The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-07-16
GIVING AWAY MONEY
BECAUSE HE DOES NOT WANT HIS
SON TO HAVE ANY
OF 1T
MONTE cR1sTo OF BROOKLYN

tune of 100000 So That His
Disinherited Som Cannot Get Any
of 1t After His Death-Gives Away
Library Containing 5000
Volumes.
BROOKLYN, July 13-An octogenarian
spendthrift, a millionaire turned nomad,
father who is giving away and spending
a fortune of 100000 so that his only son
may not inherit it! This is the true de-
scription of James A. H. Bell, known as
the Monte Cristo of Brooklyn"
He was once the owner of Bell island.
He has voluntarily exiled himself
Millionaire Bell sailed for Europe on
Saturday, July 8. 81 am shaking the dust
of America forever from my feet" he
said.
Mr.. Bells son, John Graham Bell, died
at ST. Peters hospital the night before.
His father knew he was dying, but he
would not go to his bedside. When the
end had come a messenger carried the
news to the old man in his queer, old
fashioned mansion, at No. IS Sands
street. Millionaire Bell, STOPPING under
| the weight of his "a years, came out of
candle high above his head.
II came from the hospital-to-tell-you
-your-son-is-dead," painted the mes
| senGer.
Very goodr' said the old man. The
withered brown hand that held the can
die above his head was quite steady. He
paid the messenger for the news
Very goodr' he said again. He went
back to his library.
He rang for his housekeeper Send
me some ice water. 1 shall spend the
night here. shall want nothing more
he said.
The next morning he sailed. He
stopped his carriage on Brooklyn bridge
to tell neighbor he would never return.
II am shaking the dust of America off
my feet forever" he said.
man watched the shrunken old figure
mount the gangplank of the ocean liner.
He was middle-aged man, with a Gu
rtous likeness to the old man who had
just gone aboard. He frowned. Then he
set his lips firmly upder his thick, gray
mustache and went on with his work as
dock agent at Pier g. North river. The
old man could have seen him had he look
ed that way, but he did not. The dock
agent was Charles A. Bell, the only sur
Viving son of the old millionaire, who
was leaving America forever. James
Graham Bell, his brother, was buried
from his house, No. 755 Marcy avenue,
last Sunday. The old millionaire was not
hidden to the funeral. If he had been In
vited he would not have gone
The north pole is not further from the
south, the stars not further from the
earth, than Millionaire Bell, the Brook
Ign Monte Cristo, from his sons
In the Brooklyn institute there is q
priceless library of 1900 volumes, occu-
plying three large rooms. The library
was the gift of Mr.. Bell to the institute.
In the alcove of one of the rooms is the
marble bust of a beautiful woman. This
is another gift of Mr.. Bell to the insti-
tute. 1t is the bust Of his wife, who died
thirty years ago.
For years before her death there had
been GOODNESS between Mr. and Mrs.
Rell. The old mansion in the then most
erlstocratlc quarter of Brooklyn held a
household divided against itself.
The millionaire's love for his wife had
turned to hatred. This unnatural feeling
extended to his two sons
1t was deepened by the fact that the
older son, Charles A. Bell, married a girl
whom his father did not admire She
was a good girl with the level head and
the practical bent of the average Ameri-
can girl. She was as wholesome of body
as soul and she pleased Charles Bell.
Not so his father
John Graham Bell did not take to
business" He wanted to be a teacher of
music. This aEgered his father
After day of reading ard meditation
In his library the millionaire decided to
disinherit both his sons
They shall have a share Of nv for
tune he said grimly "It shall not be
as large as they expect. Il shall be ex-
actly one dollar apiece"
He sent for his lawyer and made his
will. It provided that his fortune with
the exception of the said 81, should be d.
Yided among charitable institutions in
Brooklyn. The trustees of an ornhan
asylum had made him many offers FOR
the old mansion on Sands street. He had
refused them all, Because" he said to
the lawyer, L want to give it to them
when l am dead.
John Graham Bell never prospered. III
health and an enfeebled will made of him
orlttWood In life's stream. One day three
months ago the stream carried him 70 ST
Peters hospital. He had no money. He
told the superintendent Of the hospital
that he was son of the eccentric mil
honalre of NO. 45 Sands street the "Monta
Cristo of Brooklyn" The SUPERINTENDENT
sent bill after bill to the Sands street
mansion. There was never any replv
me superintendent engaged LAWYER. At
nrst the lawyer was diplomatic.
Your son is too i'll to be removed from
81 Feters to a charity hospital he
wrote. w e would spare you the dis
| grace OF sending him to such an institT-
ton We are sure this-to you-trifipo
Dill has escaped your attention. We are
sure that with this reminder 1t win he
promptly met" NC
1t was not. The aged father read n In
a cafe on the CHAINS EIysee He IT u
cigar with 1t and laughed.
II was only when his housekeene
warned him that a suit was tmnendjne
that he returned from Paris.
he arrived on Friday, June 80. 'I will
settle this matter and go back tomor-
row. ne said And, though his son died
that night, he kept his word
The old man made three Wills The ,ro
VISIONS were always the same Whatever
was left OF his fortune at his death
should be divided among certain Brook
| Ign institutions
But" said a friend of the '.Monta
| Cristo of Brooklyn after the first win
had been made, ANY will may be broken
nowadays"
Mine shall not" he answered firmly
and went to his lawyer and had sec
ond drawn up, with the same provisions
but stronger phraseology. The third was
kindred to 1t and there was no mistaking
one of the cruelty clear sentences
After all these precautions that his will
should not be broken, Mr.. Bell set about
spending and giving away his fortune so