The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-01-02
LENDS MONEY TO KINGS
SAM LEWIS, THE UsURER AND
GREATEST sHYLOCK IN LONDON.
Has at Least a Hundred of EngIand's
Proudest Peerages IL His Clutches
as Security for Loans.
New York Journal.
1I


trade, is hopelessy involved in sordid and
dishonorable financial transactions, such as
no decent business man would touch. The
wonderful Sam Lewis alone has at least
hundred OF the most dazzling members of
the peerage in his clutches. He has had
in his possession score of the most his
toric family mansions in England pledged
as security for sums of money which their
owners had borrowed. 1t is with deep
and peculiar significance that Mr.. Lewis
murmurs to himself the familiar lines OF
Mrs. Hemans:
1.-The stately homes Of England
How beautiful they stand
Amid their tall ancestral trees
Ger all this pleasant land"
The sight of those stately homes often
gives more pleasure to Mr.. Lewis and his
colleagues than to their ostensible owners.
In addition to many famous houses, Sam
Lewis has also held as security for loans
the royal crown of Portugal pawned by
the King. and the coronets Of vast num-
Der of noblemen and their wives.
Mr. Lewis has fine system. Among his
partners, or 'hand-shakers." are the Mar
quis of Canricarde, the head of very
ancient Norman-Irish family, and Sir Fred
erick tombstone one of the most intimate
friends of the Prince of Wales. The men,
bers of the British aristocracy are like
hideous beasts of prey feeding upon one
another Whenever one of them is getting
into difficulties there are a dozen ready to
keep him there by leading him into ruinous
entanglements with money-leaders 1t is
the business of Sam Lewis's hand-shakers
to look out for young men with prospects
and extravagant tastes, entering society.
When the young men get into debt the
hand-shakers remark that they know an
accommodating fellow (Mr. Lewis) who viii
advance large sums of money on post obltS,
title deeds and other valuable documents.
Thus they become involved in difficulties
which often last them till death The hand
shaker, of course, gets handsome snare or
the money-ender's profits.
A case wildly illustrating the rottenness
of aristocratic society came before the
courts two weeks ago. Sam Lewis sued
young man named Spender Clay to recover
500 655 due on promissory notes which
Lewis had cashed for Lord William Nevill.
Nevll is the third son of the Marquis OF
Abergavenny who claims descent from
Warwick. the king maker, whose family
name was also Nevill
HOW LEWIS LOST $55 655.
Spender Clay is a rich young officer in
the Guards In answer to Lewis's action
he declared that his Endorsement of the
notes was obtained by Lord William Nevill
under false pretenses. He was invited to a
house party at Ascot, where Nevill was
also guest. The latter asked him to sign
as a witness certain papers, which Nevill
did not wish him to read because they re-
ferred to the matrimonial troubles of Lord
Williams sister with her husband, Earl
Cowley. Clay signed the papers, and they
afterward turned out to be promissory
notes When Clay gave this evidence, Lord
William fled to the continent, and is in hid
%1nor.o frrrsx dnG no
signature was obtained by fraud and that
Lewis could not recover Of course. little
| mishaps of this kind will occur, and the
usurer makes due allowance for them IN
| charging interest.
Sam Lewis, the greatest of modern Shy
| locks. is a self-possessed, genially cynical
| little man. He is of middle height, with
plump, trim figure. He wears pointed
well-kept beard, dresses well and quietly,
for noIite societV. His once is in Cork
| street, in the heart of the West End. 1t is
at corner and has two doors on different
streets, so that a client leaving the mouse
need not meet one following. This precau-
| ton is eminenty desirable when the client
is woman of rank and fashion whose fea-
lures are known throughout the United
Kingdom. On the ground floor is wine
merchants shop, and LeWiS's office is on
the second floor. 1t Is furnished like an
English solicitors Office of the most re-
spectacle kind. In the outer room are two
neat clerks with gray side whiskers. MIR.
Lewis sits at an old,fashioned mahogany
desk A safe of moderate size is at his
right hand. There are piles or black TIN
boxes in the room but they do not pear
names. as similar boxes do in English law
The interest Lewis charges is more or less
a mystery One man may pay 40 per cent.
Who is the brother Of the Duchess of suth-
erland and of the Countess of Warwick,
borrowed $3.50 In return for which he gave
one note for 81 900, due In three months, and
another for So 600, due at the same time.
The second note was nominally in payment
for perfumery store, which was nothing
but q basement with a few empty bottles In
it. The earl refused to pay the second note,
but the court decided that he must do so.
He became bankrupt. Lewis does not
little work yields him a large profit. He
enjoys the good things of life and IS very
fond of society. Urged on by his wife, an
ambitious and handsome woman, he is
steadily forcing himself to the front in the
world of fashion. The poor wretches whose
property he has gobbled up and the aristo-
cratic touts, whom he subsidies, are forced
to present him to their friends and relatives
and answer for him to society in general.
COUNTESS COWLEY'S VILLA.
Lewis has recently occupied the beautiful
riverside villa formerly the property of the
Dowager Countess Cowley, who was forced
to give it up in consequence of her indebt-
edness to the money-lender. 1t is near
Maidenhead on the Thames and Mr. Lewis
is thus neighbor Of Mr. William Waldorf
AStOr. IN LOnuOH anu DIT llC AoSllAOAAdDAC
continental resorts Lewis has hobnobbed
with the Prince. of Wales and other men,
bers OF the royal family and the highest
aristocracy of Britain.
Sir Frederick tombstone the intimate
friend of Tum-Tum, has a charming villa
at Cannes, presided over by a handsome
lady with whom he eloped while she was
legally another's. There last winter they
entertained at the same time Sam Lewis,
the Prince of Wales, the Duke of Cam
bridge and other distinguished persons.
The prince, whose catholicity of taste is
well known says that Sam Lewis is "a
remarkably nice fellow" His Royal High
ness some years ago also declared Lord
William Nevill to be my ideal young man.
When he goes to Monte Carlo, and that
is at least once a year, Sam Lewis takes
with him $1OOO,000 with which to gamble
himself and accommodate his clients who
may be there. He is very liberal in his
personal expenditure. Among the noblemen
who have been reduced to penury by their
extrayagance and their subsequent dealings
with Sam Lewis are the Marquis OF Done.
gall the Marquis of Huntley, the Marquis
Townsend the Earl of ROsslyn, Earl Pou-
lett the Earl of Buchan, the Earl OF Perth
and Melfort the Earl of Stamford Earl
Granville. the Earl of Munster, the Earl of
Hardwicke Lords Athlumncy, Headley,
Hill Thurlow, Halden and Churchill. Some
of them have been reduced TO ridiculous
straits for such high and mighty person.
ages The Marquis of Donegal, who has
PASSED through the bankruptcy court, is Row
clerk of a court of inferior jurisdiction in
Ireland His wife has been repeatedly ar
rested for drunkenness on the streets.
Earl Poulett has spent all his money and
ma In1-% r4av~f hat n-f- of