The evening times., 1898-02-09
OUR CoNsrLS ABROAD.
The Many Demands on Their iihie'
Patience aud Money


The woes of an American consul in
a great foreign city are manifold. sald
Cen. Patrick A Collins, of Boston,
himself the recent United States con-
sui at London. When Mr. Cleveland
sent me to London l was simple,
confiding Bostonian, with vast
amount of honest belief in my fellow
man. As a result, l had not been IN
London a week before / fell an easy
victim to the wiles of n cheNailer q IN
dustrie A card was brought To me
hearing the name Qet us say) OF MAJ
! II. Blank. late of the Blank hegl-
ment, and member of the &. A. X. l
felt proud at being enabled TO greet III
my official capacity a veteran OF the
war: and Mai Blank was ushered III.
He proved to be charming gentleman,
full of anecdote and positively eHer-
vescinr with patriotism. We smoked a
cigar together and agreed the United
States was the greatest country on
the footstool Then-all OF a sudden
my new friend sprang TO his feet
"'Ob. by the way, General said he'
I had almost forgotten what i came
about. Fact is, not knowing LONDON
very well. i fell among thieves SesteT-
day. and they fieeced me OF all my
n.
but in the meantime | should really
like you to lend me a niue te"u9 iiioH
ey. Can you?'
"Could - OF course | could. | felt.
indeed that it was my bounden duty
to do so. and / did. He took my check
and departed. The check was cashed
within an hour. but / never saw MAJ.
Blank again. When | mentioned the
fact of his visit 10. a friend OF expert :
ence. the friend merely laughed
and told me in brutally piain
language that hau peen
cwindIed But it was not until | had
inyaetigated Mai. Blanks antece-
denis over here by means OF letters OF
inouirv that | knew the entire truth
of this assertion. Since then many and
MANY a Mai. Blank has visited me
but very seldom have L been caught by
the same dodge.
..Wrhen an American gets STRANDED
in a foreign cline and sees no llnlhe-
diate means of raising money, what Is
his very first place of call! Inc amer
| lean consulate, almost lnNarlaoiH
| ITncle Sans wondering prodigals thinf
that it is their fond parent actua
duty TO ship them home from wherever
! they may happen to be. | believe tina
/ there exists a popular superstition tina
a special sum has been set aside fol
! this very purpose, and that this fun'
| is at the disposal of consuls, for the us'
/ of deserving citizens VINO nave gon'
4 .broke.' | know a great many persons
! have at different times come to ~
/ Helen's Place and claimed as thel
/ right a portion or portions OF I'M
mythical fund. When Informed of il
non-eXistence, the majority OF theh
have not hesitated TO hint that L wa
/ mendacious.
| sIf I had sent home all the person
| who applied for transportation durin;
| nv term of office, / should have beel
the means of restoring to Uncle Sam
bosom a very respectable army of CT
| rant citizens To satisfy all claims fo
| relief which poured in upon me in tn
same time, i should have needed tn
wealth of an Astor or Rockefeller.
need not tell you that the really deserv
ing applicants were few and far be
tween. The great majority of thOs
who came for aid were rogues o
spendthrifts.
| Let me give you few instances
One day young man called and prov
ed to me by means of letters and ref
erences of unQuestiOnable strength
that he was the son of a we'll know
Western millionaire. He had visite
Monte Carlo and had been, as he ex
! pressed L, Citdneu Oul. Ht
had been done contrary to his father
expressed commands. Consequently h
did not dare just then to write hom
but he asked me, as one acquainte
with his position and prospects. to len
him some money. The story was pei
fectly straight one. j asked for a da
to think the matter over. During til
day / investigated my young frien'
and finding that everything he sal
was true let him have what he wan
ed. The sum was to be returned in
gone by since then, and l have yet
look upon those departed dollars.
suppose the young man simply forg'
all about the transaction. Let us =:
least hope so.
Confidence men a-many have viSite
me with this same story. and while
will not positively state that they ha'
never succeeded in victimizing me,
, will say that I generally managed
see through their little schemes
time.
, Il remember an amusing and y
, somewhat touching case-touching in
! double sense, for l will admit, in tf
, instance, to have been touched bo
: as regards my heart and my pocke
A newly married couple from Ameri
: had been spending their honeymoon
Europe. They had spent their fun
lavishly, imagining that. like their 10
nUrvy%U r>cs Called for-cieaued and