart social and literary set
in Boston and. with the prestige of that con-
quest. imposed on respectable and reasonably
clever people in other tow
There might hove been some excuse for Dub
lin being fooled by Lipman. There he played
the swnder on reasonable basis for swim
ding He came to people asking their help ana
played OH their sympathies for his needs or his
aspirations. But his career in America was
Totally different, and here he gued his public
Notwithstanding his record. which was by 10
means secret. and his pretences. which Il
meagrc knowledge of language and even OF
phvslognomy not to speak of the slightes; in.
u,liry. would have punctured He came here
pretending 10 be a Russian count. though he
spoke no Russian and was Lithuanian Jew
who bore the marks OF his race 80 plainly on
his features that nobody who thought the
subject could have failed TO perceive that he
was n jew and consequently could not have
the rank in Jcw-baitng Russia which he
claimed But all this was ignored. He said he
was n Russian count. Boston was interested in
Russian novels and women who led society
and writer's of oracular authority accepted him
on his own valuation without inquiry. and
listened TO his words Of wisdom about liter
allure Of which he knew nothing except from
TRANSACTIONS They could not even be convinced
that he was an impoStor. When a famous
Russian woman came along and remarked that
the Count" seemed TO know no Russian they
swallowed his glib retort about her dialect
John Boyle O'Rcilly exposed him rs a literary
thief but still admirers worshipped at the
shrine. His forgcrlcs Imprisonment and i'm
posture came 10 be perfectly well known here,
and he exposed in the newspapers, but he
continued to fool people to the day OF his death
lie wrote books dull and dirty books. show
ing no brains and no art His stuff was the
mercst trash. bu; because it WAS written by
pretended disciple OF Tolstoi and was the work
Of a man whom people continued to call count
IN spite Of warnings, literary lights helped to
give 1t circulation, critics were asked to pass
upon it seriously. and were called old fogics
If they refused to be taken in. or to accept I'M
cleanncss as inspiration. What his admirers
could not defend they apologized for and when
they could no longer shut their own eyes 10 his
frauds. in shame at having been fooled
easily they skunk away and left him to swindle
others. The lesson which Americans might
learn from Lipmans life u.s. not to be carried
away by things that fall in with momentary
craze and shut their eyes to the testimony Of
commOn-sense. They might also learn to dis.
trust the literary log-rollers who herald
works Of genius every week the outpourlngs
Of vulgar impostors and coarse grained hacks
Some serious and even harshly enforced social
and literary standards are much needed In this
country But 1t Is not likely that those who
find pleasure and profit In new lions Win in the
future be much more patient with those who
refuse to bow down TO their next favorte and
hail him ms n new prophet because AT last they
have 10 admit that Count Zubof. their genius
OF realism. was. as they were told. only dip
man. the Lithuanian forger. who played on
their appetite for sensations and. shallow him.
self, found pretenders in letters shallOwer than