The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-12-12
MONTE CRlSTO OF THE PLAINS
He Spent MOney Like a Primo
His History
but No Man Knew

brought an abundance of money into
the country, and he gave thousands of
people employment. AS long as he
prosecuted his gigantic schemes this
was the most prosperous portion of the
state. AT one time more than 1000 peo-
pie We're employed on the ranch He
kept the road open to San Antonio, g.
distance of nearly 800 miles, and relays
of horses were established every ten or
10 miles. He had a daily mall and the
road was lined with teams hauling sup
plies and machinery TO the famous
ranch. Carleen was very fond of the
society OF educated men and accom-
plished women, and for a long time the
big ranch house, which he called the
palace of st. Cloud, was crowded with
people who appeared to be there in
search of pleasure, to the exclusion of
everything else.
The Frenchman liked San Antonio,
delghting TO call it -'Old Sanantone, :"
and he went there very frequently. He
painted the place carmine when he got
there, and il is we'll remembered that
he never lacked for friends to help him.
One time we heard that he dropped
100000 in gold at the FL Moro, but if it
was true it never caused him to change
the expression of his features. Some
times he extended his trips to Old Mex
leo, and upon one occasion it was ru-
mored that he went to London and
Paris.
He had been pursuing his strange
career about seven years, living like
a, Monte Cristo and exciting the wonder
OF all western Texas, as if he were a
Cagliostro in league with the devil,
when one rainy evening. just before
Christmas, a, lady descended from the
Ill,
woman carried crucifiX in one hand
and Bible in the other She inquired
for Carleen. and then asked for a room
in which she might appeal to God I'M
disturbed. On the next day she went
to the palace of St. Cloud, and as she
entered at one gate. Carleen went out
at the other. He never stopped until
he was safely ensconsed inside of the
White Elephant at San Antonio. He
never denied that the little woman was
his wife, but that there was some terri
bic secret between them which
nearly CONCEALED the mans blood
every time he thought of it, and
made the womans face repulsive to
him, was beyond any question
He at once plunged into
the widest kind of dissipation and his
best riders and fastest ponies were kept
busy for two weeks bearing messages
between San Antonio and the ranch
AT length some mysterious affairs az
existed between the two people were
/ arranged in some way, and the little
woman returned to Galveston anG
sailed for Europe, still muttering pray
e-s and carrying her crucifix in one
hand and her Bible in the other. From
this time on to the end of his career
in Texas, Carleen was never the same
man. He evidently labored day anC
night to drive something from hi:
mind. The great house was crowded
! with people who were bent upon pleas
ure alone, and strange rumors circu
/ lated as to games of cards where no
only Millions but beautiful women
were lost and won. Carleen began tt
! give away money. He made one of hi.
( neighbors a present of a large pasture
and fine herd of COWS. To another HI
J gave large band of graded polled An
! gus steers. To a favorite cowboy HI
gave whole drove of fine horses, ant
/ at the feet of beautiful singer from
! San Antonio he threw a check TO,
100000 in gold. The daughter of
/ gamekeeper who handed him a cul
OF cold water from one of his owl
! springs was rewarded with band o
t sheep. He attended a school exhibition
and at the close of the exercises HI
/ presented each and every one of tn
little boys and girls with a check TO
/ S., 0O0
During the flood tide of his pros
perity he had stocked a fine park o
] several hundred acres with the rares
( specimens of wild animals from ever
known nook and corner of the globe
! One day, just before the final crash
when the Frenchman was in a partic
! ularly hilarious mood, he mounted hi
hnr nd j.
house and the country to help hir
Stay these geological specimens. Hi
guests, heated with wine, and his COW
boys, always eager for frolic, were
of course, ready for such fine sport. Tn
slaughter lasted three whole days Ele
plants, lions, tigers and leopards wer
hunted down and shot with Winches
ters to the music of hounds and tn
blast OF horns. Deer, antelope and raj
birds were spared, and after the roys
sport was ended the gates of the par
were thrown open and these above
to run wild. There We're plenty of pee
pie who believed that The mysteriou
Spendthrift had found BoWie'S famoJ
lost silver mines of the San Sab;
Others thought he was some Europea
prince who had inherited a limitle:
fortune and there were others who il
sisted that the man was either capab
of converting the baSer metals into go
or else he had been a great pirate
! an old world bank robber Toward IL
end people did not care to be intima
with the strange man, though hun
dreds were indebted to his liberality f,
their fortunes. Carleen realized tt
situation, and one fine day he wake
out of the great palace of St CIou
and turned his back upon the countl
| with so little ceremony that those WI
knew him best were most astonishe
He stopped in San Antonio long enoue
to make a firm of lawyers familiar Wi
his affairs. He was next heard from
, London in company with a woman
great beauty, and shortly afterwards
few lines floating about in the new
papers told the story of the suicide
the great English metropolis of ri,
Texan, who had left million on d
post in the Bank of England. 1t WI
Carleen-John Carleen-and he died
: he had lived-a mystery. And so end
: the greatest of all Texas mysteries. T
! came a mystery, lived ten years in
1 cloud of mystery and disappeared
: mystery.
s LONGING.